I didn’t need to check. I knew that tone. That possessive flair. That was Colin.
I could tell from the typing style alone.
I remembered the day I asked him to use matching couple avatars with me.
He rolled his eyes and snapped, “What are you, twelve? Can’t you see I’m busy? Now leave!”
And yet I had once dreamed of stargazing with him in the Alps.
I had planned the itinerary down to the smallest detail—he said he was too busy.
Every time, that was the excuse: too busy.
Now I finally understood. He could be romantic. He just never chose to be with me.
I set the phone down, trying to blink back the sting behind my eyes.
That’s when I noticed the envelope sitting quietly on the bedside table.
Inside it was a plane ticket. Departure in two days.
And a small note:
[You’re welcome. Hope you like the gift. For your wedding —V.]
So, I was right. The man who carried me to the hospital last night was none other than Victor Keane—Colin’s worst enemy.
I texted him a quiet thank-you and checked myself out not long after.
Then, the wedding planner called. The dress my mother had ordered for me had been altered to fit. It was ready.
It was the last gift she left me. I had to pick it up.
But when I stepped into the boutique, I froze.
There stood Piper—twirling in my gown.
“Annalise…you come,” She spun in front of the mirror with a fake-sweet smile, voice dripping with poison.
“I just had to make sure it fits, you know. Trying to help you out.”
She tugged the neckline lower, revealing fresh red marks across her chest, her tone mockingly bashful.
“Oh no, it’s Colin’s fault—he’s just too passionate. I told him to be gentle…”
I stared at her performance, cold and unblinking.
“You really did inherit your mother’s talent for stealing other women’s men.”
Her smile twitched, then curved into something crueler.
“Oh? Didn’t you hear? I’m pregnant with Colin’s child.”
“And your marriage license?” She laughed. “It’s fake.”
She flashed a video on her phone. A dim KTV room. Piper on Colin’s lap.
He was tipsy, kissing her softly.
“Do your best and bring the baby into this world. When it’s born, I’ll gift him the Marks Corporation.”
Piper asked in a coy voice: “But… what about my sister?”
Colin chuckled. “I never married her. I’ve been slipping birth control into her milk for months. She can’t get pregnant. I’ll just say we adopted.”
It was like being struck by lightning. My head spun. My legs nearly gave out under me.