"Do I need to tell her, Marco?" Serene's voice broke the silence, smooth yet dripping with venom, each word sharpened by triumph. She took a step forward, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor, her gaze fixed on him.
Marco turned to her slowly. His face was unreadable, but his tone was controlled, deliberate. "No need, Serene," he said. "Lara signed the contract. She knows what she is in my life. I needed to bring her here, to kiss her, to make sure those who were following us would report back to my parents that we are truly in love. I am sure they have already left now that we have arrived safely."
His words struck like a blow to the chest. For a moment, I could not breathe. It felt as though the air had been stolen from the room, leaving only the echo of his voice and the dull throb of my heartbeat.
So that was it.
The kiss that had set my heart on fire. The touch that made me believe, even for a fleeting second, that he felt something real. It was all an act, nothing more than a carefully planned illusion. I wanted to laugh at myself for being so foolish, but the laughter never came. Instead, tears stung the back of my eyes, threatening to spill. I swallowed hard, forcing them back.
I would not cry in front of Serene. Not in front of him.
I stood there frozen, my smile gone, my hands trembling at my sides. Inside, my heart was shattering into pieces so sharp I could almost feel them cutting through my chest. Still, I lifted my chin and held my head high, pretending I was fine, pretending I was strong.
"Do not worry, Ms. Serene," I said, forcing my voice to remain calm even though it wavered faintly at the edges. "I know my place. I only kissed Mr. Blackwell back because it was part of my obligation. Rest assured, I do not feel anything toward him. Once all of this is over, you will be free to marry him. All I ever wanted is my freedom back."
The words left my lips like shards of glass, each one tearing something inside me, but I refused to let either of them see the pain.
Marco's eyes flickered toward me, his expression hardening. "Your room is upstairs," he said coldly. "Second floor, right side."
That was all. No apology, no hesitation, not even a trace of guilt in his tone.
"Good thing she knows her place," Serene murmured with a smirk, her voice sweet as poison.
I ignored her and took a step forward, dragging my feet across the polished floor. Every movement felt heavy, as if my body was carrying the weight of all my broken dreams. I kept my gaze straight ahead, unwilling to look back, unwilling to give them the satisfaction of seeing my tears.
But then I heard the sound that shattered the last piece of strength I had left.
Serene's soft moan.
It was faint but unmistakable. The sound of her lips meeting his, the sound of him responding. My heart clenched painfully. The image formed in my mind even though I wished it would not, Marco holding her the way he once held me, touching her with the same hands that had just caressed my face.
I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood, forcing myself to keep walking. One step at a time. The stairs stretched before me, steep and endless. I clutched the railing, my fingers trembling as I climbed.
Every step echoed with the memory of his voice, his promises, his lies.
By the time I reached the top, my vision had blurred from the tears I could no longer hold back. I pressed a hand against the wall, steadying myself, and took a deep breath.
This was supposed to be my wedding night. The night every woman dreams of. But instead of love and warmth, I was left with silence, betrayal, and the sound of another woman's laughter drifting up from below.
I entered the room Marco had told me was mine. It was too beautiful for the kind of sorrow that filled it now. A large window overlooked the cliffs and the restless sea below. The moonlight streamed in, soft and pale, making the bed glow like a cruel symbol of everything I would never have.
I sank down onto the edge of the mattress, my body trembling as the tears finally escaped. I pressed my hand over my heart, as if I could hold the pain inside, but it spilled through anyway.
Somewhere beneath all that hurt, a quiet voice whispered that I should have known better, that I should have guarded my heart from the very beginning. But even then, I knew it was too late.
Because no matter how much I tried to hate him, a part of me still loved him.
And that made everything hurt even more.
I heard footsteps, heavy and deliberate, followed by Serene's laughter echoing faintly through the walls. The sound made my chest tighten. It was soft at first, teasing and cruel, the kind of laugh that always reminded me how far I stood from Marco's world. Then I heard her giggle again, higher this time, followed by a quiet moan that made my stomach twist.
I pressed my palms over my ears, shutting my eyes tightly. I did not want to hear them. I did not want to picture Marco's hands on her, his lips on her skin. The thought alone was unbearable. I tried to block it all out, whispering to myself to stay calm, to breathe, to remember that this was all temporary. But no words could comfort me.
Then suddenly, it stopped.
The laughter. The footsteps. The faint rustle of clothing. Everything went silent.
The stillness that followed was deafening. I waited, holding my breath, listening for a whisper, a creak, a door closing, but there was nothing. The whole house seemed to hold its breath with me.
Finally, I stood and wiped my tears away, forcing myself to move. I walked toward the closet, my steps slow and unsteady. When I opened the doors, I froze.
My mouth fell open in disbelief.
The closet was enormous, filled with rows of dresses hanging neatly, each one more beautiful than the last. The scent of new fabric and expensive perfume filled the air. It looked exactly like the wardrobe at his parents' house. I realized then that these clothes were for me.
Each dress seemed carefully chosen, elegant, luxurious, and far too revealing for a woman who would spend her wedding night alone. I ran my fingers along the delicate fabrics, silks and satins that shimmered under the light. They were all stunning, but none of them felt like mine.
I tried to find something simple, something that could make me feel normal again, but every nightgown I pulled out was either too bold or too delicate, designed for a night that was never meant to be mine. I laughed bitterly under my breath. "There is no one to wear these for," I whispered to myself.
Still, I forced a smile that did not reach my eyes. "Fine," I muttered softly, choosing the simplest one I could find. It was a red silk gown that flowed like water between my fingers. I pulled out a towel from the lower shelf and walked straight to the bathroom, trying not to think of the two people who might still be downstairs.
Inside, I filled the tub and sank into the warm water, closing my eyes as the steam rose around me. The warmth should have been comforting, but it only made me realize how cold I felt inside. I wanted to call Cammie so badly, to tell her everything, to cry to someone who would understand. But I could not. Cammie had always been loyal to Marco. If I called her, he would know.
So I stayed quiet.
The water rippled softly against my skin as I leaned back, my mind replaying every word Marco said, every kiss, every lie. I had loved him with all my heart, but maybe love was never enough in his world. Maybe I was only a piece in a story I never agreed to be part of.
Time slipped away, and the water began to cool. I stayed until my fingertips wrinkled, unwilling to face the emptiness of the bedroom waiting outside.
When I finally rose from the tub and wrapped the towel around me, a strange sound broke the silence.
It was faint at first, a low, distant howl carried by the wind.
I froze, my heart skipping a beat. Another howl followed, louder this time, coming from somewhere deep in the woods beyond the cliffs. The sound sent a shiver down my spine. My mind raced back to that awful night when the wolf had attacked me, the night I thought I would die.
My hands shook as I gripped the towel tighter. I had not heard that sound since the night I was attacked, the night I thought I would die.
I swallowed hard, trying to convince myself it was only the wind, but something deep inside me knew better.
Slowly, I stepped out of the bathroom, the wooden floor cool beneath my bare feet. The room was dim, the only light coming from the pale moon spilling through the window. I took one cautious step forward, then another.
That was when I saw a massive black wolf stood near the bed, its fur gleaming under the moonlight. Its eyes glowed a deep, unnatural amber, fixed entirely on me.
For one heart-stopping moment, neither of us moved. I could hear the rush of my own heartbeat, fast and frantic, echoing in my ears.
Then the wolf tilted its head slightly, its gaze unblinking, almost human. A scream tore from my throat before I could stop it, shattering the silence of the house.
And as the sound echoed through the empty halls, the wolf took a slow step forward.