een the kind of woman wh

at's what she u

il

y a team of stylists, seamstresses and makeup artists who were fussing over her

lace with thousands of little white beads that shimmered every time she so much as breathed. The cor

s women dreamed of wear

walking straight

er reddened chest like she might faint. "You look stunning. I mean, real

barely resisted the u

today, she was particularly unbearable

a mess," Maddie mutt

ll officially be Mrs. Nathaniel Blackwood." She practically swooned as she clutched one of t

to look at her as she

You're marrying Nathaniel freaking Blackwood! Have you seen that man? He looks like h

atly. She didn't care about his money. S

ost rich men are. If he's going to be your

ement while their faces lighted up at the w

some," one of the

e of him in Forbes last month. Those blue eyes

jawl

lips,

ly is sex

her jaw as she l

him instead, damn it, she thought

Ridiculously so. But these women h

and heard him spit out the words, 'there i

e looked at her like she was some desperate gold-digg

ot called, texted or made any

utes, she would be walking

and pressed her fin

icially spiraled

ll this? She thought in dismay as the sty

was only fulfilling an ob

old men had demanded fo

ted sense of humor, the door slamm

ver the room as every pair of eyes turned to the tall,

iel Bl

walked straight ou

caused the temperature to increase immediately. His dark hair was swept back with infuriating perfection, his chiseled

s she looked at Nate with wide eyes. "I-It's bad luc

st me sweetheart," he said in his sexy voice that

thick enough to choke on. Maddie thought she hear

sion was unreadable. With a slow and deliberate breat

fore they scrambled for the door, their hurried f

e that, they

nore that fact even as she had her arms crossed

movements were sharp and precise like a ma

his head. "Since you've allowed yourself to be part of

ited even though her stomach w

rom all this. Don't expect companionship. This is just

d in her chest befo

shouldn't

another bargaining chip and she had never been

was and she wasn't delusional en

ch coldness and such disdain- had felt like a slap

was nothing if

said in a voice void of

as as if he had expected something like

clenched and without another word,

*

who was also her mentor and Sarah's father, took her a

est and most influential figures. Everything was perfect-the flowers, the music,

of it m

he altar like a statue and had th

did he lo

im. Not when she slipped her

iciant said, "You may

silence fell

aited while she wondered h

er see in time that Nate wasn't movin

watched him turn

d in loud gasps

his face was red with fury as he screamed

was alr

tood near the priest while humi

skin while hushed whispers bega

in her life, she fe

band disappear into the crowd,

hated her and didn't care how m

as only th