Separate Weddings, Separate Lives novel Chapter 17

Louisa hesitated for a moment before finally placing her hand in Elijah's.

His palm was dry and warm, a sensation she wasn't familiar with. When his hand closed around hers, it felt as though all her unease and fear were gone.

She looked at Elijah, and for a brief moment, the scene felt strangely familiar, as if it had happened once before in another lifetime.

It was said that every relationship carried echoes of past lives. Perhaps the person meant for her had never been Thaddeus.

Of course, it wasn't Elijah either. This marriage was just a mistake she made.

When Thaddeus saw Louisa, she was walking toward him in a wedding dress, her fingers interlaced with those of a tall, composed man. Step by step, she moved closer.

At that moment, he was convinced he was trapped in a nightmare.

Louisa was his bride. She couldn't possibly be standing beside another man.

He rushed forward and grabbed her hand. "Lou, come with me. We're leaving."

She pulled back. "Thaddeus, you should leave."

Her voice was calm, and her expression was composed. There was no emotion in her eyes.

He shook his head vigorously. "We're leaving together. I told you I'd explain everything. Once you come to the venue, you'll understand."

His hands were trembling, and even his voice was hoarse. "I never planned to marry Danica. I was setting her and her family up.

"I wanted them ruined. I wanted revenge for my parents. That wedding was meant for you. I filled it with the flowers you love. I—"

His voice broke. "I know I hurt you. That's on me. I should've told you everything instead of letting you go through it alone."

Thaddeus' eyes widened. "Lou…"

"When you took the ring from my hand and put it on hers," she continued, "when you told her that, for seven years, there wasn't a single moment that you weren't thinking about her, that it was her you loved, we were already over."

Even saying all that still cut her deeply.

"That wasn't love," Thaddeus said urgently. "That was hatred. I wanted revenge."

Louisa smiled faintly. "You used revenge as an excuse to ignore my feelings. You turned a once-in-a-lifetime wedding into a weapon.

"To you, I was always expendable. If I forgive you now, you'd still choose to sacrifice me the next time you want revenge."

"No, it won't happen again," Thaddeus insisted. "Lou, just trust me this once."