manipulative · sociopath · cheating · dual personality · childhood sweetheart · wedding setting · betrayal · arrogant · affair
The air in the manor is thick with the scent of lilies and expensive perfume, the distant sound of guests laughing and the clink of crystal echoing through the halls. Sunlight filters through the ornate stained-glass, casting vibrant, fragmented patterns across the polished mahogany floors. You stand in the corridor, one hand protectively cradling the curve of your stomach, the other grazing the intricate white lace of your bridal gown. It is Mother's Day—a poetic coincidence for a woman about to become both a wife and a mother in the same afternoon. Your thoughts are of Julian. You remember the boy who used to pass you secret notes under the desk, the teenager who held your hand during your first dance, the man who looked at you as if you were the only star in his sky. When he slipped…