-CELINE’S POV-
:
<b>54 </b>
H55 vouchers
The apartment felt different without the staff. Too quiet. Too bare. The kind of quiet that lets you hear the pop of eggs in a pan, the tick of the wall clock, even your own heartbeat.
I flipped another pancake, the smell of butter and maple syrup curling through the kitchen.
Sally and the rest of the staff had the day off–it felt good to have the house to ourselves, even if it meant I was up before everyone else.
Behind me, soft footsteps. Then a low, familiar voice.
“What’s smelling so good?”
I turned just as Hunter appeared in the doorway, shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows, hair still damp from the shower. He leaned against the frame with that crooked grin that always undid me.
“Breakfast,” I said, flipping the pancake onto a te. “And before you ask, yes, I know we have Caroline’s wedding to get to. There’s plenty of time. I can get Caesar ready and still make sure my husband eats properly.”
His brow arched. “Husband.”
The word seemed to settle in his chest like good whiskey. In three strides, he was behind me, arms circling my waist, his chin brushing my shoulder.
“Say it again,” he murmured.
Iughed, pushing at his arm with the spat. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Maybe. But I like the way you say it.” He kissed the curve of my neck, warm and possessive.
I leaned back against him, savoring the moment. But another thought intruded, serious than pancakes and stolen kisses.
“Hunter<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“Mmm?<b>” </b>
“Will your mother be at the wedding?“His body went still. Only for a second, but I felt it.
I pressed. “She loves Caroline like her own daughter. I just… I don’t see her skipping it.”
“She won’t be there.” His tone was final, clipped.
That didn’t sit right. “Because she’s busy, or because she doesn’t approve of…”
“Don’t.” He spun me gently in his arms <b>so </b>I faced him. His eyes were sharp, dangerous. “Don’t give her space
1
15:30 Sun<b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>7 </b>
…
in our morning. Not today.”
I opened my mouth, then shut it.
<b>54 </b>
<b>55 </b>vouchers
He was hiding something–I could feel it in the way his jaw tightened. But before I could push further, another voice cut in.
“Good mornin‘!”
Caesar padded into the kitchen, hair sticking up like a dandelion, rubbing his eyes with tiny fists.
“Morning, sweetheart,” I said, softening instantly.
Hunter bent, swooping him up with one arm, pressing a kiss to his son’s cheek. Caesar squealed, giggling when Hunter tossed him up and caught him again.
“Breakfast with Mommy can wait,” Hunter told me, throwing Caesar over his shoulder like <i>a </i>sack of flour. “This one needs to be turned into a gentleman for the wedding. Take your time.”
“You’re sure?<b>” </b>
“I’ve got him.” He winked at me before disappearing down the hall with Caesar squealing upside down.
The kitchen fell quiet again, the smell of butter thick in the air. I breathed out slowly and looked down at my ring.
The diamond caught the light, blinding in its transparency. A reminder thatst two nights, in the chaos of Vegas, Hunter had looked at me and chosen forever.
But forever came with headlines. I pulled my phone from the counter, scrolling instinctively.
“Billionaire Reid Fires <b><i>5</i></b>% of Staff -Is New Wife to me?”
“From Maid to Mrs.: Cindere or Con–Woman?”
“Reid’s Vegas Vows: Who Really Wins?”
Thousands ofments below. Words like ‘gold–digger, maniptor, homewrecker.
I’d seen them before. Interpretations of the same toxin. Still, it stung. Was this what Sophia had faced when she was with Hunter? Had that steady drip of venom eaten her alive until she broke?
My stomach twisted. I shoved the phone away and reached for flour and sugar, ready to lose myself in cupcake batter……something simple, something sweet.
The phone buzzed again.
A message this time.
Jesse: ‘Celine, please. I need to talk to you. Just once. Meet me. I’m begging you.’
…
(54)
55 vouchers
My throat tightened. My finger hovered over the reply for one long, painful second. Then I locked the screen and shoved it deep into my apron pocket.
No. I was done bleeding for people who only knew how to cut me.
By noon, the apartment hummed again—makeup brushes, Caesar’sughter, Hunter in a tailored suit sharp enough to slice air.
And me, in a blue ruffle chiffon dress that Caroline had picked for the bridesmaids. It hugged my waist, red softly at the knee. A small bouquet of white ranunculus in my handpleted the picture.
But Caroline–Caroline was a vision.
“Do I look like a bride or like a pastry?” she asked, turning toward the mirror.
“You look…” I swallowed hard, blinking back emotion. “Like every little girl’s dream.”
