That’s when I noticed the envelope sitting quietly on the bedside table.
Inside it was a plane ticket. Departure in two days.
And a small note:
[You’re welcome. Hope you like the gift. For your wedding —V.]
So, I was right. The man who carried me to the hospital last night was none other than Victor Keane—Colin’s worst enemy.
I texted him a quiet thank-you and checked myself out not long after.
Then, the wedding planner called. The dress my mother had ordered for me had been altered to fit. It was ready.
It was the last gift she left me. I had to pick it up.
But when I stepped into the boutique, I froze.
There stood Piper—twirling in my gown.
“Annalise…you come,” She spun in front of the mirror with a fake-sweet smile, voice dripping with poison.
“I just had to make sure it fits, you know. Trying to help you out.”
She tugged the neckline lower, revealing fresh red marks across her chest, her tone mockingly bashful.
“Oh no, it’s Colin’s fault—he’s just too passionate. I told him to be gentle…”
I stared at her performance, cold and unblinking.
“You really did inherit your mother’s talent for stealing other women’s men.”
Her smile twitched, then curved into something crueler.