Tears carved silent rivers down my face as I clung, half-conscious, to the man's shirt—the fine wool damp beneath my trembling fingers.
"Re… venge…" The word escaped my lips like a dying prayer, barely formed, yet heavy with the weight of a blood oath.
When I opened my eyes again, all I saw was white—too bright, too sterile. The antiseptic scent of a hospital room invaded my senses, a stark contrast to the darkness that had swallowed me whole.
I turned my head slowly, wincing at the dull ache that radiated through every fiber of my body, and reached for my phone. A message from Colino waited on the screen, sent the night before.
[I've got Family business to handle tomorrow. Go try on the wedding gown by yourself. Our union is approaching, so pull yourself together. Stop with the dramatics and marry into the Marconi Family with some dignity.]
I stared at the message for a long moment, my face an unreadable mask, then dragged my finger across the screen and watched the words disappear into oblivion.
But just beneath it, something else caught my eye—a post from Piper's social media account.