Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 129: Chapter 129

As soon as Ethan opened the door, Lane immediately hopped out of the passenger seat. She quickly took Ethan’s hand and pulled him inside the church.

"Slow down, love," Ethan said. But instead of slowing down, she kept pulling him forward.

Lane breathed a sigh of relief once they were finally inside. It was as if the heaviness in her heart had vanished.

After they finished up at Chelsea’s boutique, she had excused herself to Ava, explaining that she and Ethan were heading to the church to pray. Ava had understood immediately and just nodded.

Lane was still worried about what Ava had said when she saw her trying on the gown at the boutique.

She knew the old superstition that wearing a wedding dress before the big day was bad luck, but the excitement of seeing the gown had made her forget.

She knew it was just an old wives’ tale and that times had changed, but there was no harm in being careful.

Now, she felt anxious that it might actually come true and that their wedding might be cursed because of what she had done.

She wanted this wedding. It was her dream, something she had waited and prayed for a long time. On top of that, she and Ethan had been through so much.

The journey to get here, to finally find their happy ending, had been no joke. She wanted everything to go smoothly, without a hitch. She needed this wedding to be their path to happiness.

That was why she had asked Ethan to pray with her, to seek the Lord’s blessing for a peaceful ceremony and ensure that their wedding would go off without a hitch. Lane led Ethan until they reached the altar. She knelt to pray earnestly, feeling Ethan’s gaze on her before he knelt beside her.

Lane closed her eyes, her heart full of hope, and prayed.

Lord, I know that I am not a perfect person. I have made many mistakes and have many shortcomings, and with all my heart, I ask for Your forgiveness for all of them.

Lord, I am here now to seek Your guidance. I come to You with humility and supplication, asking that You grant us wisdom.

Lord, Ethan and I are here before You, earnestly praying that our upcoming wedding will be calm and peaceful.

Please guide us both, and may nothing hinder our union. We have gone through many trials, and I know You have witnessed all of them.

I know You were there beside us as we faced each challenge, and You were with us in every battle we went through. And I believe that You will remain by our side until the end. You will never leave us.

Lane opened her eyes after she finished praying and glanced at Ethan. He still had his eyes closed, praying earnestly.

She waited for him. After a while, he opened his eyes, and their gazes met. He gave her a gentle smile, helped her up, and sat beside her on the pew.

"Are you calm now?" he asked in a gentle voice.

Lane nodded. After she prayed, it was as if the heaviness in her heart suddenly disappeared. Prayer truly lifted all the burdens from her heart, and she had proven that many times.

"Why are you so worried about what Ava said?" he asked.

Ethan had asked her earlier what Ava had whispered, and why she seemed so shocked.

"It’s just a belief, and it has no scientific basis," he added.

She had told him everything Ava said, but Ethan didn’t seem concerned at all. She drew a deep breath. "I’m just scared," she admitted.

She noticed his brow furrow. "Why are you scared?"

"I’m scared that it might come true." She couldn’t explain why she was becoming so emotional, but it was likely the pregnancy hormones.

"I’m afraid our wedding might not happen. Our relationship has been through so much. What if it doesn’t happen?" She couldn’t hold back any longer, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"I am scared, Ethan."

She noticed Ethan’s lips part slightly as he saw her crying. After recovering from the surprise, he wiped the tears from her cheek.

He held her hand resting on her thigh and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Don’t be scared, Lane," Ethan said, looking intently at her.

"No matter what happens, our wedding will go on. I will fight for our love. Even if destiny stands in our way, I will keep fighting. You don’t have to worry. Whether or not our church wedding happens, we are already married, Lane. You are my wife, and I am your husband. Nothing will ever change that."

"Take a seat, Adam," he said, gesturing to the sofa. Adam walked over and sat down.

Instead of joining him, Ethan walked over to the small bar in his office, poured two fingers of scotch into a couple of glasses, and carried them back to the sofa.

Ethan handed one of the glasses to Adam, who took it right away. Ethan sat across from him.

"Any good news, Adam?" he asked after a moment.

Adam took a sip of his drink. "Your ex soon-to-be father-in-law is pretty good at playing hide and seek," Adam replied.

Ethan frowned, his face darkening. Adam smirked, clearly amused by the reaction.

"I’m serious, Adam," he responded.

Adam laughed, but his expression turned serious soon after.

"It’s still negative. Lucas is really good at disappearing. It seems like he is hiding well because we are not the only ones after him. Even the people he owes money to are looking," Adam added.

Ethan clenched his jaw. A week had passed since he asked Adam to find Lucas to make him pay for his sins, but he still hadn’t been found.

Ethan had turned to his friend because he was too busy with wedding prep and didn’t want to stress Lane or involve Noah.

Even though Lane insisted Noah was just a friend, Ethan couldn’t help but feel jealous. As a man, he had a strong suspicion that Noah didn’t see Lane that way.

"But you don’t have to worry, Ethan. Someone I know will take care of finding Lucas and make him pay for everything he did to you," Adam promised.

Ethan took a deep breath. He trusted Adam and his contacts. They were not like his previous private investigator, who only cared about the paycheck.

