Chapter 2

Adrian opened his mouth as if to say something.

"Boss Adrian! Get over here and help me figure out what to do with this pile—I can't make sense of it!" Serena was standing on the heap of ruined wedding dress, scratching her head.

Adrian turned to look at her and smiled helplessly. "If you can't figure it out, what makes you think I can?"

Serena was wearing his suit jacket. That jacket and my wedding dress had both come from the hands of a reclusive, semi-retired designer.

All because I had once made an offhand compliment about that designer's work, Adrian flew to Europe over a dozen times and showed up at the man's door in person before he finally coaxed him out of retirement.

When the dress arrived, Adrian handled it more carefully than I did. He said it should be kept as a family heirloom.

It didn't even survive the wedding day.

Adrian and Serena crouched on the floor, talking. Serena suddenly picked up a scrap of veil and draped it over Adrian's head, then ducked under it herself. Beneath the sheer fabric, their noses nearly touched.

Adrian's eyes went unfocused for a heartbeat.

Serena grinned, bold and unashamed. "No way. That's all it takes to rattle you?"

Adrian pulled the veil off and laughed. "Knock it off."

Serena shoved him onto his back and straddled him, tickling his sides. "You tell me to knock it off? Let me show you what happens."

The two of them tumbled together in a heap.

Guests drifted back to their seats, and the banquet hall was far from quiet. Someone whispered, "The Don really knows how to have a good time. Hires a bunch of actors as guests, stages a fake wedding, all for kicks?"

"I don't know about that. The bride seemed pretty serious to me."

"She's the only one who thought it was real. You see any of the bride's family or friends anywhere?"

"The Moretti elders didn't show up either, right? The rest of us are just hired guns."

"Who did she piss off? That scene earlier was practically sexual assault."

I shut the door and sealed those grotesque, blinding images on the other side.

When I sat down to remove my makeup in the suite, I realized my face was streaked with tears. The blessing ceremony on the wedding bed had been performed by Serena. I couldn't bring myself to touch that bed again.

I changed into my own clothes and slipped off the ring. It wasn't until I confirmed that my post-wedding fellowship abroad had been moved up that I finally felt like I could breathe again.

But my family and friends—I still couldn't reach a single one of them.

Staring at the hurricane warning on my phone, my dread deepened by the second. I called the emergency line immediately, then prepared to head for the nearest dock.

When the elevator doors opened, Adrian and Serena were standing inside.

Adrian frowned. "Serena called it. She said you'd throw a tantrum and run."

Serena sighed with theatrical disdain. "Women. So much trouble."

Adrian gripped my wrist. "Hear Serena out first."

Serena shrugged. "If you're upset because Adrian was late to the courthouse the day we went to file the marriage paperwork, all I can say is you have zero trust in him."

"He was so nervous that night. We watched those videos together just to help him relax."

"The relationship between Boss Adrian and me is completely clean. Everyone knows I'm his most trusted subordinate. Don't make it dirty."

I didn't respond. She grew impatient.

"I recorded the video so Adrian would remember what kind of reaction isn't faked. Honestly, I was doing it for your sake—for your happiness tonight. I never meant for you to see it."

By the time I processed what she was actually telling me, I was so disgusted I wrenched my hand free of Adrian's grip.

So that was why Adrian had been completely spent the next day—why he missed our scheduled appointment at the courthouse.

She didn't explain then. She didn't explain later. She chose this exact moment.

I scrubbed the skin he'd touched until it turned raw and red.

Adrian's face darkened.

I stared at him, my voice like ice. "Adrian, a hurricane is about to hit. Where are my family and friends?"

He blinked, caught off guard, and instinctively glanced at Serena.

Serena glanced down casually at her buzzing phone. "I sent a boat."

She looked up, her smile airy and weightless. "Don't you think it'll be fun? All of them rowing back across the water together?"

Then, as if she'd only just noticed the weather alert on her screen, she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? A hurricane? Well, they'd better be careful."