Chapter 2

The tires screeched as Damian slammed the brakes, sending the ring box tumbling onto the floorboard.

The seatbelt slammed against my chest, locking me violently in place.

Damian glared at me, his voice sharp and menacing. "If you still haven't learned to drop the attitude, you can pack your bags and get right back on a plane."

He spoke with such authority that for a moment, I almost forgot exactly why they had been punishing me in the first place.

My face remained completely blank. "Four years ago, I caught the two of you in bed together, so I called her out on it. What exactly is the problem?"

Damian pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone glacial. "I've told you a thousand times. She wasn't feeling well and just wanted to lie down for a minute. Besides, we both had our clothes on.

"I watched Camille grow up. She's practically a sister to me. Can you please get your mind out of the gutter already?"

A woman who could tug at his clothes while he offered zero resistance was practically a sister to him. The thought of that made me physically sick to my stomach.

Seeing the color drain from my face, Damian softened his tone slightly. "Look, considering you spent the last few years trying to die for me because you're so madly in love, I'll let it slide. If you behave yourself, you'll get the wedding you've been begging for tomorrow. Otherwise, you can forget about it."

I ran my thumb over the base of the ring on my finger, forcing myself to calm down.

Damian still lived at the same address as four years ago. I had left in such a rush back then that many of my belongings were still stored here.

The moment we walked through the front door, Camille Fuller was standing right there in the entryway, clad in a white wedding dress.

I recognized the fabric instantly as I bellowed, "That's my mother's wedding dress! Take it off right now!"

Mom had lived a long, happy life. Before she passed away, she passed the gown down to my sister, Elena Rowan, who then passed it down to me.

Decades had passed, leaving the fabric fragile. Mom had left behind very few keepsakes, and the main reason I came here today was to retrieve the dress.

Camille shrank back at my outburst, looking helpless. "I'm so sorry, Evelyn. I just wanted to try it on your behalf. I'll take it off right away."

She made a huge show of moving around, and as she lifted her arms, the fabric tore right along the waistline.

My eyes reddened as I seized her arm and slapped her hard across the face. Before I could reach for the zipper to get her out of it, Damian grabbed me and threw me aside.

My back slammed hard against the wall, jarring a set of old injuries. The pain was so intense that my face instantly paled.

"Damian, I didn't mean to," Camille sobbed, shrinking into Damian's arms and weeping pitifully. "Evelyn came back on such short notice. I wanted to help her run through everything so the schedule would be perfect. I had no idea this old wedding dress was so important to her."

Damian held her tight, his voice full of concern as he comforted her, "It's fine. Wearing a dead person's clothes is such a jinx. Why would you even want to touch it?"

He turned his glare back to me. "Evelyn, have you lost your mind? Look at the state you're in. How are you supposed to walk down the aisle tomorrow?

"Honestly, I think it's best if Camille takes your place and goes through the ceremony for you. We'll still get our marriage certificate, but we'll give her the wedding to make up for what you've done."

I forced myself to stand, finding the situation laughable.

"Damian, when you called me last month to announce that we were getting married, I'm pretty sure I made myself very clear. We're over."

Damian's composure faltered for a split second.

Camille immediately covered her face with her hands. "Damian, please don't upset Evelyn for my sake. As long as the two of you can be together, I'm willing to pack up and go back to my hometown right now."

"What kind of nonsense is that?" Damian cut her off instantly. "I said you're getting the wedding, and that's final. I don't care what kind of threats Evelyn throws at me. Take that piece of trash off right now. I'm buying you the most expensive designer gown on the market."

As the two of them walked out the door, Camille flashed a smug, triumphant smile right at me over Damien's shoulder.

Once the house fell silent, I packed up my suitcase and carefully folded the damaged wedding dress away.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a text message.

"Are you okay? Do you need me to come pick you up?"