Emeraude woke up to her mother's firm voice calling her. Opening her eyes, she sat up in bed, feeling a bit dizzy from the sudden movement. Looking around, she noticed she was alone in bed, with her mother standing at the door, watching her closely.
"I can't believe you're still sleeping!" her mother scolded, hands on her hips. "You should have been at the salon already, Emeraude."
"What time is it?" Emeraude asked, getting up slowly this time.
"Almost 10 o'clock. You have 30 minutes," the young lady replied, leaving and closing the door behind her.
Emeraude took a deep breath and grabbed her phone, feeling tempted to call Cassian, but she knew he would be busy. She headed to the bathroom and soon began to undress to take a shower. As the water cascaded over her, her thoughts wandered to the previous night, when she had a small gathering with the women at her apartment. She had decided not to have a bachelorette party; she was happy with the direction her life was taking now. After fi
