Paradise (34 page)

Angel felt a rushing noise in her head then, thought she might actually faint as she looked at the minister and said quietly, ‘I need to speak to Ethan alone.’

From behind her she heard a collective intake of breath from the guests. Ethan looked completely stunned as he said, ‘Is this some kind of joke, Angel?’

She shook her head and said, ‘Please, I need to talk to you.’ She could hardly bring herself to look at him. Instead she focused on the minister who, if he was surprised, didn’t react but instead said smoothly, ‘We’re just going to take a short break, folks, I’m sure we’ll be back.’ He nodded at the string quartet who began playing again to fill the awkward silence and led the way to a small side room. ‘Would you like me to be present?’ he asked.

Angel shook her head and he left the couple alone together, closing the door behind him.

‘What is this, Angel?’ Ethan asked urgently. Gone was his smile as he looked anxiously at her.

She clutched at the layers of tulle in her skirt. ‘I’m so sorry, Ethan, I can’t marry you.’

He looked stricken. ‘What are you talking about? Why not?’

‘I love you but there’s someone I love more. I can’t marry you.’

‘You’re talking about Cal? But it’s over between you two – he’s marrying someone else. You love me . . . you just said you did! Come on, Angel, this is because you’re thinking of your first marriage, thinking you can’t trust me, but you can. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.’ He sounded frantic as he pleaded with her. It was unbearable knowing that she was putting him through so much pain.

‘I know I can trust you, it’s not that. But I love Cal, and I can’t marry you feeling like that. It wouldn’t be fair on you; you deserve someone who can give you so much more.’

‘But I love you,’ Ethan said again, an anguished expression on his face. And Angel knew she had to be brutal by telling him the truth, so that he would know once and for all that it was over. There was no hope.

‘You wouldn’t if you knew the truth. I slept with Cal when I was back in England last time.’

Ethan looked as if she had just punched him; anguish was replaced by jealousy.

‘How many times?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘What, you lost count?’

‘Something like that.’ She hated saying this but it seemed like the only way.

Ethan raised his hand, and fleetingly looked as if he was going to hit her. Angel didn’t flinch, she almost wished he would. Instead he lowered his hand with an expression of disgust. ‘You bitch! Why the fuck did you come back and go ahead with the wedding?’

‘I know I should have been honest, but I loved you too and I was so confused. Then Loretta died.’

‘So what was I . . . your fucking sympathy case? Well,
I don’t fucking
need
your sympathy. How could you do this to me, Angel?’

‘I’m so sorry, Ethan.’

She had promised herself that she wouldn’t cry, but could feel the tears blurring her eyes. She was destroying any hope of a future relationship with him. She was making this man, for whom she cared deeply, hate her.

Ethan stared at her with such hurt and pain in his blue eyes. ‘He’ll fuck you up, just like he did before. He’ll cheat and lie because that’s what men like him do. And I won’t be there to pick up the pieces. Maybe Benny Sullivan was right about you after all. You are just a cheap whore. Someone who just happens to be beautiful, but whose beauty doesn’t go below the surface.’ He was walking out of the door when he stopped and turned back. ‘How ironic that you left Cal because he cheated on you, and you did just the same to me. You must deserve each other.’

For a second he looked at her then said, ‘I’m only glad about one thing. That Loretta wasn’t here to see what you just did. I’m going, you can sort out the guests. By tonight I want you out of my house. I never want to see you again, Angel.’ He left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Angel watched, feeling numb, as the minister broke the news; saw the shocked expressions of the guests; felt shame as she saw Logan and Alisha hurriedly leave the church to comfort their friend. She hated herself for not calling off the wedding before; she had humiliated and hurt Ethan so badly. All the guests filed out of the church, leaving just Angel’s parents along with her friends. She looked at them, wondering what they must think of her.

‘You did the right thing,’ Michelle said, hugging her
daughter. ‘It would have been far worse to marry him and then leave.’

‘Oh, Mum, I feel so bad that I hurt him! He didn’t deserve that,’ Angel sobbed. She just wanted to get away, return to the UK as soon as she could. She didn’t even want to go back to the house to pack up her things, but realised that wouldn’t be fair on Ethan. He wouldn’t want any reminders left of the woman who had humiliated him and broken his heart.

