It's a Fugly Life (Fugly #2)(56)

I tried to blink away my tears, but his words felt like a red-hot fire poker through my collapsing heart. After everything that had happened, every tear shed, every moment of struggle, and the promises made, I couldn’t believe it had all led to this: emotional annihilation.

The bastard cheated on me?

What did you expect, Lily? Princes don’t fall for frogs. Not in real life. He wanted to have a beautiful life, a perfect life. He wanted a beautiful wife and beautiful babies. I couldn’t give him those things.

I dropped my bouquet, smoothed down the front of my white dress, and lifted my chin. “It feels like shit.” I turned away from the church, ignoring the roar of the press, and got into the limo. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had heard my father calling me, but I couldn’t face him or anyone. I felt crushed. Crushed beyond all belief.

“Drive!” I told the chauffeur.

“Is something the matter, Lily?” I looked up at the familiar face in the mirror.

“Callahan? Where did the other driver go?” I barely remembered what that guy looked like because I’d been so distracted with the wedding, but I knew someone else had driven us to the church.

“The other driver will take your family to the restaurant. Mr. Cole wanted me to drive you two after the ceremony for privacy purposes.”

Like sex, I assumed. Wow, what a thoughtful sonofabitch.

“Miss Snow, what’s going on? Why aren’t you inside?” Callahan asked.

“I’m not getting married. That’s why. Can you take me to my apartment, please?”

“Of course, Miss Snow. But…are you sure?”

“Your boss cheated on me last night with that f*cking bitch Adeline Taylor. So yeah, I’m sure.”

Callahan gave me a look. “Mr. Cole was with me all night, Miss Snow. I promise. I drove the entire party to their hotel myself, and I…” He made a strange face and wiggled his head a little.

“And what?” I snapped.

“I carried Mr. Cole to his room. He was passed out drunk.”

I looked outside at the crowd gathered around the church doors and my father tapping on the limousine window, trying to see inside.

“Lily, I have sworn never to discuss anything pertaining to Mr. Cole’s activities, but I swear to you, that to my knowledge, Mr. Cole has not seen Adeline Taylor once since—well, I can’t actually remember the last time. It’s been that long.”

What the hell was going on?

“Do you have a phone? I need to check something.” My cell was at home. I hadn’t wanted to carry it around all night, and everyone I cared about was supposed to be with me.

Callahan slipped it from his coat pocket and held it over the seat. I crouched down and grabbed it. I took a seat and typed into his browser “Adeline Taylor and Maxwell Cole.”

Immediately, dozens of pics and links popped up. Posted an hour ago. Posted forty minutes ago. Posted two minutes ago. “Scandal before the wedding night.” “Maxwell Cole bangs ex night before wedding.”

I tapped on one of the links and a picture came up. It was Adeline Taylor all right. And she was kissing Max.

Wait. I looked closer. The man wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, similar to something Max might wear if going into stealth mode. His stubble even looked the same. It really looked like him.

I toggled to the next photo, a blurry thing showing the same man rushing across a hotel parking lot.

It was Max. But… “This isn’t Max. This isn’t Max! Max would never wear a shitty pair of jeans like that. This isn’t Max! Why the hell is Adeline running around with some Max look-alike?”

Callahan shrugged.

“Ohmygod. Thank you, Callahan. Thank you so much.”

“For what? I only told you the truth, ma’am.”

I blew out a breath. “Because I almost f*cked it up again.” I rushed for the door and pushed.

My father helped me up and out and whispered in my ear, “Lily, what’s happening?” We were surrounded by press.

I looked up at him. “I forgot.”

He gave me a strange look and handed me back my bouquet.

“I forgot that Max loves me.” I deserved him. I deserved him and everything wonderful in my life despite my imperfections. I couldn’t ever feel like I wasn’t good enough again.

“Of course he does, Lily.” My father had this look in his eyes that said, No duh, baby. No f*cking duh.

I took my father’s arm, and he walked me inside the church. The doors shut behind us and music filled my ears. At the far end of the room stood Maxwell Cole in his tuxedo, looking so goddamned beautiful that he stole my breath. His hair a f*cking sexy mess, his jawline perfectly scruffy, a crisp twinkle in his hazel eyes despite being hungover. And those sensual, full lips…

Scowling?

Uh-oh…

Max gave me a disapproving look, like he used to do when I worked for him. I now knew that when he got nervous, he immediately defaulted to his pissy-faced mode to hide it.

I walked toward him down the aisle, too happy not to smile. By the time I reached him, he, too, was beaming.

At the end of the aisle, my father kissed me and handed me off to Max. I could hardly contain all of the emotions inside my heart.

“Miss Snow, I see you’re still having issues with punctuality,” Max whispered. Being late, even by two seconds, was something he used to scold me for when he was my boss.