Chapter 47

ALEXANDER

Tears mixed with anger clawed at my chest, a suffocating knot of emotions I couldn’t untangle. She was gone. I’d lost her.

The courtroom felt like it was closing in on me, and all I could do was stand there, paralyzed by the weight of my failure. How could I win her back now? Was there even a chance left?

I felt hands on my arm, gentle but firm. Expecting Vanessa, I turned, but it was Eliza. Of course, it was her.

Her voice, sickeningly sweet, cut through my haze. “You should be happy, Alex. I am. Now that this divorce is over, our wedding can finally happen.”

Her words jolted me like a slap. My gaze locked on her, and the memory of Raina’s voice echoed in my head: Eliza tried to hurt Liam the day I was kidnapped. I didn’t need further evidence to believe her. I’d known for a long time what Eliza was capable of.

I yanked my arm out of her grasp, glaring. “And who told you we were ever going to get married?” My voice dripped with disdain.