w, crying without making a sound. The weight of the evening pressed heavily on her chest, suffocating every thought. Soon, the exhaustion overtook her.

Not when she felt like she was already losing everything. Slowly, she sat up and realized, in a haze, that she was still in her wedding dress. She felt so tired, her body screaming for rest, but she didn't have the energy

inside. Erica stood up, swaying for a moment as dizziness hit her, but she gathered the strength to push forward. The light from the hallway outside her suit

she stepped out into the empty lobby, but for the two security guards who stood near the entrance. Their eyes widened as they caught sight of her-still in her wedding dress, a stark contrast to the

her heart sinking. She didn't know if it was the smile or the nod, but she felt like they were seeing straight through her, to the brok

better than the blinding light of the room she had just left. The moon hung high, casting its silver glow across the ocean, the waves softly lappi

water, the painful words Arnold ha

rs beginning to fall again, this time without restraint. "

loved you. I was just pretending to." She squeezed her eyes shut

t refusing to see it because I loved him so much?" The anger flashed, quick and hot. "He was never the p

er knees buckled, and she sank into the sand, wrapping her arms around herself for

-those flashes of it-was I blind to it?" The words seemed to echo back at her from the vast emptiness around her. She had been so blinded by the

ried him. I said yes, I accepted this life. And now, I'm trapped. How am I going to live my l

hey explain that to their families, their friends? They had presented themselves as the perfect couple, the golden

tions? And those accusations-"gold digger"-stung more than anything. She had never wanted his money, never cared about the gifts or the wealth. She had accepted them because they

ttainable, much like the life she had once imagined for herself. She wiped her face, bru

ll pretend. I will fake it until I find a way out of this mess." She took a deep breath, letting the night air fill her lungs. "If h

ldn't heal overnight, but she couldn't afford to dwell on it.

stretch on forever, but with each step, she felt a small bit of strength returning. She wasn't broken