Now I knew that the entire scene had been a show for me.
Wiping away tears that burned with hatred, I smiled bitterly.
He must’ve forgotten. I might’ve played the good girl for years, but I was raised to be ruthless and fearless.
When I stepped out of the fitting room, the clerk noticed my pale face. “Miss Wells, are you all right? Do you need any help?”
I looked up at the center of the hall, where my wedding dress hung, a one-of-a-kind piece Grayson had custom-made for me.
Just an hour ago, I’d imagined every bit of happiness our future could hold when I first saw it. Now, it looked like a blade, sharp, gleaming, and twisted right through my heart.
Pain spread through me like wildfire. I bit my lip until I tasted blood.
“Burn it,” I said quietly, pointing at the dress.
Without waiting for her response, I walked out.
By the time Grayson came home, it was past midnight. He hugged me from behind just as I turned off my phone, the same phone that had just received five gigabytes of videos and photos.
“You didn’t like the wedding dress?” he asked softly. “Why’d you have them burn it?”
“It was dirty,” I replied flatly.
He froze, tightening his arms around me as if sensing something off.
“Alright,” he murmured. “If you don’t like it, we’ll get a new one. I’ll order something better for you.”
He then leaned down, about to kiss me.
But the moment his lips neared mine, all I could see were the images from the video, their bodies entangled, lost in each other.
My gaze then fell on the fresh hickey at his throat and got a sniff of the faint scent of lily lingering on his skin, which wasn’t mine.
Amara's POV
The nausea hit me so hard I almost threw up right there. I shoved him away and bolted for the bathroom, vomiting until my whole body trembled.
When I came out, the entire hall was filled with servants, all standing stiff and terrified.
Grayson sat on the couch, flicking a lighter open and closed. The flame danced across his face, casting a cold, shadowy glow.
“I’m paying you all a fortune,” he said slowly, voice low and sharp, “and this is how you take care of my wife?”
Every one of these servants had been handpicked by him. After what happened with the kidnapping, he’d made sure they were bound by life-and-death contracts. If anything happened to me, none of them would survive either.