Ex Cried as I Wed a Tycoon

Chapter 9

Effie glanced at her phone. The message was from Suzan.

A frown creased Effie's brow before she could stop herself.

She tapped open the chat. It was a photo.

The image showed a torn-up charm-shredded into jagged scraps.

Effie stared at the screen, her frown deepening. She knew this charm well. Two years ago, she'd made a pilgrimage to St. Mary's Abbey herself to get it. Back then, she'd bought into the monastery's legends, so determined to prove her devotion that she climbed all 999 steps to the summit, knelt at the altar, and prayed with fervor. She'd scraped her knees raw that day in the biting wind, but her heart had brimmed with hope.

She'd just wanted this charm to protect her beloved-to keep him healthy and safe.

Mitchell had found out and been moved almost to tears. He'd swung her around in a joyful hug: “Effie, I'm the luckiest man in the world."

Now the charm was nothing but a heap of torn paper, as ruined as their love.

Looking back, it felt like some sort of cruel joke.

next message blinked on screen, thick with

wanted me to stay safe and healthy, so he gave me this charm. You remember it,

guilty... but Mitchell said it's just a cheap old charm. If it's ruined, who

gloating. So long as Effie was

then typed back: "You're right- it's just a mass-produced trinket, a dollar each. If you like them, I can send you a whole box. But you know, for people with a guilty conscience, even a lucky

flared instantly. Was Effie taking

Damn it!

parents gone, she was like an orphan; if Suzan managed to steal her fiancé too, Effie might not even find the will to go

thought made Suzan smile with

Effie found herself strangely unmoved. In fact, she

her mind wandering. What was Lyman doing right

yet they were getting married. Was she reckless? Maybe. But she

opened

intricate latte art. The delicate design was warm and inviting—so at odds with Lyman's usually cool

like

the image felt oddly familiar, tugging at a distant memory, but she

thought, a new