Chapter 5 He Came With the Police

I went back to my room to wash up and was just about to treat my wounds when my phone suddenly buzzed.

Abbie had sent me a video.

In the video, Logan and a group of his friends were sitting around the fire pit. Empty liquor bottles were scattered across the ground.

One of his friends teased him, "Logan, you are getting married tomorrow. What if you have no experience and your bride is not satisfied?"

Another man laughed. "Exactly. Shouldn't you find someone to practice with first?"

Someone pointed straight at Abbie. "There's someone right here."

Abbie raised an eyebrow and gave a careless smile. "Sure. I don't mind."

Logan laughed and cursed under his breath. "What are you talking about? Abbie is like family to me. I am not interested in her."

The moment those words left his mouth, she grabbed his hand and shoved it under her top.

Logan froze.

For a long moment, he did not pull his hand away.

Abbie looked into the camera with a challenging smile. "Hurry up. Do you still want to know what to do with your wife tomorrow night?"

The video ended there.

I turned off my phone, but my heart did not even ripple.

Seven years of love had already been worn away, piece by piece.

Whether they crossed another line or not no longer had anything to do with me.

…

At daybreak, I changed into my wedding dress and sat quietly in the main room, waiting for the groom's party to arrive.

A thin blast of wedding horns sounded outside.

Logan came to pick me up with only a few scattered friends behind him.

"Julia," he said, "I am here to marry you."

When he leaned closer, the smell of liquor and herbs rushed over me. There were also several suggestive red marks on his neck.

I avoided his outstretched hand and said coldly, "I told you already. The man I'm marrying is not you."

Logan looked at me with his usual contempt. "Stop making a scene. Other than me, who in Silver Hollow would still marry you?"

Before he could finish speaking, the village chief called from outside. "Julia, come out. It's time to inspect the bridal set."

Seven pieces of silver ornaments were arranged neatly in front of everyone. Each piece had been carefully crafted, but the silver crown in the center was the most breathtaking of all. Fine strands of silver had been woven into flowers, delicate and bright enough to show just how much care had gone into it.

Logan froze.

"I thought you said you did not want the bridal set," he asked. "Where did all this come from?"

Abbie immediately raised her voice, her face full of mockery. "She paid for it herself, obviously. The owner of the silver shop already said she spent every last bit of her savings on that silver crown. Preparing her own bridal set, eh? How desperate does a woman have to be?"

Logan seemed to relax at once.

Then he looked at me with a smug expression. "So you really have been dying to marry me? You even prepared all of this without telling anyone."

As he spoke, he reached out as if to pull me into his arms.

I shoved his hand away. "Get lost! Don't touch me with your filthy hands!"

Logan froze for a second. Then, somehow, he still thought I was only playing hard to get.

Just as he tried to step closer, another hand clamped firmly around his wrist.

Logan's face twisted in pain.

The man beside him turned to look at me, and the frost in his eyes softened. "I'm sorry. I'm late."

Logan stared at him suspiciously. "Who are you?"

Leo Howard's mouth curved into a cold smile. "Instead of worrying about that, you should start thinking about what you are going to tell the police."

Behind him, several officers pushed through the crowd and surrounded Logan and Abbie.

"You are both suspected of assault," one officer said. "You need to come with us."