Chapter 4

The wedding was held at the Shaws' old family home.

The mahogany doors I'd seen in the photograph had been repainted. Only the scorch mark on the threshold remained. As I stepped over it, I remembered Ellis opening the black grimoire.

That was when I finally saw what the blurred shape in the old magazine truly was.

A faceless paper effigy had been hidden inside the family portrait. The grimoire called it the Paper Guest.

Through the photograph, the Paper Guest hooked itself into love and hatred. The more I loved Tessa, the more completely it could bend me to her will. The more my family hated me, the more resentment it devoured.

And the life-transfer ritual did not stop after ruining one person.

It slowly siphoned away my family's health, wealth, luck, and years of life, then fed them to the person named in the photograph.

That was when I finally understood the truth. Tessa had never pursued me because she loved me.

As the eldest son of the Ward family, I was her easiest way into the company and its assets. First, she got me to take the blame. That cost me my place as heir. Then, once I was safely behind bars, she turned her attention to Damian.

She pretended to help my family while quietly draining our money, resources, and luck. One brother went to prison. The other thought he'd gained a wife and a bright future.

She'd targeted both of us from the start.

The more the Wards lost, the richer the Shaws became. Their old house alone had been renovated three times.

Ellis had warned me that wealth could hide stolen fortune, but no ritual could erase every trace of what it had consumed.

By the time I reached the wedding, every seat was taken.

Damian stood at the entrance, a groom's boutonniere on his lapel.

His face darkened as soon as he saw me.

"Who invited you?"

I held up the invitation.

"Your wife did."

He reached for it. Before he could grab it, Tessa came down the stairs, her train trailing behind her.

"Damian, let him in."

Damian's jaw tightened.

"He's a jinx."

Tessa slipped her arm through his and smiled.

"Jinx or not, he's my dog."

Several guests nearby burst out laughing.

I smiled too.

Seven years ago, she'd stood in the rain for three hours just to see me. Now that I'd signed everything over to her, I was nothing more than her dog. Tessa hadn't changed. She just didn't need to pretend anymore.

Someone recognized me.

"Isn't that Elliot Ward, the one who ran over his sister? If I were him, I'd have hanged myself by now."

As Damian listened to the guests, some of the disgust faded from his face.

He deliberately seated me at a table in the far corner, right beside the restrooms.

Tessa's mother, Lydia Shaw, came over with a glass in her hand.

"Letting you in was more courtesy than you deserved. Keep your mouth shut during the ceremony."

I looked up at her. "What would I say?"

Her expression shifted.

Tessa's father, Gerald Shaw, came over and slammed his palm down on the table.

"You know perfectly well what you did. If Tessa hadn't been soft-hearted back then, do you think you'd have made it out alive?"

I smiled.

"She is, isn't she? So soft-hearted."

Lydia looked at me with disgust.

"Stop smiling. It's revolting."

Soon, the ceremony began.

The officiant led them through the vows.

"Tessa, I'll protect you for the rest of my life."

Tessa's eyes filled with tears.

Then she glanced over at me.

It was almost as if she wanted me to see how happy she was.

"And I'll love you always."

The applause was still going when I got to my feet.

Everyone in the front row turned toward me.

Damian immediately stepped forward.

"Elliot, what do you think you're doing?"

I pulled a brown paper envelope from my pocket.

"I brought a wedding gift."

The moment Tessa saw it, her smile disappeared. "What gift?"

I walked to the front and placed the envelope beside the projector.

The officiant hesitated.

"Sir, this isn't part of the ceremony."

I looked at Gerald.

"Mr. Shaw, don't you want to see it?"

His face twitched.

Lydia instinctively grabbed Tessa's hand.

I reached into the envelope and drew out a photograph.

The same family portrait.

Someone in the front row leaned forward for a better look, then laughed.

"That's it?"

"He brought a photo? Is he insane?"

Damian lunged at me.

"Take it away!"

I dodged his hand and slid the photo under the projector.

The image filled the screen. The five Shaws stood in front of the mahogany doors.

Beside them stood the faceless paper effigy. Its left hand rested on my father's shoulder.

Its right hand held a little girl's hand.

She stood with her head down, wearing a school uniform. There was a yellow clip in her hair. Hazel's clip.

I'd bought it for her.

My mother had complained that the color was too bright, but Hazel wore it every day anyway. She said I'd be able to spot her from a block away.

Even with her head lowered and her face half swallowed by shadow, I knew my sister.

The laughter died first. Then even the officiant slowly lowered his microphone.

Tessa's face slowly drained of color.

Gerald shouted, "Turn it off! Turn it off now!"

I looked at him.

"What's the hurry? Isn't this your family photo?"

Lydia lunged toward the projector.

I blocked her with one arm.

Then Lydia saw the back of the photograph. Her knees gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.

Chairs scraped across the floor as the guests backed away.

"What's on the back of it?"

Gerald shoved through the crowd. The instant he saw the back of the photograph, a strangled sound tore from his throat.

In front of every guest, he dropped to his knees and struck his forehead against the floor twice. Each blow landed with a dull, sickening thud.

Tessa screamed, "Dad! Mom! What are you doing?"

Gerald looked up, his eyes bloodshot.

"Elliot, what is it you want?"

I looked down at him.

"I want you to give back what you borrowed."

Damian grabbed me by the collar.

"What are you talking about?"

I flipped the photo over and held it up to his face.

"Take a look."

The instant Damian saw it, he released me as though the paper had burned him. He staggered backward and crashed into the champagne tower.

Glass shattered everywhere.

Tessa rushed over to catch him.

"Damian, don't look!"

But it was too late.

He stared down at his legs as though they had been stitched onto him from a corpse.

Then he snatched a broken bottle from the floor and brought it down on his knee.

Once. Twice. Bone cracked beneath the second blow.

Guests in the front rows screamed and scrambled backward, knocking chairs aside.

Tessa lunged forward and wrapped both arms around him.

"Damian, you've lost your mind!"

His eyes were empty, as if something behind them had gone out.

Cold sweat streamed down his face. "Give it back," he kept whispering. "Give Hazel her leg back."

I looked at Tessa.

For once, there was no smile on her face.

I asked, "Is it your turn to look now?"

She stumbled back a step, her voice cracking. "Elliot, you swapped the photo."

I nodded.

"I did. I replaced it with the photograph your family fears most."