The Last Chapter of Us

At the altar, my own wedding altar, Jack Hayes held Mia Clark in his arms and made his announcement to the world.
“Mia and I… we’re the ones who are truly in love. The woman I intend to marry today is her.”
A collective gasp swept through the chapel. Every eye, filled with shock and pity, turned to me.
But I didn't scream. I didn't cause a scene. In front of all our guests, I moved with a grace that felt foreign even to myself. I walked toward him, my couture gown rustling softly, and executed a perfect, polite curtsy.
“My affection for you ends here, Jack.”
“I wish you a happy marriage.”
And, I added silently, this time, I wouldn't let my own foolish heart lead my family to ruin.

1.
The moment Jack’s resonant voice faded, the air crackled with the guests' sharp inhales. I was, without a doubt, the tragic centerpiece of this spectacle.
“Genevieve, it wasn’t until I met Mia that I understood what love truly is,” he continued, his voice thick with performative sincerity. “She’s taught me so much. My heart belongs only to Mia, and she’s the only one I want to marry.”
“So please, I’m asking you to grant us your blessing.”
The two of them gazed at each other, their eyes brimming with a love so profound it was almost theatrical. It was a perfect portrait, casting me as the wicked witch trying to tear two star-crossed lovers apart.
Buoyed by Jack’s support, Mia found her courage. “Miss Sinclair,” she began, her voice trembling just so, “Jack doesn’t love you. Why force him into this? You can’t force happiness. A marriage without love is a prison. Jack and I are truly in love… please, I’m begging you, let us be together.”
Her plea hung in the air, thick with manufactured desperation.
I looked at them, clinging to each other on the stage that should have been mine, and a faint smile touched my lips.
From the age of ten, I knew I would marry Jack Hayes. To become a woman worthy of standing by his side, I had sacrificed my childhood. While other girls played with dolls, I was studying wine tasting and art appreciation. While they compared pretty dresses, I had committed to memory the lineage and ledgers of every influential family in Crestwood. While they fretted over getting a perfect score on a final exam, I was mastering the delicate art of social politics, all to become the perfect partner for him.
I knew that the woman beside Jack Hayes could never be a mere ornament.
Perhaps it was that lifelong obsession that had twisted me into something unrecognizable. Marrying him, becoming the matriarch of the Hayes family, had become my sole purpose. I couldn’t even tell if it was love or a desperate need for possession.
But in my past life, the title I had fought tooth and nail for became the very sword Jack used to destroy my family’s company, Sinclair Industries.
This time, I had no intention of sinking into the toxic mire of the Hayes family.
I gathered the skirt of my custom-made gown and walked, step by deliberate step, toward the stage. My family’s bodyguards trailed behind me, their bodies tense, ready to tackle me to the ground at the slightest hint of a scene.
But I simply stopped, a good ten feet from Jack.
I curtsied again, my form flawless, my posture elegant.
“My affection for you ends here, Jack.”
“And again, I wish you a happy marriage.”
Jack stared, clearly stunned. He had obviously braced himself for a fight, a tantrum, anything but this quiet, swift acceptance.
The next second, his mother, Mrs. Hayes, stormed the stage. She lunged for Mia, her hand raised to strike, but Jack intercepted her, shielding Mia with his own body.
Forgetting all decorum, his mother unleashed a torrent of fury. “You worthless, ungrateful boy! Casting aside a perfect match from a fine family for this… this nobody from nowhere! You've shamed us all! What can she do besides play the victim and manipulate your pity?”
Mia’s face flushed a deep crimson, but Jack only held her tighter, as if she were a priceless treasure.
“Genevieve has everything and everyone,” he declared, his voice ringing with conviction. “But Mia… she only has me. Genevieve and I grew up together. If a spark was ever going to happen, it would have happened by now. I don’t love her! Why does everyone keep trying to force us together? There’s no happiness in a loveless marriage. I want the world to know that Mia is the only one I love, and I want to give her the best of everything!”
His impassioned, self-righteous speech earned a few muffled snickers from the guests. Marriages among the elite were never so simple.
Then, Jack turned his righteous anger on me. “You don’t love me either, do you? A business merger like us would never be happy.”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I silently slipped the engagement ring from my finger. I was about to return it when I noticed a dazzling, expensive-looking diamond already gracing Mia’s ring finger.
A humorless smile played on my lips. I turned to the bodyguard beside me, took his gloved hand, and placed my ring in his palm. “Return to sender.”
Mrs. Hayes grabbed my arm, her eyes pleading with me to stay. But my father stepped in, firmly removing her hand. “Since the Hayes family has clearly made other arrangements, we will not impose any longer.”
With that, he took my arm and led me away, his back ramrod straight with fury.
Because of a careless joke made by our parents years ago, I had spent eighteen years loving Jack Hayes. I’d endured the sneers of our social circle, who called me his lapdog, and I had simply smiled through it. Their laughter meant nothing because I knew that, in the end, I would be the one marrying into the Hayes family.
It was only when I had finally clawed my way to that position that I realized my foolishness had dragged me, and my parents, into an abyss.
This time, I was done playing their game.
That den of vipers? They could have it.

2.
The moment we were in the car, my father’s rage erupted.
“That bastard Jack Hayes! To abandon my daughter at the altar… Unbelievable! First thing tomorrow, I’m telling my secretary to halt all joint ventures with the Hayes corporation!” he thundered, his voice bouncing off the leather interior. “If it weren’t for my respect for his father, who would ever want to marry their daughter to that piece of trash! My Genevieve is brilliant, accomplished! The line of suitors is a mile long, and he dares to humiliate her like this? I need to hire someone to teach that punk a lesson he’ll never forget.”
My mother tried to soothe him, but it was no use. If my father had a machine gun right now, I was certain he’d level the entire Hayes estate.
A small laugh escaped my lips.
My father stopped his tirade, looking at me with concern. “Honey, have you been shocked into a daze?”

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