Xander stood frozen in the middle of the ruined wedding aisle, the elegant white petals now trampled under panicked feet. The once-perfect sunset ceremony had collapsed into a nightmare of shouting voices, flashing cameras, and stunned silence. Victoria had been dragged away by security, still screaming her lies, but her damage was already done.
He didn’t care about any of it.
All he cared about was Claire.
“Claire!” His voice cracked as he pushed through the crowd, eyes wild. “Claire, where are you?”
Alissa appeared at his side, face streaked with tears. “She was right here… I turned around for one second and—”
A young staff member approached hesitantly, holding a small folded piece of paper. “Mr. Avila… she asked me to give this to you.”
Xander snatched the note with trembling fing
