I had just gotten out of a yellow taxi in front of the big house in Coral Gables where I had lived for eight long years. I was pulling a heavy silver suitcase after a seventeen-hour trip from San Antonio, and I was still holding my phone showing the message my husband had sent me that morning: “I miss you so much. Please travel safely. We will have a nice dinner together tonight.”
But there was no dinner waiting for me behind the gate.
A big white tent covered the entire yard, beautiful flowers were hung everywhere, a small band was setting up their music tools, and over a hundred guests were holding drinks under bright glass lights. Right at the entrance, a large sign read: “Spencer and Penelope, together forever.”
Spencer was my husband.
My legs felt weak and I almost fell, but I refused to cry. I looked straight at his mother, Evelyn. She was wearing a nice purple dress and gold bracelets, showing that fake smile she always used whenever she needed to ask me for money.
“Where is Spencer right now?” I asked her.
“Do not make a scene here, Laura,” Evelyn said coldly. “He has made his choice. Penelope is young, smart, comes from a good family, and she is pregnant. I am finally getting the grandchild you could never give me.”
Her words hurt me deeply because she knew my past very well.
Eight years ago, Spencer had a terrible car accident on the highway to Key West. I sold the apartment my parents left me, paid for all his hospital bills, took care of his health, and cleared all of Evelyn’s personal debts.
For months, I slept on a small chair in the hospital hallway. One night, while running down the stairs to find a nurse because Spencer could not breathe, I fell down.
I lost my baby boy, and the injury made it almost impossible for me to get pregnant again. Back then, Spencer held my hand and promised that he would never let anyone hurt me because of that loss.
Now, his mother was using my sad story to throw me out of my own home.
Some relatives came outside when they heard us arguing. Many of them had lived comfortably for years using the money I lent them. Yet, they started whispering that I was a cold woman who only cared about work and did not know how to love her husband.
Then Spencer walked out of the house. He was wearing a nice white suit with a red flower on his chest. When he saw me, his smile disappeared.
“Laura, why are you here today? You said you were coming back next week,” he said nervously.
“You changed the wedding date on purpose so I would not catch you, right?” I asked.
He came closer and spoke softly. “We can talk about this later. Penelope can put millions of dollars into my construction company, and her father knows many important people. You never understood what a company boss really needs.”
I laughed out loud because his words were so ridiculous.
Spencer really thought he built his company all by himself. He did not know that every big contract, every bank loan, and even the house where he was having his wedding were only possible because of my help. For years, I hid the fact that I was the real boss of Apex Holdings just to save his pride.
I took out my phone and made a quick call.
“Attorney Miller, please stop all services paid by Apex Holdings for this house right now. Turn off the power generator, the water supply, the cooling system, and the security team. Then take this house back immediately,” I said.
Evelyn laughed loudly because she thought I was making a silly joke.
Ten minutes later, the music suddenly stopped as the power went off. The air conditioners stopped working, making the tent hot and stuffy.
The kitchen staff found out there was no water coming out of the pipes, and the big fridges lost power. In the summer heat, the guests started leaving quickly because the bride’s makeup was melting and the fresh seafood was getting ruined under the sun.
Spencer ran toward me, sweating heavily. “What did you just do?”
I put my phone back into my bag and grabbed my suitcase. “I just took back what was always mine.”
As the band packed up their things and left without playing a single song, I realized this ruined wedding was just the beginning, and I could not wait to see what would happen next.
