Page 85 of The Vow Thief
A man well over six feet tall stepped forward, took my bags, and loaded them into the back. My mother guided me into the car before he got behind the wheel.
As the chapel disappeared behind us, the relief hit so hard it burned.
I turned to her, tears blurring everything.“You came.”
Her eyes were already wet.“Of course I did, Lilyth. You’re safe now. They’ll never find you. Trust me.” She pulled me to her,“I’ve missed you Lil. So much.”
I leaned into her arms. For the first time in years, I let myself believe her.
Finally, someone loved me enough to show up.
Sarah’s POV
Had I just heard Lily’s name? I stepped away from Eli and faced him.“Eliott Thompson. Are you Lily’s… “ I didn’t even finish the sentence before Matt did,“Father?” Eli nodded,“Yes, I am. And you were her fuck boy for a while, weren’t you, Matt?”
I didn’t look at Matt. My eyes stayed on Elliott.
He turned to Sean.“Yes, it was Julianne I sent to distract Matt. I couldn’t risk him being available if Lily reached out to him. I didn’t think you’d mind, Sean, since you agreed to this marriage to Lily. Are we having second thoughts now that you see your ex with another man?”
The room went still.
I turned to Matt. Part of me wanted to go to him; another part wanted to clap for karma finally finding its stage.
Matt stepped away from Julianne and toward me.“So this was fake? You were just… ” He dragged a hand through his hair.“Doing a job? I was just an assignment to you?”
I could not believe the look on Julianne’s face. She was devastated, looking at Matt the way I looked at him a year ago when he told me about Lily. I looked around to find an exit. I needed to get out of here. To get away from all of this fucked up drama. Why in the hell was I attracted to men like this? Why had this drama found me and attached itself to me?
I turned and ran for the exit on the far side of the chapel. The crowd thickened immediately, bodies and voices folding around me. My skirt hit my thighs. My heels kept time. I shoved through people, palms flat against shoulders, breathing sharp and fast. I wanted to make it hard for anyone to follow. I wanted space.
It didn’t work.
By the time I reached the doors, Matt was there, hand on the frame, hair rumpled, breath steady. Damn it. He was the last person I wanted to talk to.
Before I pushed through the door, a woman’s voice came over the sound system.
“Elliott Thompson, please come to the bridal suite. Lily is gone.”
The air shifted. Conversations dropped to a hum. I paused for half a second, long enough to feel the weight of it, then shoved the door open.
Matt was right behind me until a woman’s voice called out,“Matt, please stop and talk to me.”
I felt him hesitate, the sound of him fading behind me.
I kept going.
Elliott’s POV
All I heard was Lily is gone, and my feet were already moving.
I took the stairs two at a time, cutting through the side hall toward the bridal suite. I hadn’t seen her yet today, but I had confirmation she was inside the chapel. The door was unlocked. I pushed it open in hopes I would find her lounging, behind schedule, and defiant.
Her dress hung on a wall hook, the train pooled on the floor. The rest of the room was still. No sign of Lily.
Sean appeared behind me, eyes scanning the same corners mine had. We didn’t speak. We left the suite and started checking doors. First floor. Second. Nothing.
When we reached the Eagle’s Nest, the door stood wide open. Empty.
I called for security to meet us outside and search the street.
