Gabriel’s reputation for cruelty was infamous across the town. When he made a threat, he meant it.
The makeup artist turned pale, frozen in place and too terrified to even breathe. Her wide, fearful eyes turned to me, as if pleading for help.
Not wanting to escalate the situation with my wedding just moments away, I decided to let it go and move to another room to fix my makeup.
Before I could leave, Gabriel grabbed my veil in a firm grip and yanked it violently. “This veil was designed personally by my uncle. It even carries his private insignia. Nora, where did you steal it from?”
The veil had been fastened with hairpins and when it was torn away, I felt a sharp, searing pain as if my scalp had split open.
While serving time in prison for Gabriel, I once had my head bashed open.
I was allergic to anesthesia, so I endured thirty stitches without feeling a shred of pain. But now, the searing pain made my vision blur and darken.
Fighting through the agony, I reached out with trembling hands to grab a corner of the veil and repeated in a low.