Emily turned toward the staircase and nearly dropped the microphone, because the groom standing beneath the crystal chandeliers was her fiancé.
Ethan.
The same man she had spoken to the night before.
The same man who told her he would be unavailable today because of an important business meeting.
The same man she had trusted enough to take out a huge bank loan using the only thing her late father had left for her and her younger sister—their family house—as collateral.
And now he was walking down a staircase in a designer tuxedo, holding the hand of a billionaire’s daughter.
The ballroom erupted in applause.
Emily couldn’t breathe.
And the worst part was, she wasn’t even supposed to be there.
The original singer for the engagement ball had been involved in a terrible accident three days earlier. Emily had been called as a last-minute replacement. It was the biggest opportunity of her career. The payment from this event would help her repay part of her debt and stop the bank from taking her home.
Just yesterday, she had tried to tell Ethan about the performance, but he rushed her off the phone.
“Baby, I have to go. Tomorrow is the biggest business meeting of my life. I may not answer my phone all day.”
She smiled and wished him luck.
Now she realized that business meeting was a lie.
It was his engagement party.
To another woman.