ant to marr

trange sound in the master suite tha

in her small, quiet house miles away, the one she' d moved into after she fi

aid, her voice steady.

ice sounded hollow. "Everything is pa

to Florence. It leaves tomorrow at noon. Just say the word, and I' ll

he edge of the enormous bed, the silk of my custom-made wedding dress rustling

you," I

just want you to be happy." She

came out. I couldn' t tell her.

re cracked open just enough to let in the cool evening

Liam Miller, the celebrated tech geniu

y stepsister

said, my throat tight.

ivia

n' t bear her concern right now. It would ma

heart was a cold, heavy stone in my chest. I pushed th

lights strung through the trees, they stood n

and C

The confident set of his shoulders, the way he

eyes were only for him. She was laughing, her head thrown

and gently tucked

esture. Innocent

ace, his thumb stroking her cheek. The smile on Chloe' s face so

hought I was upstairs, blissfully una

t a quick, stolen kiss. It was slow and deep, a kiss of familiarit

r in my lungs turned to ice. I felt my body star

hand flat against the cold glass

was the sudden, sickening realization that th

seen that look before, Olivia. On your fathe

The woman my father had an affair with. The woma

he same betrayal, the same pois

heavy. My mother' s offer of a plane

pale, shocked face in the dark glass, anothe

a

sound of my weeping. The sobs wracked my body, raw and ago

had been togethe

iven. I was an aspiring architect, full of dreams. We were the golden couple. Everyone said so. Our friends,

career, celebrated my successes. He held me when my f

date, with a ring he had designed himself. A flawless diamon

ia," he had said, kneeling in the middle of our half-

ture, had just shattered into a mill

osing my best friend, my family, my pa

it all from me were sipping cha