Twenty-four Hours Later, My Don Regreted Chapter 02

Twenty-four Hours Later, My Don Regreted Chapter 02

I walked down to the hotel lobby and spotted the car parked along the curb—Luca’s Cadillac, the same one the groomsmen claimed had crashed.

Luca stepped out of the driver’s side.

His eyes lit up when he saw me in my wedding dress, genuine awe crossing his face as he walked over. “My bride looks absolutely stunning.”

Marco rushed forward the second he finished speaking. “Luca, did you sort out that car accident?”

Luca huffed a lazy laugh and loosened his tie. “Cut the act, Marco. Elena knows everything already.”

He spun back toward me, voice lazy and zero remorse. “I stayed up all night with Chiara to make things right with her. I’m beat. Go on to the church without me. I’ll crash in a hotel room upstairs for a quick nap and show up afterward.”

He leaned in to kiss me right after he finished talking.

I twisted my head away, dodging him completely.

Luca’s jaw tightened for half a second, then he smiled it off. “Still mad? Fine, I’ll spend the whole night with you later.”

He didn’t spare me another glance before spinning around and heading back into the hotel.

Chloe stared daggers at his retreating back, squeezing my hand tight and leaning into my ear. “You okay?”

I shook my head, holding back the flood of tears in my eyes, then climbed into Marco’s car.

We pulled up to the old stone church on the outskirts of town, and all my bridesmaids were waiting for me out front.

One of my closest college friends pulled me into a hug and whispered in my ear.

“I printed every single chat log and slipped them into every wedding favor box. I even tracked down addresses for guests who couldn’t make it and shipped copies to their homes.”

Another college friend stepped up next.

“The video footage’s all preloaded on the projectors. I talked the wedding crew into taking orders from me exclusively today.”

I nodded, overwhelmed with gratitude.

Once every last detail was locked down, I stepped inside the church.

Half the guests had already arrived.

Soft instrumental music hummed through the space. The altar was lined with white and champagne roses, my favorite flowers. The archway leading to the altar was built in the forest aesthetic I’d begged for.

If Luca hadn’t dropped that horrid truth on me the night before, I might’ve been the happiest bride alive right now.

Rows of framed photos lined the walls, arranged in order to trace our seven years together.

We’d met in college debate club, clashing fiercely on stage but inseparable off of it.

After graduation, we each returned to our family businesses.

Our schedules were packed, but we always saved weekends for dates, shopping trips, movie nights.

I’d truly believed we had the perfect love story, from college rivals all the way down to the altar.

Last night he shattered every illusion.

He’d only chased me because his mother approved of me, and my Collins family name brought power to their alliance.

He’d played the perfect boyfriend for seven long years.

All the while, he’d stayed with the girl he’d funded back in high school.

She’d grown up dirt poor. They’d dated as teens, only for his mother to tear them apart.

He’d fought back, even gone on a hunger strike to stay with her.

His mom threatened to cut off all her financial support and ship Luca overseas. He’d surrendered.

Once college started, he dated me publicly, but kept his high school lover hidden. They’d even had a child together back then.

I was never anything more than a cover to keep his mother off his back.

He’d waited until I signed the marriage license to drop the charade entirely.

Time ticked forward to 11:30 a.m. The church filled to capacity, every wooden pew packed tight.

Luca’s parents still had zero clue what was about to unfold.

They grabbed my hands multiple times, gushing over how gorgeous I looked, proudly introducing me to every major business partner of the Carter family.

I just smiled and nodded politely through every conversation. Just as I’d always done, winning endless praise from my soon-to-be mother-in-law.

The clock hit 11:50 a.m., and Luca finally showed up.

He wasn’t alone.

He showed up with Chiara Lockhart, the woman he’d messed around with in that Cadillac the night prior, plus a strange young boy.