e a dark, unreadable mass. His words hung in the stale air, a promise that felt m

blur. A small, rushed ceremony, a desperate attempt to salvage the family's crumbling reputation.

apologize to Corina, Chandler," she said, her voice soft but firm, like velvet over steel. "You will be seen to be

g, Chandler," he pleaded, his voice a low whisper. "Keep up appearances. It's the only way you'll keep any s

lien, a grotesque parody. The weeks of confinement, of psychological and physical torment, had stripped me bare. My

he asked, his voice flat. "Still not happy? You've gotten everything Corina wanted, everything she deserved. And yet, you still look lik

had been given, of being ungrateful for my own pain. "If you keep this up," he continue

ler," she cooed, her voice sickly sweet. "I'm so hungry. Jake said you make the be

romance. It was the first thing I ever baked for him, the dish he always requested for his birthday. Now, it was jus

to me. The sound was brittle, edged with a hysteria I couldn't

t boiled for tea. Without thinking, I turned and flung it. The sca

g just in time. The water splashed against the wa

hed Corina sobbing on the floor. His hand lashed out. A sharp, brutal blow. My head snapped back, th

red, his face contorted with rage. "You'

n. The marriage report was a lie, a cruel trick t

he words on the papers, official, damning. Alon signed them. Jake signed them. The

e Perez in a lavish ceremony that very same day. While I w

was. I fought. I clung to every shred of sanity, every memory, no matter how painful. The bracelet, the one I had given Jake, was still clutched in my ha

a shroud. No one came. No one. My heart

soft and concerned, pulled me back. He

shelves of my bookstore. "I'm fine, Kloe," I said, my voice hoarse. I looked

ve. I had walked away from that family, from that lie, and never l