Page 79 of Camera Stays On

I thought for a moment. “Yes. Marrying Sawyer was my mistake to make. Why didn’t you talk to me instead of telling him I cheated on him?”

He hesitated.

“Because I’m a coward.”

I glanced at him, briefly forgetting we were filming. Pity covered my mood, like paint being slowly poured over me. Taking a deep breath, I forced a smile.

“I think we’re all slightly cowardice, don’t you think? We’re all going through with Sawyer’s insane movie.” I kept my voice low.

“I’m working on something. We’re getting out of here,” Ash said, keeping the smile on his face.

Hope swelled in my chest.

“Just keep moving,” he encouraged. “Act normal.”

“None of this is normal, Ash. I don’t want to do this.” I pleaded for him to do something now, but he shook his head ever so slightly. We reached the edge of the woods, where Sawyer stood with Mick in front of him and Darius off to the side. Darius looked entirely unamused. He, like everyone else but Sawyer and Juliet, wanted to get Bea help as soon as possible.

Sawyer and Ash exchanged glances. Then, Sawyer grinned and nodded.

“Thank you for delivering my bride.”

Ash’s jaw ticked, and he licked his lips. “She’s not yours yet,” he said, the bitterness in his tone noticeable. Juliet stopped the music, and Asher gave me a hug, leaning into my ear. “Remember what I told you. He can pretend all day long, but it’s my cum inside you right now.”

I inhaled quickly, surprised by his boldness. Sawyer was right there. I glanced back and saw him smiling wide, not seeming to notice Ash’s and my brief interaction. Ash pulled back and took his spot directly behind Sawyer, and I stepped into mine, right in front of him.

“Hi.” Sawyer—as Ethan—beamed. The knowledge that while I didn’t know details, there was an escape being discussed, helped boost my morale. I offered Sawyer a small smile, hoping it came off as nervous and not disgust. How could he be all smiles when Bea was struggling to stay conscious just a hundred feet away? I didn’t know her really, but she was a person, and she didn’t deserve this.

She’d tried to warn me.

Mick—the priest—cleared his throat and began his speech.

“Friends and family, we are gathered here today...” As he babbled on, my attention gravitated away from Sawyer. Ash was staring at me, and once I saw him, I couldn’t look away.

I didn’t want to.

My heart thudded in my chest, thinking—wishing—that it were Asher’s hands I was holding, not his brother’s, and we weren’t standing at an altar, but escaping through the woods. My gaze flicked to the trees. Could I even run at this point? I was sure if I tried, I could move fast but not faster than someone who wasn’t injured.

“Repeat after me,” Mick said, interrupting my thoughts of Ash and me escaping. “I, Cleo, take you, Ethan.”

Realizing it was me he was talking to, I stammered through the vows. I kept trying to focus on Sawyer, but I couldn’t. Asher was staring me down, his eyes expressing what his voice couldn’t. I could almost hear his thoughts.

Don’t look at him. Focus on me. We’ll get through this.

I finished my lines, and Sawyer started his part.

“I, Sawyer, take you, Purdy, to be my lawfully wedded wife.”

Mick cleared his throat. “Try that again.”

“What?” Sawyer’s brows furrowed as he realized what he’d said. His face flushed, and he laughed it off and repeated the line correctly. Once again, my gaze drifted from his face to his brother’s. Asher was mouthing words. A chill went through me, as my gaze glued on his lips, trying to see what he was saying.

We object.

“To have and to hold. From this day forward. For better, for worse. For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health. Until death do us part,” Sawyer said, but I wasn’t listening. We?

What did that mean? I turned the word around in my head, trying to figure out his plan. He’d told me to just go with what Sawyer wanted, but if I did…I was going to end up married. Swallowing, I focused on my racing heart. Ash was right. We, all of us here, objected to this. He was telling me to hang on just a little longer.

I could do that. Nodding, I looked down at my hands, then back to Ash. I was holding onto Sawyer while promising myself to Asher.