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33. One Last Ride
Fecha de publicación:
2026-07-16 17:46:54
Último capítulo
The Wife He Chose Too Late 37. Missing
Damien's POVMorning arrived without anyone noticing.The darkness that had hidden the wreckage gave way to pale grey skies, revealing the full devastation left behind. What had once been a Ferris wheel now lay scattered across the waterfront and submerged beneath the Hudson. Twisted steel protruded from the river at impossible angles while cranes, rescue boats and Coast Guard vessels surrounded the collapse like silent sentries.The search hadn't stopped.It had simply grown larger.Police boats patrolled farther downriver while Coast Guard cutters swept across the Hudson toward New York Harbor. Rescue helicopters circled overhead, their blades chopping through the morning air as cameras from news helicopters hovered at a distance, broadcasting the tragedy to millions of people who had gone to sleep believing the Laurent Foundation Gala had been a success.Now every television station carried the same headline.Ferris Wheel Collapse at Charity Gala.Multiple Fatalities Confirmed.One
The Wife He Chose Too Late 36. The Long Night
Damien's POVThe first rescue boat reached the wreckage within minutes.Its powerful spotlight swept across the collapsed Ferris wheel, illuminating twisted steel jutting from the Hudson like the broken bones of some enormous beast. Firefighters climbed carefully over the mangled framework while rescue divers stood at the edge of the boat, fastening oxygen tanks onto their backs before disappearing beneath the black water one after another.The moment the first diver surfaced, every person waiting behind the police barricades held their breath. He shook his head and nobody spoke as he disappeared beneath the water again.The waterfront no longer resembled the place where hundreds of people had laughed and celebrated only an hour earlier. Music had been replaced by sirens. Champagne glasses had been replaced by shattered concrete covered in broken steel and glass. The warm lights from the gala had given way to floodlights so bright they turned the night into an eerie imitation of dayl
The Wife He Chose Too Late 35. The Collapse
Damien's POV"No!"The word ripped itself from my throat just as another deafening crack split the night.Time seemed to slow.One of the Ferris wheel's massive support columns folded inward with a scream of twisting steel, and for one impossible heartbeat the entire structure hung suspended, balanced between standing and falling. Every person on the waterfront stopped moving. Hundreds of eyes lifted toward the towering wheel as though willing it to remain upright.Then gravity won the Ferris wheel lurched forward and people screamed.The enormous structure groaned under its own weight as gondolas swung wildly through the air, smashing into one another with explosions of shattered glass. Steel twisted like paper, bolts fired from the framework and ricocheted across the pier, and the sound of tearing metal swallowed every other noise around us."Claire!"I tore free from the operator and ran. Someone shouted behind me and another person grabbed for my arm but I threw them off without e
The Wife He Chose Too Late 34. One Last Ride Part 2
Claire’s POVI should have walked away.The thought crossed my mind more than once as Damien and I made our way toward the Ferris wheel with the last group of guests.The waterfront looked beautiful at night. Strings of warm lights reflected across the river while soft music drifted from the ballroom behind us. Couples strolled hand in hand, children laughed as they ran between their parents, and the giant Ferris wheel turned slowly against the Manhattan skyline.For a few moments, it almost felt peaceful.Damien glanced sideways at me. "You still have time to change your mind."I looked up at the enormous wheel towering above us and sighed."I've been trying to change my mind since we left the ballroom."A quiet chuckle escaped him. "I knew you'd say that.""I wasn't joking.""I know." His smile lingered. "You'll survive."I looked at him. "If I don't, I'm haunting you."He laughed properly this time, the sound warm and effortless. "I suppose I'd deserve it.""You definitely would."
The Wife He Chose Too Late 33. One Last Ride
Claire's POVBy the time the charity auction came to an end, the atmosphere around the waterfront had changed completely.The formal speeches were over, the final donation figures had been announced, and the guests had begun drifting away from the ballroom onto the promenade overlooking the river. Soft music floated through the evening air while waiters moved between small groups carrying trays of champagne and desserts. Laughter replaced business conversations, and for the first time all night, people were simply enjoying themselves.I stood near the registration desk, quietly checking one last list on my tablet before handing it back to one of the coordinators."Everything's finished," I said with a smile. "You can finally relax."The young woman laughed in relief. "I wasn't sure we'd survive tonight.""You survived.""Barely." She shook her head before lowering her voice. "Thank you for everything, Claire."Before I could answer, another member of staff hurried towards me."Claire,
The Wife He Chose Too Late 32. The Last Gala Part 2
Claire's POVThe auction display turned out to be far less dramatic than everyone had feared.One of the framed photographs had been placed on the wrong easel, causing the item numbers to no longer match the catalogue. It took less than five minutes to correct, yet by the time we finished, three more members of staff were already waiting for me with new questions.I couldn't help smiling.Some things never changed."Claire?"I turned to find Daniel, the hotel's banquet manager, weaving his way through the growing crowd backstage."I've got a small problem.""Only one?" I teased.He laughed. "So far.""What happened?""The pianist arrived almost forty minutes early.""Is he in the green room?"Daniel nodded. "He is now.""Good." I looked at my watch. "Have someone take him some coffee while he waits. He always asks for it before he performs."Daniel blinked. "I forgot about that.""I didn't."A grateful smile spread across his face. "I honestly don't know what we're going to do without
The Wife He Chose Too Late 6. The Morning After
Claire's POVDamien wasn't home, of course he wasn't.I stepped inside anyway, but the apartment felt different. Larger somehow. Colder. The silence seemed to stretch endlessly through the empty rooms, and for the first time since discovering I was pregnant, fear settled heavily in my chest. It wasn
The Wife He Chose Too Late 5. The Woman Who Left Him
Claire's POVThe moment I saw the name on Damien's phone screen, something inside me went completely still.Tiffany Morgan.For a second, I wondered if I had imagined it. The restaurant seemed to fade around me, the soft glow of candlelight and the murmur of nearby conversations becoming distant an
The Wife He Chose Too Late 8. Back In His World
Claire's POVI barely slept again but the difference was that this time I wasn't staring at an empty side of the bed. Damien had eventually come upstairs sometime after midnight. I knew because I heard him moving quietly through the bedroom while he assumed I was asleep.Neither of us had spoken an
The Wife He Chose Too Late 7. The Explanation
Claire's POVDamien stood in the foyer for a moment as though he wasn't entirely certain he wanted to be there and the sight alone told me more than I wanted to know.His suit jacket was gone. His white shirt was creased in places that suggested he had been wearing it far longer than intended. Dark
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