Chapter 3 The wedding veil and a shattered heart

**CHAPTER THREE: The Wedding Veil and a Shattered Heart**

BANG! BANG! BANG!

I jolted upright, My heart hammering in my chest, sweat sticking the silk sheets to my skin. My robe had slipped halfway off my shoulder, and my hair once pinned in perfect curls now lay wild across my flushed cheeks.

More banging.

She stumbled out of bed and ran to the door.

It flung open to a blur of voices and perfume.

"Oh my God, Lina!"

Isabella one of her bridesmaids screamed with wonder in her eyes..

"Did Carter come in last night?"

She asked

I only kept staring out of confusion because I had just jolted out of bed like seconds ago..

"What is all this mess?!"

Her twin who was also my bridesmaids asked

They were the popular twins of the Marble dynasty. Their father was a good friend to my dad.

Seeing that I didn't have any friends my father asked them to be my bridesmaids

Isabella, Tina and the housemaid stood frozen at my doorway, eyes wide. They were dressed in blush-pink satin robes, perfect curls bouncing, makeup fresh a cruel contrast to me , i looked like I'd barely survived a storm.

And I had.

Damien.

The name whispered through me like smoke.

I didn't answer. Couldn't. I stood there, dazed, only one thought pounding in my mind:

The day I was supposed to marry Carter Steele.

The day after I gave my body and a dangerous part of her soul to another man.

I staggered toward the vanity chair, sitting on it with the last strength I could muster only to be met with wide-eyed stares from two bridesmaids and a worried maid. Their gazes swept over the chaos behind me: clothes tangled on the floor, lipstick stains smeared on the sheets, and the scent of sex still clinging to the air.

"Miss Carrington," one bridesmaid whispered. "Did... Carter come in last night?" She asked again

I didn't answer.

My mind was still chasing the ghost of Damien Blake.

He was gone.

Not a note. Not a whisper. Just gone. Like a sin erased before morning.

The last thing I remembered was his lips against my skin, his mouth writing forbidden promises between my thighs. Then... nothing. A void. He had vanished before the sun kissed the sky.

The maid pulled me gently toward the vanity. "We have to get you ready. The makeup artist is downstairs. The guests are already arriving."

I let them touch me, paint me, mold me.

I stared blankly at the crystal white wedding dress laid across the bed, the one I'd picked months ago in a boutique lined with crystal chandeliers and the false promises of wealth and legacy.

They helped me step into it, It felt the silk slide against my skin like betrayal.

My father entered shortly after, impeccably dressed in his tuxedo, silver cufflinks gleaming. "My beautiful girl," he said, kissing my forehead. "Thank you for doing this. You're securing our legacy. Our empire."

I didn't reply. Just smiled weakly.

We walked out together.

---

The ballroom of the Grand Hotel was drenched in opulence.

Obviously one of Carter's accomplishments.

White roses twisted along golden arches, crystal chandeliers shimmered above like frozen fireworks, and a thousand eyes turned toward the aisle as the bride appeared on her father's arm.

A string quartet played a soft, haunting melody.

Carter stood beneath a floral archway at the end of the aisle, grinning like a man who already owned everything.

But my eyes searched the crowd.

Damien wasn't there.

I scanned every shadow, every corner, but no sign of the man who made my legs tremble and my conscience scream.

Was he truly gone?

We reached the altar. My father kissed my forehead and cheek and stepped back.

Carter reached out, taking my hand like she was a prize being transferred.

The priest began the ceremony. Words were spoken. Promises exchanged. But Lina barely heard any of them. My mind was still echoing with Damien's voice...

**"Spread those legs for me, Lina..."**

"And now," the priest said, turning to Carter, "do you have your vows?"

Carter cleared his throat, then took my hands.

"Lina," he began, eyes glinting, voice rich and confident. "From the moment our families aligned our futures, I knew you were a jewel. You shine with elegance and pride. You will stand beside me as the wife of a man building an empire. And I promise to honor, protect, and lead you with all that I am."

*Honor.*

*Protect.*

*Lead.*

The words felt like a noose dressed in diamonds.

"Lina," the priest said, "your vows?"

I blinked momentarily confused..

The speech I'd rehearsed in my head for weeks slipped through my fingers like sand.

So I lied.

"Carter," I whispered, voice trembling, "you are strength. You are power. You are my beginning and the path I never thought I'd take. I vow to stand beside you, to be the calm to your storm, and the light in your shadow."

*Who even wrote this bullshit?* I thought.

When did I ever feel like this? I was lying through white teeth and smeared lipstick. My real thoughts were burning in my chest like Damien's mouth had the night before.

The priest lifted his hands. "Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and w-"

The doors flew open.

A voice pierced the air like a blade.

"You can't marry her!"

Every head turned. Gasps rippled through the crowd.

A woman stood at the entrance, eyes wild, chest heaving. Her voice trembled with fury.

"She's a cheat. A liar."

My blood froze.

And Carter?

He just he stood perplexed but seemingly not confused...infact he looked like he knew her and what was going on

As if he'd been waiting for the storm all along.

He cursed under his breath and signaled his bodyguards they were about escorting the woman out when she started screaming.."

you promised to marry me!! I fucking aborted a child for you, now you wanna run away and get married to a billionaires daughter!!!..

the bodyguards were close to her now and I was just about to release my breath because for a second I thought my night with Damien had been exposed...

but my breath was only out for a split second because the next time I raise a head

BANG!!

A SHOT RANG OUT