The car ride to my parents’ house felt longer than the entire wedding day. Dawn washed the sky in pale gold, soft light sweeping over the empty streets as we approached the gated neighborhood where I had grown up. Every turn twisted a new knot in my stomach, each street sign a reminder that everything in my life had changed overnight.
Chase sat beside me in silence, arms folded, eyes fixed on the road ahead with an expression that would have terrified anyone who did not know him. Even I was not sure what lived behind that cold stare right now. Anger. Betrayal. Calculation. Maybe all of them at once.
I stared at my hands because looking at him for too long made my heart thump too loudly in my ears. As the car rolled toward the tall iron gates, I pressed my lips together and tried to imagi
