MARRIED TO THE DEVIL CEO

CHAPTER TWO

I don't remember walking to the bridal suite.

One second I was standing beside my mother, trying to convince myself that the strange feeling in my chest was just nerves.

The next, I was halfway down the hallway with my phone still clutched in my hand, reading Amelia's last message for what felt like the hundredth time.

I'm sorry, Ava.

Sorry for what?

It didn't make sense.

Nothing about today made sense anymore.

I stopped outside the bridal suite and knocked twice.

"Mel?"

No answer.

I smiled to myself.

"Very funny."

Still nothing.

I knocked again, a little louder this time.

"If you're hiding because you don't want to get married, I should probably remind you that half the city is downstairs waiting for you."

Silence.

I pressed my ear against the door.

Nothing.

Not a laugh.

Not footsteps.

Not even music.

My smile slowly disappeared.

I reached for the handle.

Locked.

A tiny shiver ran through me.

Amelia hated locked doors.

Ever since we were children, she always left them open because she said locked rooms made her feel trapped.

I knocked one last time.

"Amelia... seriously."

Nothing.

"Ava?"

I turned around.

One of the bridesmaids was walking toward me with a worried look on her face.

"Have you seen the bride? The photographer is getting impatient."

"I thought she was in here."

"So did I."

She frowned.

"That's strange."

Before either of us could say another word, a hotel manager hurried over.

"Is everything alright?"

"The door is locked," I said.

"I've been calling my sister."

He gave the door a polite knock.

"Miss Hart?"

Silence.

He looked at me.

"I'll get the master key."

The seconds suddenly felt longer than they should.

People kept walking past us without noticing anything was wrong.

Someone laughed.

Someone complained about the flowers.

Someone asked where the champagne had gone.

The whole world kept moving.

Mine had stopped.

The manager came back carrying a small key card.

"I'm sure she's just changing."

I nodded.

I wanted to believe him.

I really did.

He slid the card into the lock.

A green light flashed.

The door clicked.

He pushed it open.

I was the first one inside.

The room was beautiful.

Sunlight poured through the tall windows.

The makeup chair sat neatly in front of the mirror.

Her perfume still filled the air.

Her bouquet was gone.

Her dress was gone.

But...

So was Amelia.

I blinked once.

Twice.

My eyes searched every corner as if she might suddenly step out laughing, telling me this had all been some ridiculous prank.

She didn't.

Instead, I noticed something sitting on the dressing table.

A ring.

Her engagement ring.

The one Damien had placed on her finger six months ago.

The one she never took off.

My stomach dropped.

"No..."

I picked it up with shaking fingers.

It was real.

Cold.

Heavy.

There was a folded piece of white paper underneath it.

I unfolded it so quickly that I almost tore it.

It was blank.

Completely blank.

"What is it?" the bridesmaid asked from behind me.

I couldn't answer.

She walked closer.

Then she saw the ring.

"Oh my God..."

The words were barely a whisper.

Within seconds, the room was full of people.

My mother pushed through the crowd first.

"What is going on?"

She looked at my face.

Then at the ring in my hand.

The color drained from hers.

"No."

She snatched it from me as if holding it would somehow change what it meant.

"No, no, no."

My father rushed into the room.

"What happened?"

"She's gone."

My mother's voice cracked.

"She's gone."

The room fell silent.

Not the peaceful kind of silence.

The kind that makes your ears ring.

People looked at each other, waiting for someone else to explain.

Nobody could.

"Search the house," my father said suddenly.

"Check every room."

His voice grew louder.

"The gardens too. The parking area. Everywhere."

People scattered in every direction.

I stood completely still.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't think.

I could only hear Amelia's voice in my head.

If anything strange happens tomorrow, promise me you won't panic.

I had promised.

But how was I supposed to keep that promise when my sister had disappeared on her wedding day?

My phone vibrated.

My heart leaped.

Amelia.

I answered before the screen had fully lit up.

"Mel!"

Nothing.

Only static.

Then...

The call ended.

I stared at the screen.

Unknown Number.

My hands were trembling now.

Before I could call back, voices erupted in the hallway.

"He's here."

"The groom is coming."

The whispers spread through the room like fire.

I looked toward the door just as the crowd slowly parted.

Damien Blackwood walked in.

He was already dressed for the ceremony.

Black tuxedo.

White shirt.

Black tie.

He looked exactly the way every magazine described him.

Calm.

Sharp.

Impossible to read.

His eyes swept across the room only once before landing on me.

Then on the engagement ring in my hand.

He didn't ask where Amelia was.

He didn't look shocked.

He didn't even look angry.

He simply held my gaze for a long second.

"What happened?"

It was the quietest voice in the room.

Somehow...

It was also the one that made everyone stop talking.

I opened my mouth.

Nothing came out.

I tried again.

"My sister..."

The words caught in my throat.

"...she's gone."

For the first time since he walked into the room, something changed in Damien's face.

It wasn't panic.

It wasn't grief.

It was recognition.

As though this...

was exactly what he had been afraid would happen.