Chapter 44 The Wedding Is Tomorrow

“What? What happened?” Kaia felt her blood run cold.

The doctor’s voice was hesitant. “We… We don’t know. She was perfectly chipper this morning. But then… a woman came to visit her. Not long after the woman left, Madam Domont just fainted.”

Kaia shot to her feet. “Which woman?!”

The doctor was startled by her intensity. “I… I’d never seen her. One of the caregivers said… I think herst name was Thorne.”

In an instant, Kaia’s gaze turned arctic, freezing the air.

Thorne?

Could it be Luna?

Kaia clenched her phone tightly, her fingertips turning white. “Which hospital? I’m on my way!”

****

Alden pressed Kaia’s doorbell repeatedly, the sound echoing through the hallway for ten straight minutes.

The neighboring door creaked open, and a woman stuck her head out. “The youngdy left this morning,” she said irritably. “Stop that incessant ringing before you give me a headache.”

Alden wilted under her re and retreated downstairs.

Kaia had blocked his number, all social media ounts, and every other way to reach her. He waspletely cut off.

Frustration coiled tight in Alden’s chest.

The wedding was tomorrow, yet she hadn’t even attempted to make things right. She must know her father and Tobias had finalized the partnership details. What choice did she have but to marry him?

Despite his anger, genuine concern nagged at him. He needed to know how severe the fracture was.

A broken bone… How would she even manage to wear the wedding dress tomorrow?

He’dpletely forgotten she hadn’t even bothered to show up for the final fitting.

*****

At the hospital, a bone-deep chill had settled into Kaia as she

waited outside the OR.

She took a shaky breath and called Tobias. “Grandma copsed. Get to the hospital.”

Her voice was pure ice. Tobias, with his paper-thin ego, bristled on the other end.

“Kaia, where the hell are you? The wedding’s tomorrow, in case you forgot! And who was that punk you took off with yesterday?

“You pull any crap with Alden, you can consider yourself disowned!”

Kaia’s eyes were like chips of stone, a sneer barely contained. “I said, Grandma is in emergency surgery! And you’re still babbling about the goddamn wedding? Dad, she’s not just my grandma. She’s your mother!”

It took a beat for her words to sink through his self-absorbed haze. Anger had been building inside him all night, and as soon as he picked up the call, he just exploded with all his pent-up

emotions.

“Your grandmother was at the nursing home, wasn’t she? What happened?”

Kaia gasped, “I don’t know. She’s still in there. When are you getting here?”

Tobias nced at his watch. “Look, I’ve got a meeting with another CEO any minute. It’s crucial. I can’t bail. I’ll have Sally head over. I’ll be there when I’m done.”

Kaia inhaled deeply. This man. Her own father. How could anyone be this heartless? His own mother was fighting for her life on that operating table. And all he cared about was

business?

“Then don’t even bother,” Kaia said, her voice ice-cold with

contempt.

She ended the call and sat there, alone and freezing, the sterile scent of the hospital clinging to her.

After her mother’s death, ire had been the only one to show her true warmth, the only one who’d made her feel like family.

I can handle whatever they throw at me. But not Grandma. They don’t get to hurt Grandma.

She unlocked her phone and dialed another number.

****

In Washington, Lucien stared nkly at the dinner party guests mingling around the table, their sses clinking as they chatted. His mind was miles away.

She hadn’t replied to his messagest night.

Did Ie on too strong? Is she already tired of me?

He gazed at her profile picture, scrolling through her Instagram feed. Only posts from thest three days were visible; everything else had been archived.

He wanted to know what she was doing, but it was like hitting a

nk wall.

Lucien texted: [Landon, swing by my ce. Need you to snap a pic of my rabbit.]

[Rabbit? What rabbit? Since when are you a rabbit guy?] Landon replied.

Lucien sent him twenty-five thousand dors, then typed: [Just get it done.]

Half an hourter, Landon saw a fresh Instagram post from

Lucien.

Lucien wrote with a cute bunny photo: [Taking name suggestions for this little guy.]

He posted it, waiting. Then the first like popped up. Hope flickered.

0

Alyssamented: [OMG, Uncle Lucien, you got a bunny? It’s so cute! I just wanna squish him!]

Still no response from the one person he wanted to reach.

A shadow fell over Lucien’s features. He made a call.

“Alyssa, did you talk to your best friendst night?”

Alyssa paused. “She texted when she got home, said not to worry. She should be fine, right?”

Even as she said it, a note of uncertainty crept in. While Kaia had respondedst night, she still hadn’t read this morning’s

message.

cle Lucien, gotta run. I’m calling Kaia right now!”

Five minutester, Lucien stared at the new text on his screen, eyes wide.

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