And she did. A mermaid gown of satin, pearls draping the bodice like water droplets. Her hair swept into a loose chignon, makeup dewy and luminous.
I had gone with her to ten different shops. I’d seen the way her face had lit up in this dress. Now, seeing her in it–it was like watching her step into a storybook ending.
“You’re going to make him faint,” I teased.
“Good. He deserves to sweat a little.” Caroline smirked, then caught my eyes in the mirror. Her expression softened. “And you…you look happy, Celine. Like really happy.”
“I am.” My throat tightened. “It’s just… different.”
Her smile grew knowing. “Different doesn’t mean bad.”
No. It didn’t.
**
The garden ceremony was held at one of the Reid estates, transformed into something out of a magazine. Roses twined around white trellises, and silk ribbons fluttered in thete–summer breeze,
Gold chairs lined the aisle, each seat filled with New York’s elite.
I clutched my bouquet tighter as I followed the other bridesmaids down the aisle. The weight of stares pressed heavily, whispers curling at the edges.
“That’s her.
“The maid who married him.’
‘She doesn’t belong here!
<b>54 </b>
55 vouchers
Something inside me broke open. I pulled her closer until she was half in myp, her forehead against mine.
“You already are,” I whispered.
We stayed like that for a long time, the Strip roaring beneath us, our silence louder than it all.
Finally, she tilted her face up, voice softer than the wind. “I’d like to see London someday.”
I went still.
The thought of her walking those streets, of her standing in front of the Greysons‘ house, of Sophia’s ghost rising between us–My arms tightened around her instinctively.
“Someday,” I said carefully. “When the time’s right.”
She studied me, eyes clear and knowing, but she didn’t push. Instead, sheid her head against my chest, letting the conversation dissolve into the night.
And for the first time in years, I felt like maybe–just maybe–I could carry both past and future without being crushed.
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15:31 <b>Sun</b><b>, </b>Sep 7 9 …
-CELINE’S POV-
:
54
55 vouchers
The apartment felt different without the staff. Too quiet. Too bare. The kind of quiet that lets you hear the pop of eggs in a pan, the tick of the wall clock, even your own heartbeat.
I flipped another pancake, the smell of butter and maple syrup curling through the kitchen.
Sally and the rest of the staff had the day off–it felt good to have the house to ourselves, even if it meant I was up before everyone else.
Behind me, soft footsteps. Then a low, familiar voice.
“What’s smelling so good?”
I turned just as Hunter appeared in the doorway, shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows, hair still damp from the shower. He leaned against the frame with that crooked grin that always undid me.
“Breakfast,” I said, flipping the pancake onto a te. “And before you ask, yes, I know we have Caroline’s wedding to get to. There’s plenty of time. I can get Caesar ready and still make sure my husband eats properly.”
His brow arched. “Husband.”
The word seemed to settle in his chest like good whiskey. In three strides, he was behind me, arms circling my waist, his chin brushing my shoulder.
“Say it again,” he murmured.
Iughed, pushing at his arm with the spat. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Maybe. But I like the way you say it.” He kissed the curve of my neck, warm and possessive.
I leaned back against him, savoring the moment. But another thought intruded, serious than pancakes and stolen kisses.
“Hunter?”
“Mmm?”
“Will your mother be at the wedding?“His body went still. Only for a second, but I felt it.
I pressed. “She loves Caroline like her own daughter. I just… I don’t see her skipping it.”
“She won’t be there.” His tone was final, clipped.
That didn’t sit right. “Because she’s busy, or because she doesn’t approve of…”
“Don’t.” He spun me gently in his arms so I faced him. His eyes were sharp, dangerous. “Don’t give her space
in our morning. Not today.”
I opened my mouth, then shut it.
:
54
55 vouchers
He was hiding something–I could feel it in the way his jaw tightened. But before I could push further, another voice cut in.
“Good mornin‘!”
Caesar padded into the kitchen, hair sticking up like a dandelion, rubbing his eyes with tiny fists.
“Morning, sweetheart,” I said, softening instantly.
Hunter bent, swooping him up with one arm, pressing a kiss to his son’s cheek. Caesar squealed, giggling when Hunter tossed him up and caught him again.
“Breakfast with Mommy can wait,” Hunter told me, throwing Caesar over his shoulder like a sack of flour. “This one needs to be turned into a gentleman for the wedding. Take your time.”
“You’re sure?<b>” </b>
“I’ve got him.” He winked at me before disappearing down the hall with Caesar squealing upside down.
