Chapter 4
My son was sickly as a kid–I ran between the hospital and home nonstop. Once, I collapsed from exhaustion and asked Ryan to step in. He bailed on his shift, and our son nearly died. He doesn’t deserve to be a dad.
I left for good, swearing never to return. Zane was out of town but gave me his place’s passcode. He knew I loved sky blue–every damn thing in there was sky blue. His assistant handled our wedding prep.
At the bridal shop, I stared at the gowns, numb. Guess who walked in? Kayla, trying on dress after dress while Ryan played doting fiancé, oohing and aahing. I remembered my maternity shoot–he came, but he was glued to his phone. When I asked if my outfit looked good, he swatted my hand: “Women are so needy–either pick a dress or shut up!”
Ryan was chatting with a clerk about Kayla’s veil when he spotted me. His smile vanished; he dragged me to a corner. “You stalking me? I told you, Kayla wants wedding pics for her album. I’m just helping.” He was redder than i tomato, yelling like *I* was the problem.
I’m here for my own dress,” I said calm as hell.
He gaped, then it clicked. “Alia, I promised a vow renewal, but the kid’s too little. And after the baby, your body’s… “know, not wedding – ready.”
walked out without a word. That night, he sent me a link: a used plus–size gown. *There–now you have a dress.
Can we drop this?* I blocked his ass.
Wedding day. In Zane’s hometown, couples don’t see each other a week before the wedding. He stayed in a hotel, let ne crash at his place. Ryan hadn’t noticed I’d ghosted him–probably thought a cheap gift would fix everything, ame as always.
At the hotel, I ran into Ryan and Kayla. They looked like they’d seen a ghost.
Kayla recovered first: “Alia, don’t freak out! Our daughter begged to be a flower girl, so we’re just… acting out a wedding for her.”
Ryan nodded like a bobblehead: “Kids have wild imaginations! We couldn’t say no.”
Kayla peeked behind me: “Where’s Liam? We need a ring bearer–perfect job for him!”
Ryan jumped in: “Liam’s been dying to see us ‘get married. You can be a bridesmaid, he can walk down the aisle–it’ll make his day.”
When I stayed quiet, Ryan stepped closer, voice low: “It’s all for the kid, I swear! Kayla’s married to someone else.”
Right–married to him. Their daughter, in a tiny tulle dress, grabbed their hands: “Mommy, Daddy! Let’s go get
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Blood Card He: Married Rilligncies
33.3
Chapter 4
married!”
As they were pulled along, Ryan mouthed: It’s a show.
“Wait,” I called. “If you’re ‘getting married,‘ I should give a gift.”
Kayla snatched the box from me, leaning in with a smirk: “You get it now, right? We’re the real deal–family of
three.”
I smiled: “Congrats. Open it.”
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