Page 148 of An Inevitable Marriage

A slow clap sounded from behind us. The more we looked around to find where it came from, the less we saw, but the louder the clap grew. It wasn’t until a masked man stepped out from the shadows that we found the source of the clapping.

I knew it was Liam’s grandfather before he even pulled the golden-winged mask from his face.

“Well, now, isn’t this precious?” His gaze traveled from person to person, the glint in his eyes growing more evil. “You’re all just one big happy family. All so forgiving of each other’s flaws.”

The way he’d said it made my blood run cold.

His attention shifted to Liam. “I warned you, boy.”

On cue, the ballroom lights turned off, and a giant screen lowered onto the stage. A timer ticked down. Three…two…one, and then my entire world crumbled.

The screen lit up with images of Liam and another woman with her face in his crotch. Then another, just with a different woman. The images kept flashing until it wasn’t just Liam and a faceless woman on screen, but me and him.

Images of us in the office with me bent over his desk and my dress hiked up over my back. Intimate moments of the times he’d kissed me until I could hardly breathe. It was all there for anyone with eyes to see.

I wanted to throw up.

I was vaguely aware of Tristan and Rafe yelling that they’d get it shut down. There were gasps and whispers, but I didn’t care about any of it.

My parents were here, and they saweverything.

The realization had barely sunk in when the screen suddenly went black and the lights flickered back to life. As suspected, every set of eyes was on us. I’d never felt so violated in my entire life.

I turned to Liam’s grandfather to tell him what a despicable human he was, but my mom beat me to it. Walking up to him, she lifted her hand and slapped him across the face. The ear-splitting sound of my mom’s palm connecting with his cheek filled me with an unhealthy amount of satisfaction.

“Shame on you,” she hissed.

Her glare stayed on him for a couple of seconds before she faced me. Ice slipped down my spine as I waited for the disappointment, the disgust. Only, it never came.

Instead, she reached for me and asked, “Are you all right?”

“No,” I answered honestly. “Those pictures…it was from before Liam and I got together. He had his reasons, and I don’t want—” I stopped talking when a smile lifted my mom’s lips. “What?”

“You’re defending him, not yourself?”

My cheeks heated. “I’m not happy you saw it, but I was a willing participant. Liam never forced me to do anything, and we thought we were alone.”

“He was right,” my mom mused. “You always put others before yourself.”

I couldn’t ask what she meant because she pulled me into a hug again.

“I’m proud of you, Evie.”

All hell broke loose. Cops filed into the ballroom and headed straight for us. My heart thudded dangerously behind my ribs until I realized they had their hands on Liam’s grandfather.

“I knew you’d try something tonight,” Liam gritted out. “That’s why I had the NYPD waiting nearby. And with that lovely speech you gave me the other night, I’m certain we won’t see you for a long time.” He took a step closer to the older man. “Goodbye, Grandfather.”

And just like that, even though he did not go silently, Mr. Maxwell Sr. was dragged away.

Liam immediately turned to my parents. “I’m so terribly sor—”

My father held up a hand, silencing him. “There isn’t a single person on this earth who doesn’t have some skeleton buried in their closet. No one is perfect, son. We weren’t created to be. And I assure you I speak for my wife and myself when I tell you we only care about how you love our Evie.”

“Wow,” my sister piped up. “All this excitement, and it isn’t even nine p.m. yet. I should’ve come back to the city months ago.”

I didn’t know if it was shock or what, but a laugh bubbled up my throat and spilled over my lips. Everyone else laughed, too, and when Rafe and Tristan joined us a few moments later, I laughed even harder at their confused expressions.

“Well,” I managed, my laughter finally tapering down. “At least we know people will talk about this year’s event for a very long time.”