oe

l window shifted from inky black to a dull, br

to knock. She pushed the door open and fr

dress onto my bed. "Get changed. Th

s beautiful, but to me, it l

etting married," I said, my v

lips. "It's not up to you. The contract is s

o my head. "Yo

a said, her voice dripping with self-righteousness. "We

fe, twisting in a wound t

it was pointless. I sile

ightly. "That's a good girl. Remember, smile, don't talk

he girl staring back at me had a pale face and empty ey

ly in the living room. He saw me, his lips move

very last speck of dust was gone. The room was imm

sharp and punctual,

mile plastered itself on her face as she practically sprinted to open the door. "Oh, Mrs. Carlisle, Mr.

stairs, my palms slick with cold swea

orning." That must be Eleanor Carlisle, the formidable matriarch of the Ca

Montgomery Carlisle, the iron-fisted CEO of the Carlisle

most scraped the floor, while Fred hurriedly pulled out chair

wore a perfectly tailored Chanel suit and a sapphi

in a custom suit, but he carried an air o

ece of livestock being appraised at auction. None of them acknowledged

my daughter, Chloe. She's been so

witch of my lips, b

to the point. "Mrs. Kowalski, we are here to fin

led Freya's enthus

like a lightning bolt. "Given Blake's condition, we wa

lips before I could stop it. F

imperceptibly. She was clearl

Of course, of course, we completely agree. C

I was going to be married to a man

. The world was bl

ing ceremony, the timing of the press release, and the "contractual oblig

vigorously like lapdogs, the panic in my chest began to harden into a cold, sharp ange