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10.Glares

Author: Babzie
last update Last Updated: 2024-11-09 20:55:27

--Cassie--

I couldn’t believe what had just happened. My lips still tingled, the sensation foreign and unfamiliar, while around us, people were applauding, their smiles bright and eyes full of excitement. Some, however, looked less pleased, casting sharp glances our way, their discontent thinly veiled. But it was the words of the priest that echoed in my ears, sending a shiver through me: "I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. De Luca."

The reality of it all crashed over me like a wave. This was my first kiss—stolen without my consent, in front of all these people, at a ceremony I could barely believe I was part of. I hadn’t chosen this, not really. The kiss felt like the symbolic surrender of my innocence, something precious that I had always imagined saving for someone I truly loved. Yet here I was, and the one thing I was certain of in that moment was that I wouldn’t be giving him any more than what was already taken. Not willingly, at least.

"Cassie." A voice called my name, snapping
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