LOGINThat 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
I waited for Noah inside Miranda’s Brew at lunch, twirling the ring box between my hands. I knew that Lily was right, that I needed to return it if I was not going to marry him, but I did not want to hurt Noah. He had been so sweet to me and had been such a great help with this case against Bob, and
Mr. Vanderbilt seemed moved by my declaration. Tears gathered at the edges of his eyes. “You would really do all that for Eliza and me?” It broke my heart that he was so unaccustomed to kindness now that he would be so taken aback by my offer. At the same time, it warmed me that I could be the o
I changed into a low-cut red dress with a scoop back and matching five-inch heels. I kept in my gold earrings. My lips were painted red and my eyelids gold, while my hair had been pulled back into a bun. I made it out my door, wedding binder in hand, just in time to make it to the Lexington Hotel
My heart skipped a beat as my eyes caught the elderly woman’s. The elderly woman seemed to say something to Mr. Vanderbilt, who nodded and walked off in the direction of a nearby hot dog stand. The elderly woman then turned to me and motioned for me to come to her. Without missing a beat, I walked







