CHAPTER 20 Wedding Day

The room smells faintly of flowers and hairspray. Soft voices drifting in and out as people move around me.I sit in front of the mirror, barely recognizing the woman staring back.She looks like a real bride.Soft makeup. Carefully styled hair. A dress that probably costs more than everything I own combined.I look… perfect. Every detail is exactly how it should be.The dress. The makeup. The hair.Flawless.And yet—I wish the circumstances were different.I wish this had been my choice.I wish this wedding meant what it was supposed to mean.A celebration of love.“Hey, sweetheart.”The voice pulls me out of my thoughts.Familiar.I turn.It was Mom.For a second, I… look at her.She looks better than the last time I saw her.Healthier.Slimmer.There’s a brightness to her skin I haven’t noticed in a long time—like something in her has quietly come back to life.She almost looks like herself again.Like the version of her I remember from years ago.Before things changed.And every

CHAPTER 21 Car Ride

“You make sure no one in this town has access to that photo—online or offline.”I hear Xavier’s voice through the phone—controlled, steady, eerily calm. Like he isn’t affected, but I know better.I was pulled away by Ava moments after the chaos Kendrick caused, while Xavier stayed behind, barking quiet, sharp orders into his phone—trying to contain the damage.Trying to contain me.He avoids Kendrick like the plague and I could tell it was on purpose. I can’t stop thinking about what would’ve happened if they were left alone in the same space.I sit in the car in silence.Ava is beside me now, leaning in from the back seat, gently rubbing my arm in slow, comforting circles.I’ve been crying too hard even to pretend I’m okay.My mother sits at the far end of the car, still and quiet. Lost in thought as she always is. Two days left before her flight and yet she feels even further away than when she arrived.I glance at the rearview mirror.My reflection stares back at me and I barely

CHAPTER 22 The Kitchen Encounter

“We’re home.”Xavier’s voice cut through the noise in my head.I blinked, realizing I hadn’t registered the last few minutes of the drive.My hand moved automatically to the seatbelt, unfastening it with a soft click.The car door opened before I could reach for it.Xavier stood there, one hand resting lightly against the door, the other waiting.I hesitated for half a second before placing my hand in his.He helped me out without a word.The night air felt cooler than it should have or maybe it was just me.The moment we stepped inside, the quiet wrapped around me again.The apartment was too neat, too normal like nothing had happened.I slipped off my shoes and moved further in, not really sure where I was going. Just… moving.My phone buzzed.Then again.And again.I pulled it out.Unknown numbers flooding my screen, notifications stacked on top of each other.Mentions, messages, tags.My stomach tightened as I opened one.It was a meme caricature of my old picture. There was a poo

CHAPTER 23 Ice Cream Date

The automatic doors slide open as we step into the airport, cool air rushing against my skin.Ava walks beside me while Xavier pushes my mother’s suitcase with effortless ease, the two of them surprisingly deep in conversation.“…and then the investor completely backed out?” my mom asks, sounding far more interested than she has sounded in anything concerning me in years.Xavier nods once. “Last minute. But we recovered the deal.”“That’s impressive.”I stare at them in disbelief.Impressive?Since when does my mother sound this engaged?And why is it with him?Ava bumps my shoulder lightly, clearly entertained.“Your mother likes him,” she whispers.“I can see that,” I mutter.Because somehow, in the twenty minutes we’ve been here, my mother has spoken more to Xavier than she has spoken to me all week.Traitor.Why is he speaking to her like they’ve known each other for years?Meanwhile, I’m standing right here feeling like a third wheel in my own family interaction.Ava looks second

CHAPTER 24 Public Enemy

“Isn’t your ex the brother of the man you’re currently married to?” Bianca asked, feigning innocence.Loud gasps erupted around us.People whispered among themselves, pointing in my direction. More phones appeared, cameras flashing in my face as strangers began recording.I lowered my head and covered part of my face with my hand, hoping to avoid being recognized.This couldn’t be my new reality.“You didn’t just marry the eldest son—you started with the younger brother and seduced your way to the top,” Bianca continued, her voice pitched high enough for everyone in the shop to hear.“You stole him from me,” she spat. “Everyone knows he was supposed to be mine, but you came along and ruined everything!”“Come on. We’re leaving. Right now.” Ava grabbed my arm, her eyes darting around the room as the crowd continued to grow.“Can you believe this woman dated Xavier’s brother, Kendrick, for years?” Bianca called out to the gathering audience. “Then the moment she got close to Xavier, she

CHAPTER 25 The Lawsuit

I woke up to silence.I sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I stretched. A yawn escaped my lips.My gaze drifted around the room.Empty.Ava had gone home a few days ago, and I already missed her. She had a way of filling every room with laughter and endless chatter. Without her, the loft felt far too quiet.The only sound was the steady ticking of the clock perched on top of my wardrobe.10:45 a.m.Still early.I sighed, wondering how I was supposed to occupy another long, uneventful day.To make our marriage appear convincing, Xavier and I had agreed to stay away from work for a while. A honeymoon, at least in the public’s eyes, was expected. Instead of lying on a beach somewhere, we were hiding inside his luxurious loft, pretending the outside world didn’t exist.Ironically, I barely saw my own husband.He spent most of his time locked away in his office or bedroom, leaving me to wander around the apartment like a restless ghost.Lately, I had become so bored that even