Hermione's POV
My suitcase hit the front steps with a loud thud.
"Get out!" Rebecca slammed the door behind me so hard the windows rattled.
I stood there in the early morning cold, staring at my bags scattered across the driveway. Everything I owned. Everything I had left.
The sun wasn't even up yet.
My phone buzzed. Jerry's name flashed on the screen.
Finally. He would fix this. He would explain everything. He loved me.
"Jerry?" I answered quickly. "Jerry, something terrible happened. Rebecca kicked me out and—"
"I know." His voice sounded flat. Empty. "I need to see you. Can you come to the park? The one near the church."
"The church?" My voice cracked. "Our wedding church?"
"Please, Hermione. Just come."
He hung up before I could answer.
I grabbed one small bag and left the rest. My hands wouldn't stop shaking as I drove. Maybe Jerry had a plan. Maybe he was going to help me fight Rebecca. Maybe—
Maybe I was lying to myself.
The park was empty when I arrived. Just trees and benches and the sound of birds waking up. The church stood across the street, decorated with white flowers for a wedding that was supposed to happen in six hours.
My wedding.
Jerry sat on a bench near the fountain. He wasn't alone.
Linda stood beside him, her hand on his shoulder.
"No." The word fell out of my mouth. "No, no, no."
They both turned to look at me. Linda smiled. Jerry looked at the ground.
"Hermione." Jerry stood up slowly. "We need to talk."
"Why is she here?" I pointed at Linda. "This is supposed to be between us!"
"Because it involves me too." Linda stepped forward. She looked healthy. Glowing, even. Nothing like someone who was dying. "Jerry and I have something to tell you."
My legs felt weak. I grabbed the bench to steady myself.
"Jerry, please." I looked at him, begging him with my eyes. "Please don't do this."
"I'm marrying Linda today." He said it fast, like ripping off a bandage. "The wedding is still happening. Just not with you."
The world tilted. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.
"You're joking." But I knew he wasn't. "Tell me you're joking."
"Linda is sick, Hermione. Really sick. The doctors say she only has months left." Jerry finally looked at me, and his eyes were red. "She asked if I could make her final wish come true. She's always loved me, and I—I couldn't say no."
"But you love me!" Tears streamed down my face. I didn't even try to stop them. "You proposed to me! You said forever!"
"I'm sorry." Jerry's voice broke. "I'm so sorry."
Linda wrapped both arms around Jerry's waist, resting her head against his chest. "We didn't want to hurt you. But love is about sacrifice, right? You understand sacrifice, don't you, Hermione?"
I wanted to scream. Wanted to hit something. Wanted to disappear.
"This is because of Rebecca, isn't it?" I wiped my face with shaking hands. "She planned this. Those papers I found—"
"My father made the final decision." Jerry pulled away from Linda. "The Kingston family needs the Hale business connections. Marrying Linda secures that. Marrying you..." He stopped.
"Marrying me what?" My voice came out as a whisper.
"You have nothing to offer anymore. Rebecca proved you're not the real heir. Your mother's will was changed before she died."
"That's a lie! My mother left everything to me!"
Linda laughed softly. "Believe what you want. But the lawyers say different. Everything belongs to my mother now. And soon, it'll be mine."
"Through marriage to me." Jerry looked sick saying it.
I stumbled backward. This couldn't be real. This was a nightmare. I'd wake up any second.
"So that's it?" My whole body shook. "You're just going to throw away everything we had?"
"We had a nice time together." Jerry shoved his hands in his pockets. "But nice isn't enough for the real world."
"Get out of here, Hermione." Linda's voice turned sharp. "You're not welcome at our wedding. You're not welcome anywhere."
I looked at Jerry one last time, hoping he'd change his mind. Hoping he'd remember who we were. What we had.
But he just turned away.
I ran. Across the park, past the church, down the empty street. My vision blurred with tears. My chest felt like it was caving in.
I didn't see the car until I almost ran into it.
A black car, expensive and sleek, parked at the corner. A man stood beside it, watching everything.
He was tall with dark hair and darker eyes. His suit probably cost more than my entire closet used to. But it was his face that made me stop running. He looked angry. Not at me. At Jerry and Linda.
"You okay?" His voice was deep and calm.
"Do I look okay?" I choked out between sobs.
He studied me for a moment. "No. You look like someone who just lost everything."
"Good guess." I tried to walk past him, but my legs gave out.
He caught me before I hit the ground.
"Easy." He helped me stand. "When's the last time you ate?"
"I don't know. Yesterday? Last week?" Nothing made sense anymore.
"Come on." He opened the car door. "I'll buy you breakfast."
"I don't know you." I pulled back. "You could be anyone."
"My name is James Blackwood." He handed me a business card. "And I've been watching you for three days."
My blood ran cold. "Watching me? Why?"
"Because I knew this was going to happen." James looked back toward the park where Jerry and Linda still stood. "I knew they were going to destroy you."
"How could you possibly know that?"
James turned back to me, and something in his eyes made my breath catch.
"Because twenty years ago, they destroyed someone I loved too. And I promised her I'd never let it happen again."
"Who?" My voice barely worked. "Who did they destroy?"
James reached into his car and pulled out a photograph. He held it up so I could see.
My mother. Young and smiling. Standing next to a boy who looked exactly like James.
"Your mother saved my life when I was ten years old." James's voice went quiet. "And I've been waiting for the chance to save you ever since."