Page 25 of Forbidden Vows

“You passed out,” one of them says. “We’re taking you to the hospital.”

Behind my father and stepsister, I spot some of the guests lingering on the chapel’s front steps, a few of the bridesmaids, Laura and Andrei, Paddy, my father’s trusted lieutenant, and Anton, looking grim and quiet as he keeps his focus strictly on me.

“Hold on,” I tell the paramedics. “I’m okay, I swear.”

“My God, Eileen, it’s bad enough you ruined my wedding day!” Ciara snaps, tears welling in her eyes. “Just go to the hospital and figure out what the hell is wrong with you.”

“Listen to the paramedics, honey,” my father adds.

I give Ciara a sad look. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“Of course you didn’t,” she scoffs, trying so hard not to cry.

“You can still have the wedding without me.”

“Nonsense,” Anton cuts in. “The wedding can wait. What matters most is that you’re okay and taken care of. Everything else can wait.”

“I’m so sorry,” I apologize again.

My stepsister rolls her eyes and turns away, while my father keeps trying to console her.

“Do you have any allergies or preexisting medical conditions we need to be aware of?” the first paramedic asks as they load me into the back of the ambulance.

“No. I mean, yes,” I say, lowering my voice. “I’m pregnant. Almost four months.”

I glance back at my family, but they didn’t hear me. Dad’s too busy comforting Ciara, the now-sobbing jilted bride. I catch a glimpse of Anton frowning, just before the second paramedic shuts the ambulance doors and heads to the driver’s seat.

“Okay, that’s good to know. I’ll add that to your chart,” the paramedic says while he hooks me up to a monitor and starts checking my vitals.

“What’s wrong with me?” I ask.

“Your vitals are okay. Your blood pressure is a little high, but that could be from your body’s reaction to passing out. They’ll need to do a full checkup and run blood work over at the hospital to figure it out definitively. It could’ve been nothing more than a fainting spell. It happens often in the first and even in the second trimester. Did you eat anything today?”

I shake my head slowly. “Too nervous.”

“There you have it. Most likely, you passed out due to low blood sugar.”

Chapter 8

Anton

Perhaps I should be upset that the wedding was postponed. Ciara’s endless tears should make me want to do something about it. Hell, maybe elope if I really wanted to marry her. But I don’t. Not anymore. Not at all. And it’s an unpleasant feeling to sit with and process while Ciara keeps complaining to her father about it.

“Figures,” she says. “Eileen wasn’t the center of attention, so she decided to ruin my wedding day.”

“Ciara don’t talk about your stepsister like that. Eileen has been in your corner the whole time,” Ronan replies.

“Agreed,” I say. “Whatever happened, clearly, she couldn’t control it. Maybe low blood pressure or blood sugar.”

“She didn’t eat anything at breakfast,” Ronan remembers with a deep frown.

Ciara exhales sharply. “She eats too much anyway.”

Did she really just say that out loud?My heart’s beating faster. They don’t know. Ronan was too busy coddling this snarkycreature to hear what Eileen told the paramedics. But I heard. I saw her luscious lips move. I’ve been doing the math in my head, reaching the same conclusion over and over.

“I’ll tell the guests the wedding is postponed,” I say, ready to end the whole thing.

“We could still have the wedding,” Ciara insists.

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