Merila
The sight of Arlene standing there, alive and defiant, sent a chill down my spine. I had done everything to ensure she was gone. Everything. Yet here she was, looking at me with those eyes that knew too much, smiling like a predator who had cornered her prey.
It reminded me of my loss when her mother, years before she was born, came to warn me to stay away from her husband. My husband now!
But it wasn’t her return that frightened me most—it was Eric’s words. He had instructed that the wedding be canceled. My carefully crafted plans were unraveling faster than I could hold them together.
“What about Lucas? You can’t make such a declaration without his consent,” I said, desperation thick in my voice. My glare fell on Arlene, but she remained unmoved, her expression taunting.
Luca
