Chapter 12: The Gifts They Bought Too Late

On the morning of the wedding, Grant and Eli walked into a jewelry store.

Grant picked out an antique emerald ring Mara had admired more than once, while Eli chose a custom fountain pen engraved with her name.

“She was just tired last night,” Grant said, closing the ring box. “The apology was just her way of getting attention. Once she sees these, she’ll calm down.”

Eli gave a small smile.

“She always comes around.”

Neither of them noticed the hesitation in the saleswoman’s expression when Grant asked for the gift to be wrapped.

His phone rang as they stepped outside.

It was the wedding planner.

“Mr. Mercer, we have a problem.”

Grant frowned. “What now?”

“Ms. Bennett canceled the wedding at five this morning.”

He stopped walking.

For a second, the street noise seemed to disappear.

“She what?”

“The cancellation notices were signed and paid for. She instructed us to send every invoice directly to her.”

Eli looked at Grant.

“Mara wouldn’t do that.”

Grant’s expression hardened.

“Put her on the phone.”

“We can’t. She also instructed us not to contact her through the wedding account.”

Grant ended the call without saying goodbye.

He immediately dialed Mara.

The call went straight to voicemail.

He tried again.

Blocked.

His face changed.

“She blocked me.”

Eli pulled out his phone and tried calling her himself.

Nothing.

“Me too.”

For the first time, neither man had an explanation that made sense.

Then Grant’s phone chimed.

A new email had arrived from Mara’s attorney.

The subject line read: ACCESS AUTHORIZATION REVOCATION.

Grant opened it.

His eyes moved rapidly across the page.

“She barred us from Lighthouse Hill.”

Eli stared at him.

“What?”

Grant turned the screen toward him.

The notice was formal, immediate, and unmistakable. Neither of them was authorized to enter any property owned by Mara Bennett.

Eli’s face went pale.

“She actually did it.”

Grant looked toward the jewelry box in his hand.

The emerald ring suddenly felt absurdly heavy.

“She’s angry,” he said. “That’s all.”

But even he didn't sound convinced.

Then another notification appeared.

The wedding venue had canceled the reservation.

The caterer had canceled.

The band had canceled.

Every service attached to the wedding had been terminated before dawn.

Eli swallowed hard.

“Where is she?”

Grant stared at the screen.

For the first time in years, he didn't know.

And somewhere beyond New England, Mara was already driving toward a life where neither of them had a place.