Jez, Gemma, Rufus and Tony rallied round, phoning the additional guests to tell them that the reception was cancelled. Some were already on their way, and while Angel was packing she heard the doorbell ring and could hear Gemma explaining to visitors that the wedding was off. Her mum and dad had to deal with the caterers, while Rachel, the über-efficient wedding planner, promised to sort out everything else and ensure the house was cleared of everything connected to the ceremony as soon as possible. Angel told her she’d take care of the bill. By six o’clock Angel and her friends had packed up her things which Jose would arrange to have shipped back to the UK. Angel found it hard even to look at him when she gave him her instructions. He must despise her for putting Ethan through such hell. But thankfully Jose was a consummate professional, as ever. If he thought Angel was a bitch, he didn’t let on.

Ethan didn’t come back to the house. She took off the engagement ring and the necklace he had given her, and left them by the side of the bed. She knew he wouldn’t want to read any excuses for what she had done, but felt she had to leave him something so wrote, ‘
I’m
sorrier
than
you
will
ever
know
. I
wish
more
than
anything
that
I
hadn’t
hurt
you.
’ The words seemed so feeble in the face of his pain, but they were all she had.

‘So have you called Cal?’ Jez asked as they finally got into the car to take them to the hotel.

Angel shook her head. ‘I’m not going to. I think I really need to be on my own.’

ANGEL STARED AT
the headlines on an array of tabloids: ‘
Runaway
Bride!
’‘
Angel
Does
a
Runner!
’ She had promised herself she wouldn’t look at any newspapers, but as she and her family walked through Gatwick her gaze was irresistibly drawn to the stand of papers just inside W. H. Smith.

‘Mummy!’ Honey pointed excitedly at the pictures of Angel on all the front pages, making her feel even worse. She picked up her daughter and lowered her head. The paps were surrounding them, pushing and shoving each other, desperate to get their shot of the woman who had dumped Ethan at the altar and broken his heart. Angel felt as if she was doing the walk of shame as the press shouted out questions to her: ‘Where’s Ethan?’ ‘Does this mean you’re getting back with Cal?’

Now
there
was a question. He had called Angel but she wouldn’t talk to him. The recent break-up with Ethan just felt too raw, she needed time. She knew from Tony that Cal was away in Dubai for the next two weeks, hoping to raise money for his football academies. Tony didn’t know what was going on with Madeleine. It was such a relief when they reached the car and shut the doors on the cameras and the shouting.

‘We’ll be home soon, love,’ Michelle told Angel,
seeing how upset her daughter was. ‘And then you can put all this behind you.’

Angel gave a small smile. She doubted it very much.

Back at the house the press attention didn’t let up. Angel’s parents lived in a terraced house on a narrow street in Brighton, but that didn’t stop the paps from camping outside, blocking the pavements, double parking on the road. Inside Michelle had to draw the living-room curtains to stop them looking in, and the minute anyone opened the front door the cameras went berserk.

Angel spent two days there, feeling like a prisoner. ‘I’ve got to get out of here, Mum,’ she said on the morning of the third day, ‘it’s doing my head in! I can’t even take Honey to the park.’

She still felt awful about Ethan, and the situation with the press was making everything feel even worse. Hard as it was, she had continued to ignore Cal’s phone calls but she kept the love heart necklace close to her, and every night before she went to sleep she would read the inscription, as if it could tell her what to do.

‘It’ll die down,’ Michelle told her, seeing her daughter pace round the house like a caged animal. But when Angel stomped up to her bedroom and switched on her laptop she saw from the online coverage that the story was only gaining more momentum. Ethan had done an interview with one of the US papers where he said that Angel had been unfaithful to him. The only saving grace was that he hadn’t named Cal. She must have hurt him very badly for him to lash out like this; he never usually spoke to the press about personal things.

