Five Lost Angels: My Husband's Fatal Deception novel Chapter 9

Michael approached the altar, dismissing the panicked assistant with a nod before gripping James's shoulder.

"I double-checked, man. Emily boarded that flight four hours ago. The crash reports are coming in now. It doesn't look good."

James stood frozen, color draining from his face. "She was pregnant... Why wouldn't she tell me? Why terminate it? Why just... leave?"

Michael had seen the damning evidence. Watching his friend unravel, he exhaled heavily.

"Seriously? She gave you five children who all ended up as lab specimens. Those babies weren't even allowed the dignity of a burial—they were cut open and studied. Would you trust someone like that with another child? Death before birth might be mercy in comparison."

"I warned you about karma, didn't I? You laughed it off, but look at you now. For someone who claims she meant nothing, why do your staff still call her your wife?"

"Let me level with you—I saw Emily outside that door when we talked. The moment she heard your little confession, she broke down. She heard everything, James. You've just been in denial."

"Put yourself in her shoes for a second. Seven years of marriage—a complete sham. The man she loved was obsessed with someone else. You killed her children to impress your girlfriend and then planned to marry the woman who dissected them. Everything she believed in turned out to be a sick joke. Did you honestly expect her to stick around?"

"If marrying Rachel is what you really want, go ahead. But with Emily gone—potentially dead—are you really going to stand here and exchange vows? Are you that cold-blooded?"

Michael stepped back, leaving James to wrestle with his thoughts.

It was true—if Emily were just a disposable plaything, why insist his staff address her as his wife?

His gaze drifted to a little flower girl fidgeting nearby.

The sight unexpectedly triggered memories of his children with Emily—children he never allowed to breathe.

"Babe, get it together. This is classic manipulation—she's trying to sabotage our day."

"You spoiled her for years, and now she's forgotten she's just the side piece. The backup. Did she honestly think you'd make her the official Mrs. Prescott? Talk about delusional."

"She was just a warm body when I wasn't around. Now that I'm back, who gives a shit if she's dead? Sending you an abortion notification like you'd actually care—as if that fetus meant anything to you."

Rachel had always been confident, even arrogant. James used to find that quality magnetic.

But now her contempt seemed ugly, almost violent.

Emily had wanted motherhood more than anything. She wouldn't have ended a pregnancy without profound reason.