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ChapterForty-Eight
Zane
My thoughts are spiraling out of control as I stare out of the window, memories of Celeste plaguing me. It’s the woman I thought she was that I wanted to marry, not the one I’ve come to know. I’ve been up all night, unable to stop thinking of the way she felt against me last week, glimpses of the woman I loved shining through. If I’m not careful, she’ll trick me all over again. I’d slipped out of bed before she woke up, and we both pretended nothing had happened — like we were ashamed of our choices, our weakness.
I sit up when a knock sounds on the door of my room in our wedding venue and glance at it in surprise. I told my siblings I didn’t want company this morning, and I’d hoped they’d heed my words. Going through with this is hard enough without their disapproving stares. I’m so close to walking out of here and never looking back, and I didn’t think it would be like that.
When things ended between Celeste and me, I knew I’d end up accepting an arranged marriage, but I hadn’t expected to be this reluctant. Especially since in the end, it’s her I’m marrying after all.
I sigh as I pull the door open, irritated and ready to tell my brothers to fuck off, only to find Archer and George standing there. I stare at them in shock for a few moments, shame cascading over me. In my quest to hurt Celeste, I hurt them too. I still remember the way they both came to me, asking me to stop attacking Harrison Developments. I’d looked them in the eye and told them the only reason the company still existed at all was because of the respect I still had for them. It was a low blow, a way to remind them who I am and what I’m capable of, and the disappointment in their eyes told me everything they wouldn’t.
“Can we come in?” George asks.
I nod and stand aside. Archer’s gaze roams over the room like he doesn’t know where to look, or isn’t quite sure what he’s doing here. We used to be such good friends — all of my brothers loved him as much as I did. He’d become one of us as much as Xavier is, and I’d cut him out of our lives ruthlessly, ignored every one of his attempts to reach out and salvage our friendship.
George walks over to the small seating area in the corner and sits down, placing the bag he brought with him by his feet. I hesitate for a moment, before following Archer and sitting down too. “I didn’t expect… this,” I say, sounding a lot more awkward than I have in years. It’s odd how quickly I become the man I used to be around them.
George smiles and leans over, startling me when he straightens my bowtie before gently doing the same to the rose boutonnière on my suit, crafted from my mother’s flowers. I thought he’d hate me fiercely, but he still looks at me the way he used to right before everything went down — like I’m family. “You’re about to become my son-in-law. It’s not so odd that I’d want to have a word with you beforehand, is it?”
I shake my head, and Archer straightens, his gaze hard. In the last couple of years, he’s become a force to be reckoned with. I’m as proud of him as I am of my own brothers, yet I can’t convey that — I don’t feel like I have the right to. “The day Celeste introduced you as her boyfriend, we took you out to the garden,” Archer says, his tone flat. “Do you remember what you promised us then?”
I look away, remembering how in love I was. They’d caught Celeste and me in a compromising situation and took me outside, violent intent coming off them in waves.
“I love Celeste with all my heart, and someday, I’m going to make her my wife,”I told them.“Until then, I’ll do all I can to prove to you that I deserve to be her husband. I know there’s a lot standing in the way of our happiness, but together, there’s nothing she and I can’t overcome. I understand you don’t believe me right now, but you will. I’ll make sure of it. I’m going to make her the happiest woman in the world.”
“I remember.”
George reaches for the bag he brought and pulls out a familiar whiskey bottle. It’s the one I gave him the first time I had dinner at their house, the one that used to be my father’s. I stare at it in awe, something tightening in my chest as I take in its untouched state. “I’ve been saving this for today,” he tells me, a wry smile on his face as Archer reaches for the glasses they brought.
I’m silent as George pours my father’s whiskey. “It won’t come as a surprise to you when I tell you that you’ve let me down.” I tense, my gaze downcast. “I don’t know what happened between you two, Zane, but I know my daughter isn’t blameless. For years, I watched you two try to hurt each other, and I know it won’t stop anytime soon. The only question I have for you today is this: do you, underneath all that hatred I now see in your eyes, still love my daughter?”
I stare at him wide-eyed, my heart pounding wildly. I hadn’t expected a question like that — warnings, perhaps. Threats, certainly. This? Not in a million years.
“Yes.”
I can’t lie to the man who had become like a father to me when Celeste and I dated. We spent so many nights drinking and perfecting our attempts to cheat at games we’d play on family nights, because we could never beat the girls, and all the while, we forged a relationship that I still miss.
Archer hands me a glass and nods, satisfied with my answer. “Then this is what we’ll do,” he says, his voice calmer than I’d expected. “Each time we see you, we’ll share a glass. By the time this bottle is empty, you’ll need to have fulfilled your promise, or I’ll do what my sister doesn’t have the heart to — I’ll fucking annihilate you, consequences be damned.”
I nod slowly, uncertain this is a promise I can keep. I’m not even sure I want to, and if I did, Celeste would never let me. She still wants me, that much is clear, but she also wants to see me burn. I don’t have it in me to let them down any further, yet I can’t say the words they need to hear.
George sighs and taps his glass against mine, accepting my silent nod, and Archer does the same. “For real this time: welcome to the family, asshole,” Archer grumbles, and I can’t help but smile, remembering the first time he said those words to me.
ChapterForty-Nine
Celeste
“You look beautiful, honey,” Mom says, her voice trembling. I look into the mirror, my eyes meeting hers as she positions herself behind me and gently squeezes my shoulders over my soft silk robe.
My makeup looks natural but elegant, and for once, my hair has been wrangled into a smooth bun that sits low, a few stray curls strategically framing my face. I look like a bride, but I don’t feel like one.
Guilt hits me harder than ever before, and I try my best to push aside my grief. I’d always thought I’d have Lily with me on my wedding day as my maid of honor. I’ve imagined this day so many times, but never did I think I’d find myself sitting in the bridal room of a venue I’ve never been to before, unsure what my wedding dress even looks like.
The Windsors took care of the entire wedding, and though Grandma Anne asked for my input a few times, she mostly decided on things herself. I feel like an uninvited guest at someone else’s wedding. An imposter.
“I know today isn’t easy for you, Celeste,” Mom says. “But have some faith, okay? You once loved him, and I think you’ll learn to do so again.”
I look into her eyes, wishing I had the words to explain why the future she envisions can’t come to pass. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still have feelings for him, or that I don’t want him as much as I used to. I do, but hatred and years of pain drown out everything else.