Angel forced herself to read on, hating herself even more when she read how Ethan described the way he was still getting over the death of his beloved
grandmother, how he had thought Angel was the love of his life. She was about turn off her computer, feeling that she couldn’t bear to read any more, when a familiar name caught her eye: Simone Fraser, described as a former friend of Angel’s: ‘Her treatment of Ethan is unbelievably cruel and heartless, but I’ve always found her to be cold and selfish. The bottom line is that Angel has only ever cared about herself. She told me that she had never really loved Ethan and that she was marrying him for publicity and to raise her profile in the States. I guess she must have had an attack of conscience when it came to the actual wedding. Ethan is well out of it. He’s a lovely, lovely man who deserves to be with someone who loves him unconditionally. I am going to do all I can to support him.’

Angel wanted to scream with frustration! How could Simone be such a two-faced bitch! Then she realised the other woman was finally getting her revenge for Cal’s leaving her for Angel all those years ago. For the first time Angel understood what the expression ‘Revenge is a dish best served cold’ actually meant. Simone had waited a long time. Now must have seemed like the perfect opportunity to stick the knife in.

But she couldn’t bear to think of Simone cosying up to Ethan, and spreading her poison. He was vulnerable and wouldn’t be able to see Simone for what she was. She picked up her phone and selected Ethan’s number. Of course his phone went straight to voice mail.

‘Ethan, I wanted to say again that I’m sorry for everything. And please don’t be taken in by Simone Fraser. I did love you, very much. I know it doesn’t feel like that can be true right now, but it is. Simone’s always hated me because Cal left her for me. She’s still in love with him and is only marrying Matthew for his money
and status. She doesn’t love him. She practically admitted as much to me. Anyway, I don’t suppose you’ll even listen to this message, but if you do, please take good care of yourself.’

She switched off her laptop and went back downstairs where Michelle was making fairy cakes with Honey in the kitchen.

‘I’ve just had your estate agent on the phone,’ Michelle told her as Angel slumped at the kitchen table and dipped her finger into the mixing bowl. ‘And the tenants have moved out. You can go back to your house by the end of tomorrow, once it’s been cleaned and they’ve moved the furniture out of storage.’

‘Oh, that would be so good, Mum. That way we can have our lives back again.’ Angel’s house had walls all around its extensive grounds, and CCTV cameras to deter any incursions by paps.

‘Yes, it will be just as well. Your dad nearly decked a photographer this morning when he went out to get some milk – and him ending up in court for assault is the last thing we need. Oh, Gemma called. Wanted to know if you could get out for a drink tonight?’

‘I’d love to go out, but I don’t want that lot chasing me down the road!’

‘Ah, I have a plan,’ Michelle said, smiling. ‘I’m not going to let those bastards have it all their own way.’

‘Mum!’ Angel exclaimed, pointing at Honey, who luckily was concentrating hard on stirring the cake mixture.’

‘I’m sorry, love, I despise them so much.’

Two hours later Angel was climbing over the fence of her parents’ next-door neighbour, Sandra, a feisty single parent with three boys. Then over her other fence and into Simon and Adam’s garden – the gay couple who had just moved on to the street and who
were lovely and well up for getting one over on the press.

Adam showed her through the house. ‘I’ll go out first, pretend to be putting out my rubbish and stand so they can’t see behind me. Then you can nip out. Your mum said the car is round the corner. She’s going to open the door and distract the photographers.’

‘It’ll be like
Mission
:
Impossible
!’ Simon exclaimed.

Angel smiled; she would have found the situation entertaining as well if hadn’t been about her. Fortunately the paps were so taken in by Michelle’s door-opening diversion that Angel was able to slip out of the house and run down the street entirely undetected. Serve the fuckers right, she thought grimly, getting into her dad’s Peugeot and driving into Brighton.

She was meeting Gemma in a small pub just up from the sea front. It was the kind of place you only knew about if you lived in Brighton and was definitely not a celeb haunt. Angel’s mum and dad were good friends with the landlady, so Angel knew she could trust her not to say anything to the press, and none of the other people in the pub paid her any attention when she walked in, especially since she was wearing a baseball cap pulled down over her face. Gemma was already there, tucked away in one of the corners.