Fated To Not Just One But Three novel Chapter 504

Chapter 504: Refused

Nora’s POV

The entire hall fell into stunned silence. It was Calvin. He stood at the entrance, tall, panicked, sweating, his dark eyes locking onto mine like I was the only person in the room. His chest heaved, his jaw tight, and for a moment, the whole world seemed to stop moving. Then his voice broke through the silence. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"This wedding isn’t holding," he said, his tone rough, trembling with emotion. "Nora is my mate."

Gasps rippled through the guests. Olivia narrowed her eyes, Daniel stiffened beside me, and my heart... my heart stopped beating for a second. Calvin’s eyes softened as he took a slow step forward.

"Please," he said, his voice breaking. "Please forgive me, Nora."

I stood frozen, unable to move, unable to breathe.

He continued. "I wasn’t rejecting you because of who you are. I was rejecting you because of me. Because I was scared."

He paused, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. "You’re everything I want, kind, selfless, brave. You make me feel things I thought I’d never feel again. That’s what terrified me."

Whispers filled the hall, but he didn’t care. His eyes stayed on me.

He took another step closer. "My first mate..." His voice cracked slightly. "She broke me, Nora. She betrayed me with another man, someone I trusted. I gave her everything, and she destroyed it. After that, I swore I’d never fall in love again. I thought the only way to protect myself was to never feel anything that deep again."

Tears burned in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

He shook his head, his voice shaking now. "But then you came along. And you ruined that promise, Nora. You made me feel again. You made me want again. And that scared the hell out of me. So, I pushed you away. I made excuses. I lied to myself, to everyone, just so I wouldn’t fall."

He stopped, his gaze softening even more. "But I already fell. I’ve loved you from the moment you walked into my life. I was just too much of a coward to say it."

I could hear people whispering around us, feel the weight of hundreds of eyes watching, but it was like the world had faded to nothing but him.

He came closer now, just a few feet away. "Nora," he said quietly, "I love you. Please... don’t marry him."

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. The words I had waited so long to hear, the words I thought I would never get, hung between us like fragile glass.

But it was too late.

I blinked back the tears, forcing my lips to move even as my chest felt like it was shattering.

"Calvin..." My voice trembled. "It’s too late."

He froze, disbelief flashing across his face.

I turned slightly toward Daniel, who stood stunned beside me, his expression unreadable. Then I looked back at Calvin, the man who had broken my heart long before I ever agreed to this wedding.

"You had your chance," I whispered, tears finally spilling down my cheeks. "You made me think I wasn’t enough. You made me believe it. And now, when I’m finally trying to move on... you show up?"

Calvin shook his head, stepping closer, his voice breaking. "No. I was wrong. I see that now. Please, don’t do this."

But I stepped back, my hand trembling as I held my veil. "You can’t show up at my wedding and decide you want me just because you’re scared of losing me."

His face fell completely. The pain in his eyes mirrored the one tearing through me.

"Please," he whispered again.

My voice cracked, barely a whisper. "It’s too late, Calvin."

"Please," he whispered again, softer this time, his voice barely holding together. "Don’t marry him."

I closed my eyes. Every part of me wanted to run into his arms, but my head wouldn’t let my heart win this time.

"No, Calvin." My voice came out barely above a whisper. "Let me go."

He stared at me for a long moment, eyes glistening, then slowly nodded. His lips parted, like he wanted to say something, but no words came out. Finally, he stepped aside, broken, defeated.

The hall was painfully quiet.

I turned to Daniel, my hands trembling. He looked at me with pity, not anger, as if he understood that no matter what happened next, this wasn’t victory.

"Let’s... continue," I said softly. My heart was breaking, but I forced my feet to move. The Elder hesitated, glancing between me and Calvin, but when I nodded, he began to resume the ceremony.

The moment felt heavy, suffocating. My heart pounded so loudly I could barely hear the words.

And then,

"This marriage cannot hold!"

The voice echoed through the hall like thunder.

Gasps filled the air again. I turned sharply, my breath catching in my throat.

At the entrance stood a pregnant woman.