Nine months too late: After divorce

Lana's world came crashing down in a single, crushing moment. The word echoed in her head.

78

"No." 0

Kage's refusal sliced through the silence like a knife, sending a wave of shock rippling through the congregation. A stunned murmur broke out as heads whipped around, eyes darting between the groom and the bride, unsure whether they had misheard. But the look on Kage's face made it clear: this wasn't a mistake. He meant it. Lana's fingers trembled around the bouquet, and her lips parted in disbelief. She blinked, as if the motion alone would change what had just happened. The priest, shifting uncomfortably, stared at Kage in bewilderment, his voice low and

unsure.

Mr. Hawkins, you... I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" he asked, his words careful.

"I said no," Kage replied, his tone firmer, carrying an unmistakable finality. "I won't marry her."

A wave of gasps rippled through the crowd. Whispers erupted, spreading like wildfire as people exchanged confused looks. The high-society guests, the reporters, even some of the family members-every single person in the room was utterly dumbfounded. Lana à felt a hot flush rise to her cheeks, mingling with the cool sensation of sweat prickling at her skin. The flowers in her hand slipped to the floor as her fingers went limp, her pulse roaring in her ears. "Kage... no, you can't... this can't be happening..." she whispered, her voice a shaky echo of itself.

I

But Kage didn't even glance at her. His gaze was distant, hard, and resolute. As if the decision had been made long before he ever stood at this altar.

Lana's chest tightened, tears stinging at the back of her eyes. She reached out, her hand trembling as it hovered in the air between them.

"Please, I

Kage," she pleaded, her voice barely audible. "This is our wedding day... we're supposed to be getting married!"

expression didn't soften. If anything, his resolve only seemed to harden.

"I'm sorry." He muttered.

The words were like a death sentence. Lana's knees wobbled, and she stumbled back a step, feeling the weight of every eye in the room upon her. Tears pooled and spilled down her cheeks as the reality of what was happening crashed over her. It was all falling apart. Her perfect day, her perfect future-shattering in front o of everyone.

"Kage, please...!" she sobbed, reaching for him, but he took a step back, his jaw clenched.

Without another

word, Kage turned and walked away from the altar, not sparing a single glance backward.

People rose to their feet, craning to see as he pushed walked out the door.

Lana's sobs filled the air. The bridesmaids rushed to her side, their faces pale and wide-eyed, trying to steady her as she collapsed onto her knees, her dress pooling around her in a crumpled mess of lace and silk.

"No... no, no, no. "she whimpered, shaking her head. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. All she could feel was the suffocating weight of humiliation, the sharp sting of betrayal.

Why? Why would he do this to me?

But no one had an answer.

**********

Sylvie tucked the last of her folded clothes into the suitcase, zipping it shut with a firm tug.

She glanced around the hotel room, her heart aching with a strange mix of emotions. It had been a whirlwind of emotions - moving out of Kage's house, keeping her distance from him, preparing to leave the country-all while trying to convince herself that this was the right thing to do. Maybe once she was out of his reach, out of this country, she could finally breathe again.

She was just reaching for her purse when her phone buzzed on the bedside table. Sylvie paused, frowning, and picked it up. The screen was flooded with messages from her friends.

"What....?" She unlocked it, her eyes scanning the messages.

"Did you see what happened at Kage's wedding???"

"OMG, Kage just called off his wedding in front of everyone! You have to watch the news!"

"Did you know about this??"

There was a list of messages.

Sylvie's heart stuttered in her chest. Her fingers tightened around the phone as she opened the browser, fingers flying as she typed in the news site.

α

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And there it was. The headline was splashed across every page, every channel.

"KAGE HAWKINS REFUSES TO MARRY LANA HARPER AT THE ALTAR!"

Sylvie's breath caught in her throat. She blinked, staring at the screen, unable to process the words. It didn't make sense. Kage had... he'd refused?

Phoebe clenched her phone tightly in her hand as she paced back and forth, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.

"I still can't believe it," she muttered, her voice strained with disbelief. "What on earth was he thinking? To humiliate us like this, to humiliate me...in front of the entire world!" 'Humiliate us?" Elizabeth repeated sharply. "That boy has disgraced the entire Hawkins family! We'll be the laughingstock of the city, the country-no, the entire world!" Her eyes blazed as she glared at Phoebe, her voice trembling with fury. "What kind of son did you raise, Phoebe? "Elizabeth, this isn't helping," Griffin interjected. "We need to figure out how to do damage control, not waste time placing blame."

Diane scoffed. "Damage control? This is beyond damage control Griffin! The press will have a field day with this. The stock prices will plummet; our business partners will start questioning our stability! The Hawkins name has been dragged through the mud!" Griffin shook his head. "So, what do you want us to do about it? Call Kage and order him to marry her now?"

"If we could reach him, that might not be a bad idea!" Diane snapped, her face flushed. She turned her gaze to Sam who sat in the corner of the room, uncharacteristically silent. "Sam, say something! You're his father! You have more influence over him than anyone else here." "And you think haven't been trying?" Sam glanced up. He lifted his phone, showing the dark screen. 'I've called him a dozen times-the line is dead!"

1.38 Sat, Chapter 78

"Of course it is! That boy has always been disrespectful and arrogant! I knew he'd be trouble from the start-this reckless. rebellious streak of his-"

"Stop it, Elizabeth!" Phoebe cut her off, her eyes flashing with a warning. "This isn't the time to tear him apart."

"Isn't it?" Elizabeth shot back. "Because I think now is exactly the time! He just stood up at the altar and refused to marry Lana Harper in front of over two hundred guests! The entire social circle will be talking about this for years!"

"And Lana's family-oh God, how are we supposed to face them?" Diane moaned, burying her face in her hands. "They're one of the oldest and most powerful families in the country. Do you have any idea what this will do to our alliances?"

"We need to find him," Griffin said. "Before the press gets to him before he does something even more reckless. We need to bring him in and get a handle on this-now."

"How do we do that? We have no knowledge on his whereabouts.

"Maybe he'll come back home today. Afterall, he still needs to be home, right?"Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"Are you joking?" Elizabeth let out a harsh laugh. Kage has a dozen properties in this city alone! Do you think he's just going to stroll back here, begging for forgiveness?" "I'll alert my friends in the force to keep an eye out on him." Griffin replied. "We'll find him."

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