I sat by the edge of my bed, my gown spread around me like a pool of ivory and regret. My hands trembled as I touched the veil laid out beside me. It shimmered in the lamplight — a fragile, perfect thing. I hated it. I hated that every thread in it had been chosen for a future I didn’t want.
A soft knock sounded.
I didn’t have to ask who it was.
“Come in,” I whispered.
Damon stepped inside, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar, his face shadowed and tight.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I said, though my voice betrayed me. I wanted him there more than air.
“I couldn’t sleep,” he murmured. “The house feels… wrong.”
I almost smiled. “Everything feels wrong.”
“You’re shaking,” he said softly, noticing the tremor in my fingers.
“I’m scared,” I admitted, surprising myself with how easily the t
