5. The Turning Point
Later that evening, Rebecca approached her. Makeup gone, voice shaking.
“He told me you were unstable,” she whispered. “I believed him. I’m so sorry.”
Lauren smiled kindly. “He told me the same about every woman who challenged him. You’re not the first—but you can be the last.”
Mr. Liu joined them. “Mrs. Reynolds, you’ve earned more than our apology. You have our admiration. If there’s anything I can do—”
“You already have. The truth was enough,” Lauren replied.
She walked out through the marble foyer, calm and composed. By evening, the story was everywhere: “Engineer Walks Out of Ex-Husband’s Wedding After Truth Revealed.”
Weeks later, Rebecca visited Mia in the hospital. No designer clothes, no jewelry—just jeans and a box of storybooks.
“May I read to her?” she asked. Lauren hesitated, then nodded. From that day, Rebecca came every week—reading, helping with fundraisers, and later joining Lauren in raising funds for children with heart conditions.
