Penelope woke up before the sun had fully risen, a thin line of dawn slipped through the heavy hotel curtains, washing the room in pale light.
For a moment, she lay still, her mind hazy—until the memories of the previous night came crashing back. Her chest tightened.
Carlton lay asleep beside her, his arms loosely draped across her waist, his breathing slow and steady. Carefully, she lifted his arm away and slid out of the bed.
Spotting a Louis Vuitton shopping bag resting on the dresser. Without hesitation, she pulled out a simple dress from it and slipped into it, then folded her wedding gown—the symbol of everything that had gone wrong—and gathered it into her arms.
The room felt unnaturally quiet, weighed down by reality.
Her heart pounded as she approached the door. She paused b
