morning light filter

warmed around Serena, pressing her i

ss, custom Vera Wang lace gown over her h

hair. The weight of it made her neck ache. I

, trying to hide the fading bruises from Felix's finge

ion 94, walked in. He was dressed in a standard Beaumont

hacked the perimeter cameras. He told her the e

copic shake of her head. She murmured that

ses flown in from Holland blanketed the grass. It was

tion's top media outlets circled like vultures, t

s and old-money aristocrats. They wore tailored su

in his glass. He leaned over to a senator, whispering a

g march be

ne. She felt the weight of hundreds of j

lchair. He wore a bespoke black suit. His face

rse. She stared at Serena's multi-million dol

ir eyes met for a fraction of a secon

ng, traditional vows. He asked Felix

ad silent. Everyone wai

g seconds pass before

er eyes. She pitched her voice perfectly

ng box. Felix's long fingers pi

He shoved the ring onto her fing

the freezing temperature of his ha

band. She pushed it onto his fi

d kiss. The rapid clicking of

an forward. He j

ed herself

second. It was entirely fake, yet a stra

a senator. A faint, icy numbness had already begun creeping up his spine, setting off alarm bells in his h

e. She deliberately tilted her wrist, spilling the dark

eaned in and whispered that putting a

ers twitched, ready to strike a

otion erupted on the

er, sprinted down the grand stai