The man threw me in front of him without releasing my arm. I tried to pry his hand off me, but his grip was like iron. I stomped on his foot, but he twisted my arm until I gasped in pain. He tore my neckline, exposing my breasts. He stuffed his hand into the cup of my bra, groping and pinching m
I woke up in a warm king-sized bed in unfamiliar surroundings. The room was dark with no lights on and the curtains pulled closed, but I could see daylight seeping through the cracks between the curtains. I took a deep breath, though it hurt my throat to do so. It smelled distinctly masculine in t
That was all without mentioning that I was in Andrew’s house. That meant that I was in Lisa’s house, too. I would never get away with accusing her perfect fiancé of something so foul. The unfairness of it all broke the dam behind my eyes, and tears started to fall. “Crystal, are you all right?”
I didn’t know what to say. With my ripped dress tucked under my arm, it looked like I was coming from some sort of booty call at Andrew’s. Yet I couldn’t tell the truth, either, not with my attacker right in front of me. “Yes,” was all I could manage to say. “Here discussing the wedding planning
“I know. That’s why I need your help. We need to get him locked up, sooner rather than later.” There was a pause. For a moment, I was afraid that Noah might back out of the case. “You can count on me,” he finally said. “I will find the evidence as soon as possible, and we will send Bob to prison
“It’s going to be fine,” Lily assured me via video chat. “You don’t need to shoulder all the responsibility. We’ll handle things when I get back.” My heart sank. The last thing I wanted to do was interrupt Lily’s honeymoon, especially for this. No, I should be able to handle this myself. “It’s f
My heart raced. Andrew Dubois was really flirting with me. We pulled up to the bridal shop. Andrew turned to face me, and our eyes locked. “Ninety percent,” Susan said with certainty. I smiled to myself. I reached for my seatbelt, then paused when I had an idea. “Would you like to come in an
Andrew was silent for a few seconds. Then he said, with a stare that could melt ice, “Prepare a perfect wedding for my daughter.” I was taken aback. “Of course, of course.” Did he sense something about my intentions? I suddenly felt guilty, but I wasn’t sure why. I had a sense of
That night, long after the last of the guests had left for their rooms, Andrew and I returned to the presidential suite to find that the staff had decorated it in preparation for our stay. All the décor, right down to the bed sheets, had been switched out for matching red and gold pieces. The light
Andrew’s eyes met mine as I approached the altar. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. He looked so handsome in his classic black tuxedo that I could hardly wait for after the reception to be with him. As I took my place across from Andrew, I handed my bouquet to Lily. The priestess bega
One month later, I stood in a suite at a private beachside resort, admiring my wedding dress. It hugged my curves in all the right places while still gently brushing against the ground like a low-hanging cloud. Crystals glistened in the room’s fluorescent lights, and the train flowed behind me effor
“Let’s continue this in the bedroom,” I said, breathless. Andrew nodded his agreement. I pulled Andrew to his feet as he stuck the ring box back in his pocket. Then I dragged him back to the bedroom, leading him by the tie. Not that he needed to be dragged; he would have followed me anywhere by th
Andrew texted me and said his flight was delayed by a few errands he had to run, so I waited. And waited. I waited for an entire day, and even began to worry that Andrew had changed his mind. Then I heard a knock at my door. I leapt off the couch and rushed to answer it. Stopping just short of the
Noah left the next day. I took him to the airport, we exchanged a hug and a brief farewell, and then I watched him walk through the gate. That was the last time I ever saw him. With a heavy heart, I returned to an empty apartment. All our furniture and my belongings—what little I still had—were the
Sensing the urgency in Noah’s voice, I leaned in closer. “What is it?” I asked, trying to suppress the anticipation in my voice. Noah’s grip on my hands tightened. “I’m going to study financial law in the human world.” I froze. My heart thumped hard against my ribs, so hard that I thought th
The nightmares did not stop. In fact, they got worse. By the end of that week, I was having at least one every night, and it was showing in behavior during the day. I could scarcely stay awake. At my new branch of Ever After Weddings, I had to sneak off into the breakroom whenever there were no cu
I dreamt of the Lunar Festival. Noah and I walked hand-in-hand through the stalls, enjoying the sparkling lights and the company of our new pack mates. Yet something was off. I could feel a chill in the air, a foreboding that I could not quite shake off. “We should get out of here,” I said, tryi