When I finally finished the first procedure plan, I leaned back, staring at it, breathing slowly. My fingers brushed against the ring on the steel tray by accident.
A soft click.
And then—
“I know one day isn’t enough…” Shannon’s voice came through, soft and breaking. “After this, I have to go back and hide again, right?”
My body went still.
“I get it,” she whispered. “I know I can’t let Miss McKellar see me. I know I don’t deserve that. But I really want to be like her. I want to stand beside you openly. Not hide like this. Just once, I want to be your wife in front of everyone.”
Silence.
My breath got stuck in my throat.
My arm started shaking.
God… it felt like that day again. Like the blade coming down, like my hand being torn away. The pain came rushing back, phantom and real all at once.
It hurts.
Why does it still hurt this much?
Felix knew.
He knew exactly what she did to me. That’s why he kept her hidden. Because he knew if she showed her face… I would break.
He would never allow that.
Right?
Right…?
After a long silence, his voice came through.
“Okay.”
Just one word.
But it destroyed everything.
I clutched my chest, gasping like something inside me had been ripped open.
....
A day later, Felix came back like nothing had happened.
Right on time.
Like a perfect husband.
He walked in with gifts like it was just another normal day. A necklace, blue and shining like the ocean itself, worth more than I could even process. And a dress, custom-made, covered in diamonds that caught every bit of light.
“Danica,” he said, his voice softer now, almost warm. “It’s our seventh anniversary. I want everyone to see how happy we are.”
Happy.
I didn’t say anything.
I just changed into the dress.
Let him put the necklace on me.
Let him look at me like I was something precious.
And then I let him take my hand and lead me out.
The banquet was held in one of his hotels. Of course it was. Seven stars, private, untouchable. His territory.
The ballroom was packed. Celebrities, mafias, business elites, people with power and money, all dressed like they belonged in a different world.
Everything sparkled.
Everything looked perfect. But something felt… off. All the waiters wore the same uniform and masks.
Every single one of them.