Ethan was about to speak when his phone rang. He thought about ignoring it, but figured it might be important. He excused himself and walked over to his desk to grab the phone.

He frowned when he saw it was Noah calling. It was the first time Noah had ever called him. What could he possibly want?

He stared at the screen for a moment before answering. Ethan was overwhelmed with fear and worry the second he heard what Noah said.

...

"Ma’am Lane, should I wait?"

Lane looked at John when she heard his question.

"No need, John. I’ll just go with Ava later," she replied. She felt it would be awkward for him to wait for them, so she decided to let him go home first.

John nodded in response. "Alright, Ma’am Lane."

Lane said goodbye before getting out of the car. She had asked John to drop her off at the restaurant where she and Ava were meeting.

Ava had called wanting to see her, and Lane agreed since she didn’t have much to do at the office. After all, what was there for her to do when Ethan had already taken care of everything?

She also wanted company for lunch since Ethan was busy at his office today.

Lane stepped inside the restaurant and immediately looked around for Ava. She had received a message on the way there saying Ava was already inside.

When she spotted her, a smile appeared on her lips, and she started walking toward her. Lane frowned when she noticed Ava seemed lost in thought. Even though she was right in front of her, Ava didn’t seem to notice.

Lane cleared her throat to get her attention, but when she still didn’t look up, she called her name.

"Ava."

When Ava heard her name, she blinked and looked up. Lane noticed her lips part in surprise.

"Have you been here long?" Ava asked.

"You seem lost in thought," Lane said as she pulled a chair in front of her and sat down. "You okay?"

Ava smiled, but Lane noticed it didn’t reach her eyes, causing her to frown. She knew there was a problem based on how deep in thought Ava had seemed earlier.

"Is Noah not here?" she asked after a while. She noticed Ava pause at the mention of Noah’s name.

"No. I only called you," she replied.

Lane didn’t respond immediately. She just kept looking at Ava.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

"Let’s eat first, Lane," she said instead of answering. At that moment, Lane knew something was wrong.

Lane took a deep breath before nodding. It was her turn to listen and offer support. For years, Ava had been listening to her problems, and now it was Lane’s turn to listen.

Ava called a waiter to place their order. When one approached, they were given menus.

Lane decided on her order and informed the waiter.

She looked at Ava. "Ava, always remember that I’ll always be here for you," she said once the waiter left.

Ava smiled at her. "Thank you."

"Lane," Ava replied, offering a reassuring smile.

It wasn’t long before their order arrived.

Lane’s mouth watered at the sight of the food the waiter placed in front of her, but she looked up at Ava when she heard her gagging. She saw Ava covering her mouth, frowning as Ava quickly stood up and rushed toward the bathroom.

Lane was momentarily frozen before standing up to follow her friend. She found Ava vomiting at the sink and immediately approached her to rub her back while she continued to gag.

"Are you sick, Ava?" Lane asked worriedly when she saw Ava rinsing her mouth.

Ava shook her head in response. "Did I infect you? Why does it seem like you’re the one experiencing pregnancy symptoms?" she asked.

Based on what Lane saw, it seemed like her friend was experiencing pregnancy symptoms. But was it possible for that to happen? Could her symptoms transfer to someone else?

Then Lane paused as the realization struck her. She stared at her friend. "Are... are you pregnant too, Ava?" she asked.

Ava simply bowed her head instead of answering. Her gesture gave Lane the answer she needed.

Lane hugged Ava tightly. As she embraced her, she felt her shoulders shaking—a clear sign that she was crying.

"I’m here, Ava," she said while gently rubbing her back. Once Ava calmed down, she pulled away from the hug.

"Who’s the father, Ava?" she asked.

Ava avoided her gaze. As Lane looked at her friend, she wondered who the father could be. Who was the man close to her? She couldn’t think of anyone else; there was only one man in her life. Noah.

Lane’s eyes widened as the truth hit her. "Is it Noah?" she asked about the father of the unborn child. She noticed tears streaming down Ava’s face, confirming it instantly.

"Does Noah know?"

Ava quickly shook her head and grabbed Lane’s hand. "Please, Lane. Don’t tell him about this," she pleaded.

Lane couldn’t help but furrow her brow. "Just please..." Ava begged.

Lane took a deep breath. She understood and knew she wasn’t in a position to interfere with Ava’s decision. She knew there had to be a reason why Ava didn’t want to tell Noah. All she could do was hope that everything would turn out well.

"T-thank you, Lane," Ava said when she nodded.

Lane gave her friend another understanding smile. After a few moments, they decided to leave the bathroom. Because Ava was feeling nauseous from the smell of the food, they decided to leave the restaurant altogether.

It was clear Ava needed company, so Lane decided not to return to the office, planning to call her secretary to inform them so she could stay with Ava.

"I’ll drive, Ava," Lane offered after a while.

Ava shook her head. "I can do it, Lane," she replied.

Lane had no choice but to nod and let her have her way. They both got into the car, and Ava started the engine and drove away.

Ava was driving very fast. Suddenly, both of them screamed as a fast black car overtook them, not only cutting them off, but seemingly trying to force them off the road.

Ava frantically swerved the steering wheel. They screamed again as their car lost control and crashed into a post.

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