Everyone gasped, seemingly in shock, but no one interrupted the procession.
"Um, Collins. Are you sure? I don't want you making a decision like this so hastily."
Collins took one last look at Zara Blake, a smile playing across his lips.
"Of course, I'm sure. This is what I want."
Ariana giggled. Something about the way she looked at him dreamily was suspicious. Of course, she was one of his hoes.
Zara couldn't believe that it was her own half-sister this mongrel decided to cheat on her with. It all made sense.
"Yes, I will." Ariana squealed, daintily stretching out her fingers for Collins to put the ring on.
"Then that's settled." Nathan cut in. Zara turned back to him, and was horrified. The little part of her father that she knew was completely gone. He looked like a complete stranger.
He handed her the certificate.
"Maybe this Diego Vasquez of yours would take care of you well. I suggest you go to him."
"But father—"
"Don't father me!", Nathan snapped, shouting so loud that his voice could be heard over the rain.
"Or do you want another slap?", he asked.
"I gave you everything, Zara," he growled, his voice trembling with fury.
"The best education, the finest clothes, a future handed to you on a silver platter! And this is how you repay me? By dragging our name through the mud?"
He gestured at the reporters who still rallied at the entrance, their cameras flashing and pointing every which way, trying to capture every moment of the drama.
Of course, this would make headlines. The Blake family was a magnet for prying eyes.
"How many times do I have to tell you that this certificate is fake?" Zara's voice cracked as she tried to defend herself.
"Spare us your lies, Zara. That certificate is from the bureau itself, with their certified stamp and seal." Nadia sneered. Why did she always have to put herself at the centre of everything?.
"If you wanted to marry a man, you could have at least married someone meaningful, but you married a nobody. A man without wealth, power, or a name. Do you think we're fools?"
The murmurs from the gathered family members turned to louder accusations.
Her uncle Ethan, who had earlier given the verdict on the certificate's credence, scoffed loudly.
"She's always been trouble. Remember when she refused to marry Henry Thompson? That boy's family owns half the real estate in this city! A perfect match, and she ruined it with her selfishness."
Her Aunt Margaret, adorned in pearls that jingled as she shook her head in disappointment, chimed in.
"Oh, Ethan, let's not forget Edward Cunningham. He was practically begging for her hand, but no, she had to be 'independent.'"
Ariana smirked from her place by Collins' side.
"Honestly, Zara, you should've just accepted Reginald Frost. He's arrogant, sure, but at least he's rich. Unlike your taste in men."
Zara felt like punching that girl in the teeth.
Finally, Diana stepped forward in a chic ivory gown.
"You're an embarrassment to this family, Zara. You should be grateful Father even considers keeping you as the heiress after all your failures."
That word—"failures"—echoed in Zara's ears like a drumbeat.
"Enough!" Nathan roared, silencing the room. His piercing blue eyes turned to Zara, and for the first time in her life, she saw nothing but disdain in his gaze.
"You are no daughter of mine. You've rejected every opportunity I gave you, humiliated us at every turn, and now you've gone too far. Associating with that man, whoever he is!"
"He's not—" Zara tried to speak, but Nathan's hand shot up, silencing her.
"I do not care!" Nathan's voice thundered.
"This isn't just about the affair, Zara. This is about your utter inability to live up to this family's name. I won't allow you to ruin us any longer."
Tears stung Zara's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she endured the onslaught.
Finally, Nathan delivered the final blow.
"You are no longer welcome here, Zara. You've disgraced this family for the last time. Pack your things and leave this house tonight. You are no longer the heiress to this family, and you are not my daughter anymore."
A collective gasp rippled through the room. Even the storm outside seemed to pause for a moment, as if the universe itself had taken notice of Nathan's cruel declaration.
Zara's breath hitched, her vision blurring as the weight of his words sank in. She looked around the room, searching for even a shred of sympathy, but all she saw were sneers, glares, and contempt.
Taking a shaky step backward, she met Nadia's triumphant smirk and Diana's satisfied grin. She could hear Ariana muttering, "Good riddance," as if her absence would cleanse the family of all disgrace.
"You'll all regret this.", were the final words she spoke before turning on her heels and exiting the building.
As she stepped through the door, cameras flashed at her face from different angles. One came too close, and she punched its lights out.
She continued walking through the compound and towards her car, her once-pristine white gown trailing through the mud as rain soaked her to the bone.
She got to the car, and found one of the family's employed guards towing it out of the compound.
"What are you doing?"
"Mrs Blake requested I take this out and scrap it for parts, since no one is in possession of it anymore."
"What? This is my car."
"Not anymore." The guard said as he flashed a yellow, toothy smile and drifted through the gate, soaking Zara and her wedding dress with ice cold rainwater.
The other guards pointed and laughed, even the passing maids and waitresses snickered from their various spots.
Zara picked up her gown and marched through the gates, tears stinging her vision as she didn't even bother to give the place she had called home one last glance.
Nathan and Emily had built all this together, and that witch and her two daughters swooped in to take it all. Now, they were ruining her life.
The gates of the Blake manor closed behind her with a resounding clang, leaving Zara in the cold, unrelenting storm, and snapping her out of her thoughts.
"I'll make them pay," she whispered to herself, her voice trembling but resolute. "And then I'll come back to reclaim what is rightfully mine."
The storm howled around her as the heiress stomped away from the manor and began to cross the road, her heart burning with anger, determination, and a spark of hope for a life free from the chains of her family's expectations.
That was all until she heard the honks and screech of a black Mercedes spiraling out of control, and coming towards her.