Chapter 99: She promised she wouldn’t come

Hannah woke up early and got ready.

Since she had already decided to attend the wedding, she figured she might as well dress nicely.

It wasn’t about pretending she wasn’t hurt.

Nor was it about proving anything to Eric.

She simply refused to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing her looking miserable.

Appearing pathetic would only give her enemies another reason to mock her.

Hannah had fallen out of love with Eric the moment she discovered his affair.

The man she had loved had ceased to exist that day.

What remained afterward wasn’t feelings of love, but the lingering memories she had built over the years—the belief that he had once loved her too.

Today... even those lingering emotions would finally come to an end.

She smiled faintly at her reflection. "This will be my closure," she whispered.

"And maybe..." Her smile grew a little brighter. "...the beginning of something new."

For some reason, Mark’s face flashed through her mind.

Almost instantly, the heaviness in her chest eased.

She couldn’t explain why, but thinking about him always made her feel strangely calm.

Taking one last look in the mirror, Hannah picked up her purse and car keys before leaving the house.

Twenty minutes later, she arrived at the wedding venue.

The decorations were grand, the entrance overflowing with flowers and elegantly dressed guests.

Just as she stepped inside, her phone vibrated.

She glanced at the screen.

[From Clara:

You look dazzling in that red dress. All the best today, Hannah. ]

Hannah blinked.

...How does she know what I’m wearing?

Still staring at the message, she instinctively looked around the venue. Her heart skipped a beat.

No way... Did Clara secretly come here?

She scanned every corner of the hall.

Nothing.

Before she could overthink it further, her phone buzzed again.

[From Clara:

I wish you’d let me come with you. ]

Hannah couldn’t help laughing. The little pouting emoji immediately gave Clara away.

She shook her head helplessly. "What am I even thinking?" she muttered to herself.

"She promised she wouldn’t come."

Knowing Clara, she would never break a promise so casually.

Smiling to herself, Hannah slipped her phone back into her purse and walked farther into the banquet hall. She had barely taken a few steps when a familiar voice called out from behind.

"Hannah."

She stopped. Turning around, she found a woman in an elegant lavender gown walking toward her with a faintly amused smile.

"I honestly wasn’t expecting to see you here."

The woman folded her arms. "But Ruby was right."

Hannah raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

The woman smiled knowingly. "She said you’d definitely show up."

Her gaze slowly traveled over Hannah’s outfit.

"And it seems she knows you better than I do."

Hannah met her eyes calmly.

Since coming from a prestigious family, Hannah had never found it easy to make genuine friends. Most people approached her because of her family’s status rather than who she truly was. Over the years, she had been betrayed more than once by people she had trusted without hesitation.

Maria was one of them.

Once upon a time, they had been inseparable. Now, Maria stood as one of Hannah’s greatest enemies—and Ruby’s closest confidante.

A faint, mocking smile curved Hannah’s lips.

"I’m glad she knows me well enough," Hannah said calmly. "But does she have the slightest idea what kind of people she’s still keeping by her side?"

Maria’s lips twitch, understanding exactly what Hannah was implying.

"No," she replied. "She doesn’t."

For a brief moment, the two women exchanged a knowing glance, one that carried years of shared history and secrets.

Hannah straightened her posture before speaking again.

"I should head to the venue instead of standing here and wasting my time talking with irrelevant people."

Just as Hannah turned to leave, her steps came to an abrupt halt. Walking toward them with long, determined strides was Helena.

The warmth vanished from Hannah’s face, replaced by an icy expression.

Helena stopped only a few feet away, glaring at Hannah with unconcealed hostility.

"What the hell are you doing here, Hannah?" she demanded sharply. "Have you come to ruin my son’s wedding?"

The accusation hung heavily in the air.

Hannah didn’t flinch. Instead, she met Helena’s furious gaze with one just as cold.

A slow, sarcastic smile tugged at Hannah’s lips.

There had once been a time when she had looked up to Helena with nothing but respect. She had believed the older woman to be graceful, kind, and dignified. How naïve she had been.

It hadn’t taken long for Hannah to realize that Helena was no different from the rest. To her, family reputation came before integrity. She had willingly turned a blind eye to her son’s endless affairs, all because marrying into Hannah’s influential family would elevate their social standing.

"Aunty, please don’t get upset," Maria said with a gentle smile as she stepped between them. "You’ll ruin your makeup."

Helena took a deep breath, trying to suppress her anger.

Maria then turned to Hannah.

"Hannah isn’t here to cause any trouble," she explained calmly. "Ruby invited her. She thought it would be nice for everyone to meet again after all these years."

Helena narrowed her eyes, studying Hannah carefully.

She had never expected to see her again—not after the humiliation she and her family had dealt them. The engagement annulment had nearly destroyed everything they had worked for.

Even so, Helena couldn’t openly object to her future daughter-in-law’s decision.

After everything that had happened, the Swan family had already suffered enough losses. Their reputation had almost crumbled, business partners had distanced themselves, and several valuable contracts had slipped through their fingers.

If the powerful Vance family hadn’t stepped in to support them during their darkest days, the Swans would have disappeared from the business world long ago.

No matter how much Helena despised Hannah, she couldn’t afford to create another scene—not when so much still depended on keeping the Vance family on their side.

"Then you’d better make sure that’s true," Helena said coldly, her eyes filled with warning. "Because if you try anything, you’ll have to answer to me."

She shot Hannah one last murderous glare before turning on her heel and walking away.

Maria watched her leave, a smug smile spreading across her face as she glanced at Hannah, clearly pleased that Helena had put her in her place.

Before either of them could say another word, a shrill scream echoed through the venue, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

"Oh my goodness!" a woman cried in panic. "What have you done to my dress?"