Benjamin couldn't believe what he was holding in his hands.
His fingers gripped the edge of the document tighter, eyes still fixed on Hailey's signature her full name in black ink, signed clearly beneath the bold clause that tied the debt to him if they got married.
He looked up slowly, the disbelief clear on his face. His voice came out lower, colder. "Hailey... is this true?"
Hailey rushed forward immediately, eyes wide with panic. "No! No, Benjamin, it's fake! That's not real!" she said, her voice cracking. "Something is very wrong with that paper! I've never signed anything like that. I don't even know what this is."
But Benjamin didn't move. He just looked at her, lips tightly pressed, thoughts racing.
Just then, before anyone could even react, the church doors swung open again.
Another man walked in, face tired, voice raised with anger. "So this is where you've been, Hailey?" he shouted. "And what about us? What about everything we shared? What about the three million dollars we still owe?"
Gasps tore through the room again.
More whispers followed.
Another debt?
Hailey's hands flew to her head. "What—what is going on?" she muttered. "Who are these people? I don't know them!"
Josephine stepped out slowly like she had all the time in the world. Her face wore no emotion—just that flat, cold poker look that made everything worse.
"Well, this is what you get," she said sharply, loud enough for all to hear. "A whore. A scammer. A liar. That's who you tried to marry, Benjamin."
Hailey flinched, but it didn't stop there.
From the second row, Scarlett Hailey's stepmother stood up slowly, brushing her dress like she had been waiting for this exact moment.
She turned to Benjamin with a sly look.
"I warned you," Scarlett said smoothly. "I told you not to follow after her. But you didn't listen. And now look at yourself. Look at the humiliation you've brought to your name."
Benjamin's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't respond. His face was unreadable.
At that moment Hailey's hands balled into fists. Her chest rose sharply. Her eyebrows pushed down hard as she stared at Scarlett, then Josephine. Then back at the two strange men standing near the altar, pretending like they were part of her past.
Her voice was firm now, filled with fury. "So this was all planned... You all set this up. Of course. You couldn't let me be happy. You couldn't watch me have one good thing in my life. You're all demons."
She turned and stepped toward Benjamin. Her eyes locked on his.
"Let's go," she said softly but clearly. "Please. We need to leave. I'll explain everything, I swear I will. Everything that happened here today... it's all fake. They did this to sabotage the wedding."
At that moment, Hailey reached out her hand. Her fingers trembled as she tried to hold Benjamin's, hoping he would walk out with her hoping that the man she loved would believe her, protect her, fight beside her.
But what she got instead… broke her.
Without warning, Benjamin raised his hand and gave her a sharp, heavy slap across the face.
"Slap!!"
The sound echoed across the silent hall.
And the impact made Hailey crashed to the ground, the bouquet flying from her grip as her body hit the cold floor. Her ears rang. Her face burned. The guests gasped in horror, but none moved. No one helped her. They just watched.
Benjamin stood tall, breathing hard. His eyes full of disgust.
"That's how poor people act," he spat. "Always trying to climb. Always looking for someone rich to use."
Immediately Hailey blinked, still frozen, her head spinning. Her lips quivered, her breath shallow.
Then Benjamin stepped closer, pointing at her like she was filth.
"You stink, Hailey. The stench of your background, your poverty, it's all over you. You think a family like mine would ever accept someone like you in this manner?"
Hailey's body shook, she looked up slowly, her mouth opened to speak, but no words came out.
Benjamin's voice dropped lower, crueler.
"I didn't expect much anyway. Your mother was a prostitute, wasn't she? Married another woman's husband. What else would I expect from her daughter?"
The words pierced through her like blades.
Everyone gasped again, some guests turned away. Others just stood, too stunned to react. The shame in the room was too thick.
With that, Benjamin pulled off the wedding ring and threw it at her. The ring bounced on the floor, landing just beside her hand.
Then he turned and walked off.
As he got to the door, he signaled to the security men. "Escort her out. Now."
Hailey didn't move. She couldn't.
She knelt there on the ground, her hands on her lap, her head bowed. Her wedding dress wrinkled, stained with dust from the floor. Her tears dripped silently onto the fabric, one after another. Her chest moved, but her voice made no sound. She was crying, but not loudly, just brokenly. Quiet sobs. The kind that hurt deeper.
She didn't want anyone to see her face. Not like this.
The shame was too much. The pain was too sharp.
Her whole world… had just crumbled.
At that moment the security guards walked toward her. One of them bent slightly. "Miss… please. You need to stand."
However she didn't answer. She didn't lift her head either. Her hands clutched the fabric of her dress, her eyes stuck to the ground.
Then Josephine's voice rang out again, harsh and mocking. "Stand up and leave, Hailey! Or do you want to keep disgracing yourself even more?"
Scarlett joined, shaking her head like she was embarrassed. "This is what happens when you let people like her dream above their class."
Minutes passed.
Hailey stayed where she was—motionless, broken, and silent.
Then Benjamin's voice came again, this time colder.
"Walk out now, Hailey. Or I swear I'll use force."
Still Hailey didn't move. Not a word left her lips. Not a single glance lifted from the floor. The cold from the marble had long seeped into her bones, but she felt nothing. Not the pain in her cheek. Not the shame in the stares. Not even the weight of the moment.
At that moment Benjamin's patience had worn thin.
He stormed back to her, his shoes hitting the floor hard with each step. His hand reached out in frustration, aiming to yank her up like discarded trash.
But then—
"Keep your hands off her."
A voice rang out, strong, calm, and commanding.
Everyone turned sharply toward the entrance of the hall. Heads twisted. Gasps followed.
A young man stood there, dressed in an expensive black suit that fit him like it was tailored by the hands of royalty. His wristwatch alone could buy the entire decor in the hall. But it wasn't just his clothes, it was his presence. His aura moved like smoke through the room, thick and chilling. Quiet but loud. The kind of silence that made hearts beat faster.
People shifted uncomfortably. Some even stepped back, something about this man sent a quiet fear crawling up their spines.
He began to walk forward, each step slow and deliberate.
The two men who had earlier claimed to be Hailey's lovers suddenly moved aside on instinct, avoiding eye contact. One of them looked away completely, like a child caught stealing. They didn't need to be told—the difference in power was clear.
Josephine narrowed her eyes. Her lips pressed together.
There was something off about this man. His energy was different, it was Strong, and Dangerous.
She leaned slightly to the side and waved two fingers subtly at the security man standing next to Hailey.
The message was clear: Push her.
Josephine's heart pounded. Maybe this man was trouble, but so what? This was the Taylor family's ground. No one could mess with them. No one would dare.
The guard got the message. Without asking questions, he shifted his foot slightly and kicked it out toward Hailey.
It wasn't a big push. Just a quick jab to the back of her shoulder.
But Hailey was sitting too close to the edge of the altar. Too close to balance herself. Too weak to react.
The impact sent her forward.
Her body crumbled.
Her arms couldn't catch her. Her knees buckled. Her head tilted dangerously as she began to fall toward the hard marble floor.
The force was enough to send Hailey crumbling to the ground from the altar which might cause her head injurie.