Madison snapped to attention, her face draining of color. “No,” she rasped, shaking her head. “No, that’s not possible. She’s dead. She’s —”
Travis bolted upright, grabbing his phone with trembling fingers. The wedding had already happened — hours ago.
He dialed.
“Who are you calling?” Madison screeched.
Travis didn’t answer. The line rang, and every second stretched like torture until a smooth, smug voice answered.
“Hello, Travis,” Preston drawled.
Travis’s throat tightened. “Where is she?” he rasped. “Where’s my wife?”
Preston chuckled, low and vicious. “Your wife?” he echoed, voice dripping with mockery. “I think you’re confused, Travis. My wife is right here.”
Travis’s vision blurred with rage. “Put her on the phone,” he demanded, voice cracking.
There was a beat of silence, and then —
“I’m not your wife,” a voice said, soft and lethal. “My name is Emily.”
Travis staggered, his legs nearly giving out beneath him.
Madison covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. “She’s alive?” she whispered, voice quivering. “She’s the one doing this?”
Travis didn’t answer. He just kept clutching the phone, his pulse hammering loud enough to drown out everything else.
“Zoe,” he breathed, chest caving in.
Madison paced, her hands tangling in her hair. “This can’t be happening,” she whispered. “It’s her. She’s doing this to us. She —”
She stopped suddenly, her face draining of color as she turned toward the window.
Her voice trembled. “Travis… the police are here.”
#Zoe’s pov#
It had been exactly four days since our wedding — three days of living in a mansion that felt like it belonged in a fairy tale.
The estate was massive, the kind of place you could get lost in if you weren’t careful. There was a butler, a head maid, and enough staff to run a small hotel, all moving with efficiency.
Preston had been nothing but gentle with me. He refused to touch me beyond a kiss on the forehead or a hand on my back unless I wanted it. He told me he’d wait — until I was ready, until my heart was fully his.
And I was grateful. I didn’t know what love was supposed to feel like anymore, but I knew what safety felt like. And Preston made me feel safe.