Chapter 141

Chapter 141: Chapter 141

"She won’t yell at you," Ava promised cryptically.

"In fact, she’ll probably thank you."

Lane stayed silent, realizing arguing with Ava was a lost cause. During the short drive, Ava reached into her purse, pulling out a sparkling diamond necklace and matching earrings, gently fastening them around Lane’s neck before she could protest.

Soon enough, the car glided to a halt in front of a grand, historic church.

Lane sat waiting for the door to open, completely baffled as to why they were just sitting there. Ava was furiously typing away on her phone.

"Time to get out. The groom is losing his mind," Ava whispered excitedly, pushing her door open.

Dazed, Lane stepped out of the car.

Before she could take three steps, Miss Ivy and the wedding coordinators rushed over, draping a delicate lace veil over her head and shoving a bouquet of fresh white roses into her trembling hands.

Panic flared in her chest. What was happening?

As she looked around the courtyard, her breath hitched.

The familiar faces gathered by the entrance weren’t random wedding guests. They were her friends, her colleagues, and their closest family members.

Realization hit her like a lightning bolt. Her knees nearly buckled.

This wasn’t a friend’s wedding. This was hers.

Trembling, she turned her gaze toward the grand wooden doors of the church, which slowly swung open to reveal the sanctuary inside.

Standing tall at the altar in a sharp black tuxedo was Ethan.

Tears immediately flooded her eyes, hot and fast. The wedding Ava had dragged her to was a surprise do-over ceremony orchestrated by the man she loved.

Soft, acoustic notes of Beautiful in White began to echo from the speakers inside the sanctuary.

The coordinator gently nudged her shoulder, signaling it was time to move. Through a blur of tears, she saw that Ethan hadn’t taken his eyes off her for a single second.

As she reached the halfway point of the aisle, two familiar figures stepped out from the pews to meet her. Her parents.

Seeing her father standing upright with the help of a cane, looking healthy and proud, shattered her last bit of composure.

Sobs racked her chest as her parents linked arms with her, walking their only daughter the rest of the way toward the man she had chosen to spend her life with.

Ethan couldn’t wait another second. Unable to stand still at the altar a moment longer, he broke protocol, jogging down the steps to meet them halfway.

Aunt Catherine and the rest of the family followed close behind him with joyful tears.

Ethan stopped in front of her parents, respectfully bowing his head. He mirrored the gesture when her father offered a frail, shaky hand.

Before placing Lane’s hand into Ethan’s, her father cleared his throat, his voice raspy with emotion.

"T-take care of her, Ethan. Please love my daughter." He paused, squeezing her hand one last time.

"I entrust her happiness to you."

Ethan swallowed hard, his eyes shining with unshed tears. He gripped her father’s hand tightly.

"You have my word, Uncle. I won’t just promise. I am giving my entire heart to Lane. I will love her even more than you do."

Instead of answering, her father gently placed Lane’s hand into Ethan’s open palm.

The moment Ethan’s fingers locked around hers, the grip was fierce and permanent, as if he vowed never to let her slip away again.

"I love you so much, Lane," Ethan whispered, his voice thick with raw emotion as he stared down at her.

Who would have ever thought that the cold, detached husband who once wanted nothing to do with her would become her ultimate safe haven?

The man who used to ignore her existence now looked at her as though she were the center of his entire universe. The man she had prayed for every single night was standing right in front of her, pouring his soul out.

Prayer and true love really were powerful forces.

"I love you so much too, Ethan," she choked out through her happy tears.

...

Ethan couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across his face when he stepped out of the bathroom and saw his work clothes neatly laid out on the bed.

"I told you, don’t waste your time being a good wife, Lane. Because it doesn’t change anything. You are not my wife. And next time, don’t touch my things, I don’t want anyone else meddling with my stuff."

Soon after, the smile disappeared from Ethan’s face as he remembered the first time Lane took care of his clothes. Those were the times he was furious with her because her father insisted he marry her after he accidentally got her pregnant.

And when he remembered that, it felt like a large hand squeezed his heart because it hurt. Guilt was eating him, even though many years had passed since he said it. Even though Lane had already forgiven him, sometimes he still remembered how terrible he was back then.

He remembered how much of an asshole he was.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He knew he couldn’t change what had happened, he couldn’t take back the bad things he did and the harsh words he said to her back then.

So what he needed to do was make amends, make up for everything he had done.

And Ethan knew he felt deeply that he was making amends, just as he had promised her on their wedding day seven months ago.

Ethan surprised Lane with their wedding. She thought they would postpone their wedding after everything that happened.

She thought they would get married after she gave birth. But she was unaware that he was secretly making arrangements for their wedding. As he said, he wanted to marry her before her belly grew, and he intended to keep his promise to her.

With the help of Miss Ivy, everything was set up. He also called her friend Anna to attend their wedding, knowing Lane would be happy if Anna was there on the most important day of her life.

That day, their wedding took place.

Their wedding was quiet and peaceful. There was no trouble. Ethan ensured that by hiring a bodyguard for Lane without her knowing.

Ethan knew that Uncle Lucas couldn’t move anymore because he was paying for all his sins in prison, but he still wanted to be sure. Even outside the church where they were getting married, there were civilians watching.

He wanted the wedding to be quiet and peaceful, and he was happy because that is exactly what happened.

They got married peacefully. And on that same day, they felt overwhelming joy because not only did their dream of getting married in front of the altar come true, but they also learned that Olivia had awakened from her coma.

Ethan stepped toward his clothes laid out on the bed. He picked them up and put them on.

After getting dressed, he left the room to look for his wife. She was due any day now. She could give birth at any moment. In fact, he was on paternity leave.

He wanted to be there when her contractions started because he hadn’t been able to be there when she gave birth to Calvin.

So now that she was by his side, that is what he wanted to do.

He wanted to hold her hand while she was in pain. He wanted to be her source of strength when she was struggling, when she was hurting. And most importantly, he wanted her to feel that she wasn’t alone.

He knew she would endure the pain of childbirth, but he wanted to give her strength.

But he needed to leave because there was a minor issue at the office.

He didn’t want to leave, but his wife found out and told him to go.

She said she hadn’t felt any contractions yet. As her belly grew, they temporarily moved to the guestroom downstairs to make it easier for her, avoiding the need to go up and down the stairs to the master bedroom.

After a while, Ethan stopped walking when he saw his wife and child in the living room.

Lane was sitting on the sofa while Calvin stood in front of his Mommy, gently stroking her large, round belly.