Chapter 3
The long train of the wedding dress concealed her prosthetics, and with her natural beauty, the sight of her stunned everyone
in the room.
Nathaniel’s eyes darkened with emotion. “Everyone out,” he commanded.
The staff immediately complied, leaving them alone.
He strode to Riley and kissed her passionately, not letting go until she was breathless. When she began to wobble, he gently lifted her back into the wheelchair.
Kneeling beside her, he cradled her flushed face in his hands.
“Riley, you’re so beautiful. Do you know I’ve dreamed of marrying you every day since I was sixteen?”
The wedding dress had become disheveled from being moved, exposing her prosthetics, but Nathaniel’s eyes showed no disgust–only pure adoration.
Riley felt a lump in her throat. As she looked up at him about to speak, his phone rang.
Pill the
Nathaniel glanced at the caller ID, his expression shifting subtly. After giving her another quick kiss, he walked away to take ‘ the call.
The call lasted unusually long. When he returned, James had followed him in.
“Riley, something urgent came up that I need to handle. James will take you home.”
Riley nodded, not suspecting anything.
But on the way home, she saw a new update on Victoria’s anonymous thread:
[Today he was trying on wedding dresses with his girlfriend, but I called him saying I missed him. He immediately abandoned her to come to me. Doesn’t this prove he loves me more than her now?]
Riley froze.
Even though she didn’t want to believe this person was Victoria, the coincidences were becoming too stark to ignore.
She sat distracted in the backseat, opening the window to let the breeze dispel what had been a happy day.
Nathaniel returned to their home late that night.
As always, he was attentive–helping dry her hair and applying her body lotion.
“Where did you go today?” Riley asked, for the first time directly questioning him.
“There was an issue with a project at the company that needed handling.”
He didn’t elaborate, and Riley felt increasingly uneasy. After hesitating, she finally said: “I want to go see Victoria at Lakeside
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Chapter 3
Manor.”
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Nathaniel’s hands paused momentarily, his expression changing. “Why would you suddenly want to go there?”
She watched him intently, searching for any tells in his eyes. “I just want to see her.”
Nathaniel’s expression remained neutral. When he mentioned Victoria, his tone even carried disgust.
“There’s nothing worth seeing. It would only remind you of painful memories. Last time you saw her, you had nightmares for days. I can’t bear to put you through that.”
He kissed the corner of her mouth. “Be good. Don’t worry about her. I’ll make her pay for what she did to you.”
In the end, Riley didn’t go.
But in the days that followed, the anonymous thread continued updating.
One coincidence after another made Riley increasingly anxious.
On the weekend, noticing her distraction, Nathaniel canceled all his appointments to watch movies with her at home, thinking it might improve her mood.
Halfway through the film, his phone rang.
Just like before, he walked away to take the call where she couldn’t hear. When he returned, he adjusted the blanket over her
legs.
“Riley, I have some business to take care of. Wait for me, I’ll be back soon.”
Business again?
A wave of uneasiness washed over Riley.
She grabbed his hand. “Can’t you stay?”
He smiled gently, pulling his hand away to comfort her. “Be good. Wait for me. I’ll be back to keep you company soon.”
Watching him walk away, Riley finally couldn’t sit still any longer.
After Nathaniel left, she wheeled herself out of the house.
The entire estate had been modified with accessibility ramps and features for her convenience.
Riley called a taxi and spotted Nathaniel’s car leaving the underground garage.
“Follow that car, please,” she told the driver nervously, not even sure what she was afraid of.
The taxi kept a discreet distance. Eventually, Riley watched as Nathaniel–who claimed to have urgent business–drove straight toward Lakeside Manor.
She watched him park and enter the house.
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Loon
Chapter 3
A chill ran through her body. Why was he lying? What was he doing there?
She paid the driver and wheeled herself toward the house, growing more anxious with every inch.
The front door hadn’t fully closed. She approached slowly, heart pounding in her chest.
Finally, through the gap in the door, she witnessed a scene that left her in utter disbelief…
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