The Groom She Left in Ruins

He tossed a jacket to Nolan, then shot me a warning look.

"Audrey, I know this is a mess, but tomorrow is the wedding. Can we all just calm down? This... his suit barely covers the scratches."

"She has nothing to do with this!" Nolan shrugged on the jacket, glaring at me, his voice thick with annoyance.

"Sienna was drugged at the party," he bit out. "I was helping her, and now Audrey's blowing this way out of proportion."

...

The room fell into a dead silence.

The best man, Josh, had a strained smile plastered on his face as he tried to defuse the tension.

"Alright, let's all just take a breath. You two are perfect for each other, and we're all thrilled for you. Go get changed, Nolan, okay?"

"Who's making a scene?" Nolan's voice rose an octave as he strode to the poolside and triumphantly took Sienna's hand.

"Sienna is right here. I saved her, and last night…"

"Shut up!" Josh pinched him hard, cutting him off.

"I did nothing wrong! Josh, you know how it is with Sienna. I was saving a life! What's the big deal?"

"Enough!" Josh snapped.

Nolan's provocations grated on my last nerve. I spun on my heel, ready to storm out.

"Audrey, have you had enough?" Nolan blocked my path. "Our friends are here. You can't just walk out like this!"

The groomsmen crowded the doorway, all talking over one another to persuade me.

"Audrey, please, don't make a scene. You're about to get married. You can't just throw away a five-year relationship!"

"Yeah! Nolan was saving a life, not cheating. Just let it go!"

"Exactly! Nolan and Sienna go way back. We're all friends here. Don't air your dirty laundry in front of everyone."

I let out a cold laugh. "A betrayal this public? They're not just airing dirty laundry; they're broadcasting my humiliation."

Before I could finish, Sienna's condition took a sudden turn for the worse, and the doctors rushed her to the hospital.

Nolan's eyes were filled with worry until Sienna's figure disappeared from view. Then he whipped around, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Audrey, are you satisfied now? Your incessant drama delayed Sienna's treatment. If anything happens to her, it's all on you!"

Treatment? He had the nerve to talk about treatment? White-hot fury surged through me.

I stared into his accusatory eyes, a sharp, tearing pain in my chest.

My five years of devotion, erased by a few hours with his old flame.

Nolan, in a hurry to chase the ambulance, didn't even bother to change his shoes. He threw a sentence at me as he rushed off.

"The wedding is postponed. Sienna needs me."

The groomsmen blocked his path. Nolan raged, "What are you doing? Get out of my way!"

"Nolan, think about what you're doing! Don't ruin everything on an impulse!"

"Yeah, man, we can arrange the best care for Sienna. You just need to be at your wedding!"

But Nolan wouldn't listen, his mind set on leaving.

I watched this farce unfold with cold eyes and announced icily, "Let him go. We're over."

Nolan froze, his face a mask of disbelief.

"Audrey, are you threatening me?"

Threatening him? No. I was just done.

Five years ago, Nolan claimed it was love at first sight and began a relentless pursuit.

He chased me for months, but I remained unmoved.

Later, when my self-made company, "ConnectSphere," faced a hostile takeover, he poured all his resources into helping me navigate the crisis and save the company I had built from the ground up.

He didn't sleep for days, looking haggard, yet he still managed a smile and said, "As long as your company is safe, that's all that matters."

In that moment, my heart skipped a beat, and I fell hopelessly in love.

After we got together, I leveraged my family's connections and my own funds to broker a partnership, transforming their obscure real estate company into an industry powerhouse.