The butler loosens his grip, a look of disbelief contorting his face. But before he can leave, Gianna, who's been watching the whole scene unfold like some sort of soap opera, steps in. “Wow, Karl,” she sneers, her lips curling into a contemptuous smile. “So now we’re letting not just cheaters b
Abby At the mention of the email and the rare ingredients, Karl’s face turns pale. Seeing him like this instantly fills me with an odd sense of dread as my mind begins to whirl with unending questions: why did Adam send him that email? Why did Karl give him rare ingredients? When did Karl give h
There’s a long, heavy silence. After what feels like an eternity, Karl finally meets my eyes, and there’s a raw, aching vulnerability there that makes my heart drop into my stomach. “You’re right,” he says quietly, his voice filled with regret. “I didn’t know at first. I just knew that he wasn’t tha
Abby The morning sunlight streams through the curtains, casting a warm glow that starkly contrasts with the cold feeling settling in my chest. I’ve been up all night, haunted by Karl’s confession, the unending complications it brought into my life, and the dilemma of Adam’s unknown intention
“You don’t have to do this,” he says softly, as if finally realizing the finality of this moment. “I know. I want to.” He steps back, giving me space to walk away. For a second, our eyes meet, and in that moment, I see a flicker of the man I once knew, the man I once thought was changing for
Karl As I watch the train speed away, a new form of emptiness settles in my stomach. Abby is pissed at me; I know that. I know that what I did with Adam was messed up, and I guess I hoped in some sort of naive way that she would never find out. Well, she found out. And she’s furious. Hell, s
She looks at me, her eyes filling with tears, and for a moment I think she’s going to argue. But then she just nods, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “Very well,” she murmurs, looking down at her desk to avoid meeting my gaze. I don’t wait for her to say anything else. I turn on my heels an
Abby I push open the door to the restaurant, the soft chime signaling my unexpected entrance. I feel the weight of curious gazes on me—Daisy, Ethan, a few waiters. They’re all surprised to see me back so early. “Abby, what are you doing here?” Ethan asks, a mix of confusion and concern etchi
Abby Intrigued, I let Karl take my hand and lead me discreetly away from the reception, weaving through the tables and out a back door into the gardens. A mischievous grin plays on his lips as we giggle like teenagers, ducking behind hedges and scurrying across the lush green lawns. “Where are w
As the music shifts to a slow ballad, I feel a familiar pair of strong arms circle my waist from behind. “There’s my beautiful wife,” Karl’s deep voice rumbles in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. He spins me around to face him, our bodies swaying in time to the soft music. I gaze up at him
Abby The reception hall is cast in a warm, romantic glow, with twinkling lights and the warm flickering of candles on every table. Soft music plays as Karl and I make our entrance, hand-in-hand to raucous applause and cheers from our guests. I can’t stop smiling as we wave to our loved ones gather
Abby The afternoon sun streaming in through the tall windows of the chapel casts the stones in a warm golden light, giving everything a sort of ethereal energy. I stand in the hallway, my arm linked with Anton’s, as the wedding coordinator prepares everyone to walk down the aisle. “Are you ready
Abby As I sit in front of the vanity mirror with the hair and makeup artist circling around me, I meet my friends’ gazes in the reflection; Chloe, Leah, Daisy, and even Elsie are here as my bridesmaids, each of them looking more beautiful than the last. “The seamstress really did do a great job
Abby With a gasp of excitement, I pull the wedding gown out of its box and hold it up in the light. Everything is perfect; the way the beadwork catches the light, the silky texture, the shape. I can’t wait to try it on now that it’s been altered to fit my body. Quickly, I slip out of my clothe
Abby “Abby, why don’t you sit down?” Karl looks up at me from where he’s sitting on the sofa, a look of concern on his face. He pats the spot next to him, but I shake my head. “I can’t,” I say, continuing to pace back and forth in our living room. “I won’t sit down until I hear back about that
Abby As I chop, stir, melt, and saute, the others stand around me, watching intently. The pasta simmers on the stove, the air smelling like warm butter and spices. It’s enough to make anyone’s mouth water. But my focus isn’t on the rumbling in my belly, nor is it even on the lingering pain in my
As we continue searching, I keep thinking back on our last harrowing hunt for black truffles; those poachers nearly shot us. Even now, I can still remember the sound of the bullets whizzing past my head, and the thuds they made when they careened into trees. “We got really lucky,” I say. “If we ha