Chapter 3
Knowing that Dominic was still alive and far more capable than I’d imagined lifted my spirits immeasurably.
1 began preparing for the wedding in earnest.
One day, pushing open the glass door of the bridal boutique, I was immediately assaulted by an overpowering perfume scent.
“Cousin, do I look good in this?” Natalia’s saccharine voice instantly raised goosebumps all over my skin. She was wearing the wedding dress my mother had custom–designed for me, admiring herself repeatedly in the mirror.
Navier gazed at her tenderly, “Natalia, you look beautiful in anything.”
“Stop it! You’re always such a charmer,” Natalia playfully twirled in a circle, the cheap perfume wafting through the air.
I approached, struggling to contain my anger.
Xavier’s expression froze when he saw me. He instinctively stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Natalia. His voice was deliberately gentle. “Aria, don’t misunderstand. Natalia’s health is fragile, and she may not… may not make it to see her own wedding day. She just wanted to experience wearing a wedding dress.”
Natalia began coughing.
“Take it off,” I said icily.
Natalia’s eyes immediately welled with tears. “Miss Sullivan, I’m so sorry. I just envied you so much.
She trembled as she clutched Xavier’s sleeve. “It’s all my fault. Don’t blame my cousin…”
Xavier’s expression darkened. “You’ll be my wife eventually. What’s the harm if she tries it on? Can’t you just let her have this small happiness?”
“I said, take it off.” I repeated each word deliberately, turning my gaze to the nervous shop Assistants. “When did I authorize anyone else to try on my custom wedding dress?”
Pump the Teas A Maty the Hot Fake Dead Hunk
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Chapter 3
Two assistants scrambled to help Natalia remove the gown, leaving angry red marks on her fair
arms where the fabric had pressed.
Natalia wept uncontrollably. “I’m sorry! I’m worthless. I don’t deserve to wear something so
beautiful!”
Suddenly her legs gave way, and she collapsed.
Xavier rushed to catch her, then turned to glare at me. “Are you satisfied now, Aria Sullivan?”
“Sanitize it three times,” I wrinkled my nose in disgust. “Don’t leave a trace of that scent.”
Natalia covered her face and ran out.
Xavier stared at me, his face ashen, before storming out after her.
That evening, my assistant leaned in conspiratorially, whispering in my ear, “Miss, guess what? That always–playing–fragile Natalia got hit by a car today! Word is she broke her leg!”
She gestured excitedly, “If you ask me, that’s straight–up karma! She knew damn well Xavier was your fiancé, but she was always hanging all over him, acting like some precious little snowflake. It
was so freaking gross!”
I swirled my wine glass gently, a cold smile playing on my lips. “Who told you Xavier is still my
fiancé?”
My assistant’s eyes widened, nearly dropping her fruit platter. “Miss, you mean…”
“Tell the wedding planners to change the groom’s name,” I sipped my wine. “Replace it with Dominic
Vega.”
“That’s amazing!” My assistant clapped excitedly. “Miss! Xavier might seem decent enough, but he has no boundaries–always hanging around Natalia. He’s nothing but a people–pleaser. Totally
two–faced.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Even my assistant could see through him so clearly. How had I been so blind in my previous life? Love truly does blind you.
The thought made me sigh softly.
The next morning, just as I stepped out of the company building, everything went black as a sack was suddenly thrown over my head!
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Dump the Toxic Ex. Marry the Hot Fake Dead Hunk
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Chapter 3
“Who is this?! Let me go!” I struggled desperately.
The captor roughly shoved me into a vehicle. My back slammed hard against the door, making me gasp in pain.
The familiar terror swept over me as memories of my previous kidnapping flooded back.
“Please! I’ll give you whatever money you want!” My voice shook uncontrollably, tears soaking through the blindfold.
But the only response was suffocating silence.
Until that familiar scent reached my nostrils–Xavier’s signature cologne.
My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. “What… what do you want…”
“Someone wants me to teach you a lesson,” he said, deliberately disguising his voice.
Even though I’d already decided not to marry him, his actions still made my heart ache unbearably.
CRACK!
An iron rod struck my leg with brutal force. The pain nearly made me black out.
My heart felt like it was being torn apart, but I forced myself not to reveal that I recognized him.
I curled up in the corner of the vehicle, tears silently soaking the hood.
In the last moment before losing consciousness, I heard his cold voice:
“Remember this lesson.”
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