Rebirth, Seduce My Ex-husband-Chapter 56: WEDDING GONE WRONG

In Vanessa’s past life, Erin was involved in several illegal businesses. He used his fashion company to cover up where his real money came from.

One of his latest ventures was investing in a new casino business. Casino houses were banned in Graceland, and anyone caught could face jail time unless they were rich enough to avoid it.

Back when Vanessa was still married to Rowen, Erin convinced her to get a large sum of money from Rowen to fund the casino.

He didn’t have enough money himself, and the risk was high. If the casino got exposed, he wouldn’t just be arrested he’d lose everything he’d ever built. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

So he used Rowen as a scapegoat. He got Vanessa to transfer the money through Rowen’s account, leaving a clear trail for the police to follow. It made it look like Rowen was the one funding the illegal venture.

But Rowen was smart and well-connected. It didn’t take long for him to find out who was really behind it all, and by then, whatever love he had for Vanessa was already gone.

Even when Vanessa told the police Erin was responsible, they accused her instead. Erin denied everything and that’s when he showed her who he really was.

...

The police walked into the wedding hall, catching everyone off guard. The room fell silent, and the cameramen zoomed in, making sure the live footage was crystal clear.

Approaching the altar, the lead officer pulled out his badge and said, "Erin Quinn, you are under arrest for investing in an illegal business. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court. Men take him."

He ordered, and his team moved in quickly, pulling out their cuffs as they grabbed Erin by the wrists.

Gasps and murmurs filled the room. Guests whispered among themselves, each trying to make sense of what they just saw.

Hannah rushed toward her son, clearly confused. Meanwhile, Linda, Kami, and Fiona stood still partly expecting this, yet still stunned.

"What the hell?" Erin stammered, face drained of color as he tried to fight back.

"What’s happening? You can’t just arrest me I’ve done nothing wrong! This is crazy!" he shouted.

"Exactly, officer!" Hannah chimed in. "You can’t arrest my son without reason. There must be some mistake!"

Still shaking, Erin demanded, "You don’t get to arrest me without evidence. Do you know who I am? You barge into my wedding with nothing to show?"

The officer frowned. "We just raided the main casino house. Sixty-eight men are in custody, and you’re one of the key investors. You wired 24 million into the operation. We have your full records."

One officer handed over a white document. Hannah snatched it and read quickly, her eyes widening with each word.

"E-Erin... T-This—" she stammered, before collapsing to the floor. No one had time to catch her.

Erin grabbed the papers next. His jaw dropped as he read completely speechless.

Still gripping the documents, Erin’s hands trembled as he scanned through the details. The numbers, the account info, everything pointed directly at him.

His eyes darted toward Vanessa, rage and confusion mixing on his face. "Wait-how the hell is my name on the bank records? You sent that money through Rowen’s account, didn’t you?! You said it was his! This doesn’t make sense!"

The room fell quieter. His voice had cracked, and for a split second, everyone heard what he just admitted.

Vanessa slowly stepped forward, calm and collected. Her eyes locked on his.

"I knew," she said softly. "I knew about your whole plan. How you were going to use Rowen as your shield. How you wanted everything to point back to him."

Erin’s breath caught in his throat. "What... what are you talking about?"

"I played along," she continued, voice sharper now. "But before sending the money, I had Rowen transfer ownership rights of his account to you. It was still in his name on paper, but legally? The account belonged to you."

She stepped closer, expression unreadable. "So when the transaction went through, everything led right back to you. Not Rowen."

Gasps spread across the room again.

"You think you’re the only one who can set traps, Erin?" she whispered. "I just set one better."

His face went blank, the color draining as realization hit. The room spun around him. Everyone was watching. Everyone had heard.

The silence that followed was louder than the shouting from earlier.

At this point, Vanessa just smiled at her own foolishness. She clearly remembered how, after the police had tried to arrest her, she escaped running straight to the one man she had been more than ready to betray. The same man she had mistreated and pushed away.

It was that day her eyes finally opened. That was the day she realized who she should have chosen all along. But by then, it was already too late.

In her past life

"Rowen, you have to help me. The police are after me. They think I was the one involved in the casino business, but I’m innocent. Please save me,"

She had pleaded, falling to her knees before him. But the man standing in front of her now wasn’t the one she had known for seven years.

His gentle nature was gone. His loving eyes were now filled with nothing but cold hatred and disgust. And she deserved it, every bit of it after all she had put him through.

Bending down to her level, Rowen spoke, his voice sharp and cold, "Seems like you’ve forgotten we have nothing to do with each other anymore. If you need help, go ask the love of your life. Not me."

He stood up and turned away without hesitation. "Send her away," he instructed, and his men followed the order without question.

"No! Rowen! Listen to me! I’m sorry, please just forgive me!" she screamed.

But before she knew it, she was thrown out of the mansion and into the cold, empty night.

Alone, surrounded by darkness she realized this was the same place she had been building for herself all those years.