I awoke the next morning alone in Andrew’s bed. I sighed and rubbed my eyes. With the nightmares constantly waking me up and Andrew being in no condition to comfort me, I had slept horribly. With a good, long stretch, I climbed out of bed and slipped on my robe. I reluctantly dragged my bare fee
Later that week, I worked on the books for Ever After Weddings at my apartment. Surrounded by paperwork, checks, ledgers, and my laptop, I was alone except for Jeffrey, who was doing his rounds while looking out the windows. I had just finished entering the last deposit into the spreadsheet when an
We didn’t have to wait long for an opportunity to talk to Lisa. A couple days after I brought the issue up to Andrew, Lisa was scheduled to have her final dress fitting at Ever After Weddings. Andrew and I decided that we should both be there—him as her father and me as the official wedding planner—
Terri looked between Andrew and me before nodding. She might not have known exactly what we were doing, but she could tell when there was about to be an uncomfortable conversation that she didn’t want to be a part of. “Of course,” she replied. “I’ll be back in your office if you need me.” She di
I sat on the loveseat, watching as Andrew paced the length of the sitting room to his private chambers. He had been at it since shortly after dinner, and I was certain that he was going to wear down the carpet at this rate. I knew that he only needed to work out his frustrated energy, but it was dif
I waited a couple days for Lisa to cool off. Then I gathered my courage and called her one morning. “Hello?” Lisa answered groggily. “Hi, Lisa. It’s me, Crystal.” I could hear her tone turn bitter. “What do you want?” “I wanted to talk to you about some last-minute wedding details—” “Lik
Lisa slammed the door closed to her black Porsche. She threw her purse into the passenger seat and wiped the tears away from the corners of her eyes. She tried to breathe slowly in and out through her nostrils, just as her father had taught her, but it wasn’t helping to calm her at all. How dare t
I tried not to worry about Lisa after my last conversation with her. I could tell that Andrew was still frustrated over not being able to protect her from Bob, but I continued to assure him that we had warned her of the danger. Short of dragging her into the investigation, it was all that we could d
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