Chapter 7 - The Altar Abandoned
By Sunday morning, the world had caught fire.
The footage of Eleanor Montgomery screaming at the altar, Caroline Hastings wailing in her torn veil, and Ethan collapsing at the feet of three identical toddlers had gone brutally, violently viral. Every major news network in America was running the story. Twitter had exploded with the hashtag `#TheRealMontgomeryHeirs`, and TikTok creators were dissecting every second of my emerald dress, my walk down the aisle, and the ruthless corporate takeover of Montgomery Global.
In the penthouse fifty stories above Chicago, the morning sun poured through floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the sprawling living room where Liam, Noah, and Caleb were happily eating pancakes shaped like dinosaurs.
"Mama," Caleb mumbled through a mouthful of blueberries, "the man from yesterday... is he our real dad?"
I paused, setting down my cup of Earl Grey tea. I sat down at the breakfast bar beside them, looking at the three faces that meant everything to me. For four years, I had prepared for this conversation, terrified of how they would react, terrified that they would feel abandoned.
"Yes, sweetheart," I said gently. "He is your real dad."
"Why did he stay in the dark forest so long?" Noah asked, his sharp little mind turning the metaphor over and over.
"Because someone he trusted told him a lie," I explained softly. "They told him the forest had no way out, and he believed them. But yesterday, he found the path."
"Is he coming to play Legos?" Liam asked, his tone practical. "He promised the trebuchet."
"We'll see," I said, smoothing down his dark curls. "He has a lot of work to do first."
My phone buzzed against the marble counter. It was a secure text from Marcus Reed, my chief legal counsel and head of corporate acquisitions.
*The board convened an emergency session at 7:00 AM,* the message read. *Eleanor tried to file an emergency injunction to block your debt conversion. The judge laughed her out of chambers. Ethan showed up at 8:00 AM with his own legal team.*
I dialed Marcus immediately. "What did Ethan do?"
"He voted his shares with you, Avery," Marcus replied, his voice laced with genuine disbelief. "He didn't just step aside. He signed a proxy giving Vance Capital complete control of his board seat. Then he personally authorized the security detail to remove his mother’s personal effects from the corporate headquarters. Avery... the man scorched the earth. He stripped Eleanor of her executive stipend, cancelled her company credit lines, and had the locks changed on the Lake Geneva estate three hours ago."
I closed my eyes, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
Ethan had always been fiercely loyal—that had been his fatal flaw, the vulnerability his mother had weaponized to tear us apart. But seeing that loyalty turned against the monster who had manipulated him was a terrifying, awe-inspiring thing.
"Where is he now?" I asked.
"He's sitting in your lobby downstairs," Marcus said. "He’s been there since six in the morning. He wouldn't take the private elevator. He told the front desk he’d wait on the public bench until you decided whether to see him."
I looked over at the boys, who were now giggling uncontrollably as Caleb accidentally spilled syrup on Noah’s napkin.
May you like
"Send him up," I said.
***
