Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 128: Chapter 128

"I’m sorry, Lane."

Lane paused mid-bite when she heard Noah apologizing. She glanced at him from the side.

"Why are you saying sorry to me?" Lane asked when their eyes met.

"Because of what Mae did to you. I was the one who introduced her to you, but I didn’t expect her to do such a thing."

She didn’t say anything to Noah because she knew he would feel guilty.

It seemed Ava had told him everything when she visited her at Ethan’s mansion. She couldn’t help but glance at Ava, whose face clearly showed guilt for telling Noah what she had shared.

Had she also told Noah about her pregnancy? She hoped not, because if Ethan found out that Noah knew about her pregnancy first, he would surely be upset.

When it comes to Noah, Ethan is always jealous. Just hearing his friend’s name would make his eyebrows knit together, as if Noah might steal her away.

Earlier, when she had asked Ethan for permission to meet Noah, he took a long time to answer, and it was clear from his face that he was reluctant.

He even asked who else would be with them, and only when she said Ava would also be there did he finally respond.

It seemed like Ethan was reluctantly allowing her to meet her friend. And it seemed Ava read her mind because she spoke up.

"I didn’t say anything else," she told her.

"What haven’t you said?" Noah asked a moment later.

"Nothing."

Both she and Ava answered Noah almost simultaneously.

They noticed Noah’s forehead furrow as he looked back and forth between her and Ava.

"Are you hiding something?"

"Mommy!"

Noah was interrupted by a familiar voice before he could finish. She looked to her side and her lips parted in surprise when she saw Calvin running toward them, followed by Ethan.

"Calvin, don’t run, you might trip," Ethan scolded their son.

Lane stood up from her seat to greet her husband and son.

"Hi, Mommy!" Calvin said as he finally reached them. He also looked up at his godparents.

"Hello, Uncle Godfather and Aunt Godmother!" Calvin greeted the two.

"Hi, Calvin," Ava greeted him with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" she asked a moment later, looking up at Ethan as he also approached them.

"Eating," he simply replied.

She furrowed her brow at his answer. When Ethan noticed this, he averted his gaze. At that moment, she knew he deliberately came there with Calvin, probably just to be with them.

"I’ll ask for an extra plate," Noah said a moment later after hearing what Ethan said. He called a staff member to request an additional plate.

The staff promptly complied and returned shortly. As the staff was about to place the plate in front of her, Ethan spoke up.

"Put it here. I want to sit beside my wife," Ethan instructed.

When Calvin heard that, he responded, "Me too, I want to sit next to Mommy."

Lane could only shake her head at how similarly her husband and son thought.

Lane sat up straight as Ethan stopped the car in front of the boutique shop where they would look at the wedding gown and his tuxedo.

Miss Ivy accompanied them to supervise the visit. If she wasn’t mistaken, the shop owner was a famous fashion designer.

Miss Ivy told her there were ready-made wedding gowns, or if she didn’t find one she liked, she could have one made to her specifications.

She just needed to say what she wanted, and her acquaintance would take care of it.

When Ethan parked the car in the shop’s parking lot, she took her cellphone from her bag to call Ava, who was supposed to join them.

Since Ava was her maid of honor, she would also be looking at gowns. She wanted Ava there because she wanted her opinion. Between the two of them, Ava was more knowledgeable about fashion.

It didn’t take long for Ava to answer.

"Lane," Ava answered.

"Where are you, Ava?" Lane asked.

"I was stuck in traffic," Ava replied.

"But I’m almost there. Are you there already?"

"Yes, we are," she answered.

"Okay. Just wait for me there."

Lane nodded even though Ava couldn’t see her.

"Alright," she replied before ending the call.

"Ava said she’ll follow. She got caught in traffic," she informed Ethan as she glanced at him.

He just nodded in response. After that, he got out of the car to open the door for her. Ethan gently held her elbow and guided her into the shop.

Upon entering, she immediately saw Miss Ivy, who was talking to a tall and beautiful woman.

"Good morning, Sir. Good morning, Ma’am," greeted the shop staff as they approached. She returned the greeting. From the corner of her...

greeting.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Miss Ivy and the woman she was talking to glancing in their direction. She saw the two of them step toward Ethan.

"Sir Ethan, Ma’am Lane," Miss Ivy said as she approached them.

"Hi, Miss Ivy," Lane greeted her.

Ivy smiled. "Anyway, this is Miss Chelsea, the owner of this shop. She’s a well-known fashion designer in the US," Ivy introduced Chelsea to them.

