Page 19 of Unmasking My Dark Knight

Alright.

First, Tallulah gave me the rings while we were waiting in the foyer of the chateau. That was the start of this whole debacle. I had them in my hand, and to keep them safe, I placed them into my purse–the Chanel one Mami got me when we were in Paris. It held my lipstick. It was totally cute. Tiny and with a bow. I remembered thinking it was the perfect size for storing the rings safely, and that was right before Gustav dragged us to that stupid Scare Park… Thrill Valley.

Oh my god.

They must have fallen out of my pocket! But when…

It hit me all at once. I dropped them when I fell into that disgusting, horrible ditch!

Out of all the places, really? This was not a sunshiny day! This was cruel beyond all reason.

I couldn’t just sneak away without being noticed. I was too pretty! I needed the plainest clothes to not draw any attention, which was to say, I needed to look as generic and vague as the rest of the wedding party.

I went to the coat closet where I stuck the goody bag Tallulah gave all of us girls. It was a welcome gift that contained a branded water bottle with Tallulah and Gustav's name and wedding date, chapstick, various little chocolates, and a black shirt with… rhinestone letters. I held the shirt up. It read ‘Basic Witch’ on it, and I nearly screamed. It was repulsive. Maybe this was her idea of a cruel joke. Kind of how designers created the most ridiculous outfits, just to see which desperate clowns would pay thousands to look like an idiot.

The stones totally clashed with my eyes, but I was willing to wear it for the sake of saving Tallulah's rings—like any good maid of honor would. Reluctantly, I placed the shirt over my head, then slipped on some capris and those same icky sneakers from last night. It wasn’t my finest look, but it was the best way to leave the room undetected.

Quietly, I opened my door, peeking out into the hallway. Looking left and right, I saw nobody nearby. It was only past nine in the morning. Everyone should be out and about doing some horrendous Halloween activity. I slowly closed the door behind me.

Letting out a big sigh, I quickly walked down.

Once I passed these stairs, I should be able to sneak out through the kitchen staff’s quarters, and…

“Ivy Jade! Where are you going so fast, and… dressed like that?” Tallulah quirked her brows, gleaming. I looked over at her, standing near the kitchen, surprised. She wore the same shirt as me. “You actually looked through the goody bag! You’re wearing your shirt!”

I stood in front of her, helpless, arms at my side. Of course she’d be here waiting randomly of all things.

"I couldn't resist... you know how much I love rhinestones," I said with a smile, teeth held tight. Truthfully, I felt like a disco ball, but I couldn't get hung up on the details. This wasn’t Paris Fashion Week; this was simply her Gothic wedding, no awards, no press, nothing.

“Well, it looks super cute. Thank you for indulging me,” she said happily.

"Anything for the bride,”—I murmured, palms sweating—“you can always count on me."

“I knew I could.” She patted my shoulder. “Now, remember that one guy Gustav used to be friends with back in the day?”

It was so hard to focus. Tallulah was saying so much, yet all I could picture was leaving immediately before anyone else caught me. If I could leave, I could get to the park and find those rings.

“Ivy!” Gustav said.

“Jade,” I yelled. My attention snapped back to where I was. “Ivy Jade.”

“Sure, you snap her out of it,” Tallulah griped at my brother.

“I just need to get something,” I said, walking off.

“Watch out!” Tallulah said.

I stopped cold in my tracks when I nearly ran into the last person I expected to see here.

“That’s what I was trying to tell her. I was trying to tell her Ro will be with us this week. But you know her; she blanks out,” Tallulah told Gustav, but I swear they were thousands of miles away.

Ro stood in front of me, no… he loomed over me. It was no different than back in elementary school when I first met him. He was a freshman in high school at the time, and I was just nine. Except… Ro was different. His hair was longer, his eyes more focused and mature. He was still dressed in all black, his arms and chest wrapped in a fitted hoodie that seemed to hug his shoulders. He was bigger. Much, much bigger. And I nearly fell back at how intensely he stared at me.

My heart skipped a beat, which was unexpected and weird because I hated this guy.

I couldn’t believe he had the nerve to show his face, especially after how he humiliated me back in⁠—

“Ivy Jade, remember when Ro would come over and play Guitar Hero with us during summer break? You always begged to play, but you could never beat his high score?” Gustav said with a huge smile, cutting off my internal thoughts.