Chapter 140

Chapter 140: Chapter 140

Lane furrowed her brow when she woke up and found that Ethan was no longer beside her.

She couldn’t help the small wave of disappointment. She had hoped to wake up with him beside her, hugging her close so she could breathe in his scent.

She wanted to nuzzle her nose into his chest and inhale that familiar aroma, but since he was already gone, she had to settle for burying her face in his pillow, where his cologne still faintly lingered.

She stayed like that for a few moments before climbing out of bed.

Heading straight to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, she stepped out of the bedroom shortly after. Instead of going downstairs, she detoured to Calvin’s room to check on her son.

When she peeked inside, her brow furrowed again at the sight of an empty bed.

It seemed her husband and son had beaten her up and out of bed.

Descending to the first floor, she scanned the common areas for any sign of them.

They weren’t in the living room, so she headed to the kitchen next.

Ethan frequently hung out there trying to learn how to cook from Clara.

She had once mentioned a craving for spaghetti, and despite not knowing the first thing about Italian food, Ethan had gamely pulled up a video on his phone and attempted it.

After she praised his first effort, she had started making more requests, all of which he happily fulfilled.

He even asked Clara for lessons so he wouldn’t have to waste time staring at cooking tutorials every time a craving hit.

Upon reaching the kitchen, however, she found only Clara bustling around the counters.

"Good morning, Ma’am Lane," Clara greeted warmly.

"Good morning," Lane replied.

"Would you like to eat now, Ma’am?" Clara offered. "We can set the table."

"Maybe later, Clara. Do you know where Ethan and Calvin went?"

"They left the house early, Ma’am," Clara answered.

Lane frowned. "Left?"

Clara nodded.

"Did they say where?"

"No, Ma’am. Sir just instructed us to prepare breakfast for you as soon as you came down."

Lane pressed her lips together. "I’ll eat later then." She didn’t want to break her morning routine of eating with her boys.

Heading back upstairs to grab her phone, she planned to call Ethan and demand an update on their whereabouts.

To her annoyance, his phone went straight to voicemail.

Frowning, she tossed her phone onto the mattress and flopped back onto the bed with a heavy sigh.

A few minutes later, the sharp ringtone of her device broke the quiet. Expecting it to be Ethan, she grabbed it eagerly, only to see Ava’s name flashing on the screen. She answered immediately.

They hadn’t seen much of each other lately.

After the kidnapping ordeal, Ava had practically vanished into thin air once again, leaving Lane with zero updates. Noah had even called at one point asking if Lane knew where she was hiding because Ava was screening all his calls.

Lane had tried calling her repeatedly to no avail until Ava finally surfaced a few days later, insisting she was safe and begging her not to worry.

When Lane demanded her location, Ava clammed up, claiming it was for the best so she wouldn’t accidentally slip up if Noah asked.

Lane had reluctantly let it drop.

"Why are you calling, Ava?" Lane asked.

"Get dressed and come with me," Ava instructed.

"Are you back in New York?"

"Yeah," Ava replied smoothly. "Be ready by five, Lane. I’m almost at the gates."

Before Lane could protest, the line went dead.

Staring at the screen in disbelief, she shook her head and got off the bed.

She took a quick shower, dressed in a simple, elegant day dress, and gathered her purse.

Right on schedule, her phone buzzed with a text from Ava saying she was waiting outside.

Lane informed Lily she was heading out, then stepped out into the crisp morning air. Spotting Ava’s car idling by the driveway, she hurried over as one of Ethan’s security guards politely pulled the door open for her.

She slid into the plush backseat and pulled Ava into a tight hug. "I missed you so much, Ava."

"Me too," Ava murmured, pulling back with a grin.

Lane studied her face for a moment.

"You’re glowing. Pregnancy really agrees with you."

Ava just smiled softly.

"So, where are we heading?" Lane asked, feeling a bit suspicious.

"Just because," Ava deflected, her eyes darting away nervously.

Lane narrowed her eyes, watching her friend closely. When Ava turned to stare out the front window, Lane glanced forward as well. Her brow furrowed when she noticed the driver.

He looked awfully familiar. In fact, he looked like one of Ethan’s elite security operatives.

"Sir, aren’t you one of Ethan’s guys?" she blurted out.

The driver glanced nervously through the rearview mirror before giving a hesitant nod.

"Ethan lent him to me," Ava chimed in quickly.

"Why?"

"Because I’m too lazy to drive myself," Ava replied with a shrug.

Lane remained skeptical.

Opening her mouth to question it further, she caught sight of a sleek black sedan tailing them in the side mirror. A sudden chill of unease prickled the back of her neck.

"Ava, it looks like someone is following us."

"Don’t worry about it, Lane. They’re just your bodyguards," Ava said in a dismissive, low voice.

"What?" Lane asked, straining to hear over the hum of the engine.

Instead of clarifying, Ava offered a lopsided, nervous smile.

Lane felt entirely out of the loop, but figured it was just another weird quirk of pregnancy hormones and let it go.

Twenty minutes later, the car pulled to a stop. Lane looked out the window in sheer confusion.

The driver had parked directly in front of Chelsea’s high-end bridal boutique.

"Why are we here?" Lane asked.

"A friend of mine is getting married today, and I need to pick up a few things," Ava said, a suspicious sparkle dancing in her eyes.

Without waiting for an answer, Ava hopped out of the car.

Trailing behind in total bewilderment, Lane followed her inside the luxurious shop.

Miss Chelsea beamed the moment they stepped through the glass doors.

"Lane, Ava! Welcome."

"Hi," Lane replied weakly.

Chelsea exchanged a knowing look with Ava.

Lane noticed the secretive glances passing between them, but brushed it off, assuming it was some elaborate bridal planning drama.

A moment later, Ava steered Lane toward the back fitting rooms, handing her a garment bag.

"Here, Lane. Put this on."

Lane stared at the hanger in horror. A pristine white wedding gown peeked out of the plastic.

"Why on earth would I wear this?"

"It’s my friend’s wedding today, and you’re coming with me as my plus-one. You need to look the part," Ava urged.

Lane balked. "Are you out of your mind? The actual guests might think I’m the bride!" The moment the words left her mouth, a heavy pang of grief squeezed her chest.

If Uncle Lucas hadn’t ripped her away on her actual wedding day, she and Ethan would have been celebrating on a secluded beach somewhere by now.

"Let them think it," Ava insisted, practically pushing her toward the dressing room.

"Come on, Lane. Just humor me. I need to live vicariously through you."

Defeated by Ava’s relentless badgering, Lane finally gave in. Miss Chelsea stepped in to help her zip up the intricate, mermaid-cut gown.

When she stepped out of the dressing room, she caught her breath. The gown fit her curves like a second skin, as though it had been custom-made for her body down to the millimeter.

She noticed Ava was already dressed as well, wearing a stunning peach bridesmaid gown that matched the boutique’s color palette.

"We also threw in a complimentary hair and makeup session," Chelsea purred with a wink.

Before Lane could argue, she was firmly seated in front of a vanity.

By the time the glam squad finished, she stared at her reflection in utter disbelief.

With the flawless makeup, the styled hair, and the pristine white gown, she looked every bit like a glowing bride ready to walk down the aisle.

"Let’s roll," Ava announced, checking her watch with an excited grin.

They thanked Chelsea and hurried back to the waiting car.

"Ava, I swear, if the bride yells at me for upstaging her in a full wedding dress, I am blaming you," Lane muttered nervously as the car pulled away.