The kitchen fell quiet again, the smell of butter thick in the air. I breathed out slowly and looked down at my ring.
The diamond caught the light, blinding in its transparency. A reminder thatst two nights, in the chaos of Vegas, Hunter had looked at me and chosen forever.
But forever came with headlines. I pulled my phone from the counter, scrolling instinctively.
“Billionaire Reid Fires <i>5</i>% of Staff -Is New Wife to me?”
“From Maid to Mrs.: Cindere or Con–Woman?”
“Reid’s Vegas Vows: Who Really Wins?<b>” </b>
Thousands ofments below. Words like ‘gold–digger, maniptor, homewrecker.‘
I’d seen them before. Interpretations of the same toxin. Still, it stung. Was this what Sophia had faced when she was with Hunter? Had that steady drip of venom eaten her alive until she broke?
My stomach twisted. I shoved the phone away and reached for flour and sugar, ready to lose myself in cupcake batter……something simple, something sweet.
The phone buzzed again.
A message this time.
Jesse: ‘Celine, please. I need to talk to you. Just once. Meet me. I’m begging you.‘
B 55 vouchers
My throat tightened. My finger hovered over the reply for one long, painful second. Then I locked the screen and shoved it deep into my apron pocket.
No. I was done bleeding for people who only knew how to cut me.
By noon, the apartment hummed again–makeup brushes, Caesar’sughter, Hunter in a tailored suit sharp enough to slice air.
And me, in a blue ruffle chiffon dress that Caroline had picked for the bridesmaids. It hugged my waist, red softly at the knee. A small bouquet of white ranunculus in my handpleted the picture.
But Caroline–Caroline was a vision.
“Do I look like a bride or like a pastry?” she asked, turning toward the mirror.
“You look…” I swallowed hard, blinking back emotion. “Like every little girl’s dream.”
And she did. A mermaid gown of satin, pearls draping the bodice like water droplets. Her hair swept into a loose chignon, makeup dewy and luminous.
I had gone with her to ten different shops. I’d seen the way her face had lit up in this dress. Now, seeing her in it–it was like watching her step into a storybook ending.
“You’re going to make him faint,” I teased.
“Good. He deserves to sweat a little.” Caroline smirked, then caught my eyes in the mirror. Her expression softened. “And you….you look happy, Celine. Like really happy.”
“I am.” My throat tightened. “It’s just… different.”
Her smile grew knowing. “Different doesn’t mean bad.”
No. It didn’t.
****
The garden ceremony was held at one of the Reid estates, transformed into something out of a magazine. Roses twined around white trellises, and silk ribbons fluttered in thete–summer breeze.
Gold chairs lined the aisle, each seat filled with New York’s elite.
I clutched my bouquet tighter as I followed the other bridesmaids down the aisle. The weight of stares pressed heavily, whispers curling at the edges.
“That’s her.’
“The maid who married him.’
‘She doesn’t belong here.‘
I lifted my chin higher. My son was watching. My husband was watching.
<b>54 </b>
55 vouchers
At the front, Frederick stood tall, impossibly handsome in a ck tuxedo, but his expression softened the moment Caroline appeared.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. She was radiant, arm hooked through her father’s, eyes locked only on Frederick.
I felt a lump rise in my throat.
Because as she walked, all I could think about was my own wedding–the neon lights of Vegas, the cheap archway, the trembling in my hands as I slipped a ring on Hunter’s finger.
Messy. Fast. Scandalous.
But real.
At the altar, Caroline’s hand slid into Frederick’s. They turned toward each other, the officiant’s words a blur of tradition and blessing.
And then–vows.
Frederick’s voice shook, uncharacteristically tender. “I swear to stand by you, Caroline. To be your shelter, your partner, your greatest admirer. From this day forward, in every storm and in every sunshine.”
Caroline blinked rapidly, her voice thick. “I promise to love you without condition, to fight with you and for you, to grow with you, and tough with you. Always.”
The mood grew rich with love, with hope, with something sacred. I pressed my bouquet against my chest, blinking furiously against tears.
And then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her.
Mia.
Sitting quietly in the second row, lips painted scarlet, eyes shadowed dark. Not speaking. Not moving. Just watching. <fn28ee> Get full chapters from Find?Novel</fn28ee>
The silence of her presence chilled me more than any outburst could have.
As Caroline and Frederick sealed their vows with a kiss under a canopy of roses, apuse thundered through the garden.
I forced my hands to p, my lips to smile.
But in my chest, anxiousness twisted tight. Because sometimes silence is more dangerous than the loudest
scream.