"Ivy, just drop the well-known," Chelsea said with a laugh.

"Getting shy?" Ivy laughed back.

Chelsea just shook her head. Then she turned her attention to them.

"Hi," she greeted.

"Hi," Lane greeted back with a smile.

"Congratulations on your upcoming wedding," Chelsea said.

"Thank you," she replied.

"Hmm. Ivy told me that you’re looking for a suit and a wedding dress for your wedding?"

Lane nodded.

"You came to the right shop. I just finished a fashion show for wedding dresses, so you’ll have plenty of options. However, it might take a few months to make a customized wedding gown," Chelsea said.

"I’ll just look around and see if I find something I like," she said.

"Okay. I’ll show you the gowns," Chelsea said.

She looked at Ethan. "Go ahead, love," he said when their eyes met.

She smiled at Ethan and went with Chelsea to look at the gowns she mentioned.

"These are my wedding gowns, Lane. Feel free to look around," Chelsea said.

Lane looked at the gowns on display one by one. She found it hard to choose, but eventually, one gown caught her eye. It was an off-shoulder satin ball gown with a structured bodice and a full skirt.

"Do you want to try it on?"

Lane looked at Chelsea after hearing her offer.

"Is it okay if I try it on?"

"Of course," Chelsea replied. She called the staff to remove the wedding gown from the mannequin and instructed them to accompany Lane to the fitting room.

"It looks perfect on you, Ma’am," said the woman assisting her.

She smiled at her.

"Lane, have you tried it on? Can you come out now?" Chelsea called out a little later.

"Let’s show it off, Ma’am," suggested her companion inside.

She nodded in response. The staff opened the fitting room door and helped her out.

She expected to see Chelsea outside, but she was surprised to find Ethan standing there, staring intently at her. She could clearly see a mix of admiration and love in his eyes.

Lane turned her gaze away from Ethan when she heard Ava’s voice. Her brow furrowed slightly when she noticed the concern in Ava’s eyes.

"What’s wrong?" she asked.

Instead of answering, Ava leaned closer to whisper, seemingly not wanting others to hear what she was about to say.

"Why did you try on the wedding gown? Don’t you know the old saying that wearing the gown before the wedding might jinx it?"

Lane couldn’t help but gape at Ava’s words.

Lane stared in disbelief as Ava’s words sank in, the superstitious warning hanging heavily between them. But before the anxiety could take root, Ethan stepped forward, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Don’t listen to her, love," Ethan said softly, taking Lane’s hands into his own. "No old wives’ tale can change how I feel about you, or what our future holds."

His steady touch instantly grounded her. Looking into his reassuring gaze, the slight furrow in her brow smoothed out, and a small, breathless smile broke across her face.

"Besides," Ethan added with a gentle smirk, pulling her a fraction closer, "you look far too beautiful in that dress for me to care about any jinx."

Ava couldn’t help but soft-laugh, shaking her head as she backed away to give them space. Chelsea smiled warmly from the side, watching the quiet moment unfold between the couple.

Lane let out a long breath, feeling the tension leave her shoulders. She looked down at the structured satin skirt flowing around her, then back up at Ethan, her heart full.

Whatever superstitious fears might try to creep in, standing here with him, she knew they were going to be just fine.

....

The call ended, leaving Ethan staring blankly at his phone as cold dread settled in his chest. Noah’s frantic words kept echoing in his head, completely shattering the brief peace he had felt at the church.

"What happened?" Adam asked, setting his glass of scotch down as he noticed Ethan’s sudden change in expression.

"It’s Lane," Ethan said, his voice strained as he grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. "Noah said she never showed up to meet him—and she’s not answering her phone."

Adam immediately stood up, his playful smirk vanishing instantly. "Where was she supposed to be?"

"She had asked John to drop her off at a restaurant to meet Ava," Ethan explained, his chest tightening as he remembered how anxious she had been about Lucas still being on the loose.

She had dismissed the driver, planning to get a ride back with Ava later, leaving her completely unescorted.

"I’ll have my contacts track her phone signal right now," Adam said, pulling out his mobile. "If Lucas has anything to do with this, we’ll find him."

Ethan gripped the edge of his desk, his jaw clenching hard.

The thought of Lucas putting a hand on Lane—especially with her carrying their child—sent a surge of raw fury through his veins. He couldn’t let his worst fear come true right after promising her at the altar that nothing would stand in their way.

"Let’s move," Ethan ordered, his eyes dark with determination as he headed for the door. "If he touched her, he won’t survive the night."

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