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“I can’t do this.”
Silence descends upon the crowd, the weight of their intense stares crippling me, but all I can do is keep my gaze trained on Mackenzie, who drops the bouquet to bring her hands up to her mouth, the tears at last releasing to run in thin streams down her cheeks.
Is it good that she’s crying? Or bad?
The minister clears his throat, bringing my attention back to the matter at hand. “You can’t?” he whispers, brows raised in disbelief.
“No.” I look Serena in the eye, her expression easing. If nothing else, at least I did one right thing.
The minister’s mouth opens and closes a few times, utterly speechless, as a hushed murmur spreads throughout the room. In my peripheral vision, it’s painfully obvious that people are whispering to each other, pointing, cell phones being brought out to record what happens next. I can already see the headline.Bishop billionaire dumps fiancee at altar.I’ll be painted as the worst kind of villain, leading a woman on until the last possible instant.
But I’m not concerned with what they write about me. I’m done with all that.
The murmuring grows to a buzz as we continue to stand awkwardly at the altar, and even though it’s likely only been a few seconds, the moment stretches out infinitely until Archer steps up beside me, proclaiming, “He can’t marry her… because I’m in love with her.”