Chapter 9 - The Empty Altar
Olivia ripped off her diamond engagement ring and hurled it directly at David's chest. "My father's lawyers will have our marriage contract voided before the ink on your arrest warrant is dry, you pathetic con artist!" she screamed, gathering her voluminous skirts and storming toward the hotel lobby, leaving a trail of crushed rose petals in her wake. Richard Vance glared at David with raw hatred. "If my bank goes under because of your paper shell game, Miller, you won't need to worry about child support—you'll be serving twenty years in federal prison." Richard turned on his heel and barked orders into his phone, leaving David utterly alone on the grand staircase. The guests were dispersing in droves; car engines revved in the parking lot as the once-bustling ceremony emptied out like a punctured balloon. The string quartet had packed their instruments, leaving only the sound of the wind rattling through the floral arches. David sat on the cold stone, his head in his hands, listening to the rustle of Emily’s emerald dress as she turned her back on him. There was no theatrical gloating, no screaming match, no desperate attempt to claim his pity. She had won completely, thoroughly, and cleanly, leaving him with the exact thing he had left her with six years ago: nothing.
