My breath caught.
Nate stepped inside.
I crossed the road slowly, heart pounding so hard I felt it in my throat. I slipped off the path and into the landscaping, letting the leaves scratch my legs. I didn’t feel a thing.
Inside, candles flickered. The air smelled like tuberose and lies.
And at the front—standing in white—was Kayla.
Not a swimsuit. Not a cover-up. A short white dress. A bouquet in her hands. Nervous. Excited. Ready.
Nate moved beside her like it was natural.
Like this was planned.

Part 3 — The Voices That Killed the Last Bit of Hope
I stayed outside the open doorway, hidden by shadow and ivy, watching my own life get rewritten.
Kayla’s voice floated out first, bright and cruel.
“She doesn’t know, right?”
Nate’s voice softened—the voice he used when he wanted me calm, compliant, useful.
“Relax. She thinks I’m taking a walk. She has no idea.”
Then my mother laughed.
That familiar, approving laugh I’d spent years chasing.
“She’s too dumb to notice,” my mom said. “She’s too busy paying for the suite and checking her work emails.”
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