AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Three agonizing days since Dion vanished without a trace. It’s not like him to disappear like this. Evander’s men have been out searching, but there’s still no sign of him. My messages and calls remain unanswered. They can’t even track his phone. It’s maddening.
I scroll through the list of texts I sent Dion since I left Angelica’s hotel. What could have happened to him?
I’m in my house, but it feels like a cage. My mother and Magdalena bustle around, preparing for my wedding ceremony. My hair and makeup are done, though I can hardly focus, my mind consumed by thoughts of Dion.
Magda rushes past me, her words blurring into background noise. My gaze drifts to the window. How can the world outside continue as if nothing’s wrong when my entire existence is falling apart?
Dimo’s hand on my shoulder startles me, pulling me from my thoughts. “We’ll find him,” he says, his tone determined.
I nod, grateful for his reassurance, but the knot of anxiety in my chest refuses to loosen. “I hope so,” I murmur, my gaze flickering back to my phone—still silent, still empty.
A knock at the door makes me jump again, and I turn to see Evander’s grim face framed in the doorway. “No sign of him,” he says, his voice heavy with concern. “But we won’t stop until we find him.”
I nod, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. “Thank you,” I manage to choke out.
I sink onto the nearest chair, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes as I realize that I have no choice but to go through with the wedding, to put on a brave face and pretend that everything is fine when my heart is breaking. Dion might be lying somewhere, hurt, and if I don’t go to the church, my family might have the same fate.
I head into the foyer where my wedding dress is hanging. I pick it up, and it feels heavier than ever. I glance at the clock for the hundredth time, willing time to move faster, yet dreading the moment I’ll have to leave for the ceremony.
And then, the familiar sound of Angelica’s voice sounds on the other side of the main doors. She enters, and concern immediately paints her face as she takes in my haunted expression. She ushers me upstairs.
When we reach my bedroom, I take a deep breath, trying to summon some courage.
Angelica helps me into my wedding dress, her hands gentle as she guides the delicate fabric over my trembling frame.
Once the dress is in place, we stand face to face, and for a moment, there’s a shared understanding between us. This is not the way I was supposed to get married, and I’ll never get a first wedding ever again. I look up to the ceiling to prevent my tears from falling.
Angelica breaks the silence. “I’m sorry, Riri. I wish I could take away all the pain and uncertainty you’re feeling right now.”
Despite my efforts to hold back the tears, they spill over, tracing paths down my cheeks. Angelica reaches out and gently blots them away, careful not to ruin my makeup.
“Where could he be?” I ask, my voice just a murmur.
She squeezes my shoulder. “I don’t know, babe. But he can’t be far.”
“What if he’s hurt?”
Angelica’s lips thin. “Even if he is, we’ll get him back, and he’ll be okay.”
I want to believe her, but how can I?
My reflection in the mirror gazes back at me.
The sheer opulence of the dress seems to mock me. It’s breathtaking: ivory silk that hugs my curves, lace detailing that sparkles, and a voluminous skirt that swishes with every movement.
It’s everything I might have once dreamed of. But as I shift uneasily, the weighty fabric is almost a shackle. The dress represents a cloak of obligation. A cruel reminder of the commitment I’m about to make to Andrew.
I want to be anywhere but here.
A sense of impending doom coils around me like a choking fog.
For the first time in a while, the sneaky voice of temptation creeps back into my head. The thought of using again, of escaping this suffocating reality even just for a moment, is almost overpowering. I clench my fists, nails digging into my palms to anchor myself to the present, to the promise I made to myself. To Dion.
Angelica’s voice breaks through the haze, a soft murmur of reassurance that I cling to like a lifeline.
Reluctantly, I tear my gaze away from the mirror just as my mother calls from downstairs. It’s time to leave.
With a shaky breath, I straighten my spine.
