Bright Moon Clouded by Storms

Down at the docks, Barrett Sloan's men whispered among themselves.

"Barrett is marrying Miss Harrington. The wedding's in three days."

"I knew he wouldn't end up with Octavia. She's a... well, you know. She doesn't deserve Barrett."

The word "cripple" never left the man's mouth because of the rules set by Barrett, but everyone understood.

Years ago, a thug had used that word. Barrett had punished him severely before exiling him.

"Now you're the cripple," Barrett had sneered, before turning to me with sudden tenderness. "As long as I'm around, no one gets to humiliate you."

That was when the Veragard boss saw his ruthlessness and started grooming him. Soon, Barrett became a legend, and I became his untouchable weakness.

No one dared call me "cripple" anymore; they all addressed me respectfully. Yet now, he was marrying someone else.

The hard truth hit my chest like a sledgehammer. Lost in the pain, I didn't notice my wheelchair slipping backward on the slick wood of the pier until the wheels teetered over the edge.

I snapped back to reality and squeezed my eyes shut. For one second, I thought maybe dying like this wouldn't be so bad. At least, I wouldn't be a burden to Barrett anymore.

But the icy plunge never came. Strong, familiar arms caught me, lifting me effortlessly from the seat. I opened my eyes to find Barrett staring down at me, his gaze as gentle as ever.

"Don't be scared. I've got you," he murmured.

"My goodness, Octavia! Are you alright?" Astrid Harrington yelped as she came rushing down the pier.

A shadow of something unreadable flickered across her eyes before it was replaced by elegant concern.

I gave a small nod. "I'm fine."

Astrid let out a sigh of relief. "Thank heavens. Barrett and I were just coming back from fitting our wedding gowns. If he hadn't reacted so quickly, it would have been a disaster."

She kept chattering, but my mind completely shut down at the words "wedding gowns". So, the rumors were true: Barrett really was marrying her.

I stared blankly up at Barrett. He didn't say a word, but the corners of his lips curved into an inscrutable smile.

Realizing how inappropriate it was for him to be cradling me like that, I struggled weakly to slide onto a nearby bench. "Barrett, put me down."

My bracelet slipped off in the process and fell to the ground.

Astrid spotted it and exclaimed, "Wow! What a gorgeous bracelet!"