Chapter 4 - The Gathering Storm of a Second MarriageThe realization hit Grant Anson like a physical blow, leaving a bitter, burning ache in the pit of his stomach that no amount of scotch could dull.
For three weeks leading up to his lavish wedding with Simone Price, Grant moved through his life like a ghost. He found himself waking up at 3:00 a.m., staring at the empty side of his bed, remembering how Renee used to make him coffee, how she used to organize his tax folders, and how she had begged him—with tears in her eyes—to go to one single fertility appointment with her.
“I don't need a stranger in a white coat questioning my manhood.”
His own words echoed in his mind like a damning taunt.
When he tried to bring up the magazine cover to his mother, Loretta had instantly flared up with vicious denial.
"It's a publicity stunt!" Loretta had hissed, waving her hand dismissively as she adjusted the lace on her mother-of-the-groom gown. "That woman probably used donor eggs or some expensive artificial science! Or worse... those aren't even Sterling's children! Don't you dare let her name cross your lips before your wedding to Simone. The Price family brings real prestige to our name, Grant. Simone will give you legitimate heirs soon enough!"
Grant had remained silent. But deep down, a dark, suffocating dread had begun to take root.
Meanwhile, in the summer of the following year, Renee gave birth to three healthy, vibrant baby boys: Leo, Oliver, and Ethan Sterling.
The boys were born at thirty-four weeks via a smooth delivery at Northwestern Memorial. They were thriving, beautiful, and possessed their mother’s bright brown eyes and identical, mischievous smiles.
For three years, Renee’s life was an symphony of pure, weightless joy. Surrounded by Marcus’s fierce devotion, Natasha’s constant presence, and the bustling success of Clara’s Southern Kitchen (which had now expanded into three regional locations), Renee flourished as a mother and businesswoman.
Her three boys grew into healthy, energetic toddlers who filled her sunlit home with continuous laughter, toy trucks, and messy finger-painting projects.
Then came the invitation.
In the autumn of their fourth year after the divorce, Harold Prescott—a seventy-two-year-old shipping tycoon from Birmingham and a long-time member of the regional transport board—hosted a major corporate summit and church gala at the historic Marietta Chapel & Event Center.
Harold Prescott was a man of immense wealth and unyielding moral conviction. He was currently evaluating two regional transport firms for a landmark twenty-million-dollar distribution contract: Sterling Logistics and Anson & Sons.
To secure his standing with Prescott, Grant and his mother had arranged to combine the business summit with Grant’s long-delayed, high-society wedding to Simone Price at the very same chapel. Grant believed that demonstrating his "solid family values" alongside his new, aristocratic bride would guarantee Prescott's signature on the twenty-million-dollar deal.
What Grant did not know was that Harold Prescott was also Marcus Sterling’s primary mentor and an avid patron of Clara’s Southern Kitchen.
Three days before the wedding, Harold Prescott had personally called Renee.
"Renee, my dear," Harold’s warm voice had rumbled through the phone. "My wife and I are hosting the pre-contract ceremony at Marietta Chapel this Saturday. We’ve requested that Clara’s Southern Kitchen handle the private VIP catering for our executive board in the garden pavilion, and we insist that you and Marcus join us as our honored guests."
Renee had hesitated for a fraction of a second. She knew Grant’s wedding was taking place in the main sanctuary that same afternoon. But as she looked across her sunlit living room at her three beautiful three-year-old boys playing on the rug with Marcus, she felt zero fear.
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The quiet, humiliated woman who had been thrown out at midnight four years ago no longer existed.
"We would be honored to attend, Mr. Prescott," Renee said clearly.
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