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.

on screen, thick with

it, right? The one you worked so hard to get? Oops, I accidentally tore it up. Hope you

it's just a cheap old charm. If it's ruined, who

was gloating. So long as Effie was hurting,

trinket, a dollar each. If you like them,

instantly. Was Effie taking a jab

Damn it!

Suzan managed to steal her fiancé too, Effie might not even find the

Suzan smile

she was starting to look

finger, her mind wandering. What was Lyman doing right

him, yet they were getting married. Was she reckless?

opened

cappuccino topped with intricate latte art. The delicate design was warm and inviting—so at odds

like

image felt oddly familiar, tugging at a distant memory,

thought, a new message popped