The Lockwood estate sat under a velvet twilight, its towering windows glowing amber like the eyes of some slumbering beast. Inside, the atmosphere was anything but peaceful.Ethan stood in the private library, a lowball glass in one hand, swirling the contents with muted irritation. The silence was thick—until a sharp knock echoed through the hallway.He frowned. Unannounced visitors were not something he welcomed, especially not now.A butler opened the door, and there they were.Amanda and Hunter.Ethan’s jaw clenched.Amanda walked in first, her heels clicking against the marble floor, her designer trench coat draped like a fashion magazine cover. Behind her came Hunter, equally smug, his hands shoved into the pockets of a sharply tailored coat.“I see Marlena still believes in family dinners,” Ethan muttered under his breath.“Nice to see you too, brother,” Hunter said with an insufferable grin. “Missed you at the last gathering.”“I don’t make a habit of attending farces.”Amanda
The knock at the door was sharp and impatient—too impatient to be Ellie returning with her ridiculous stash of wedding magazines. Minnie, still in her robe, padded across the apartment floor with a frown knitting her brows. Her body ached faintly from the long fitting earlier, her nerves frayed by too many emotions she hadn’t yet named.When she opened the door, her breath caught.There, standing with a worn duffel slung over one shoulder and an expression both hesitant and defiant, was her sister.Cassie.She was thinner than Minnie remembered, her once fiery curls now dulled by time and wear. A leather jacket hung off her frame, and her eyes—those same sharp brown eyes—held years of distance, regret, and something close to guilt.Minnie didn’t move. Didn’t speak.Cassie was the first to break the silence.“Hey, Min.”Minnie’s throat felt tight. “Cass.”“I… I heard about Mom.”Minnie stepped aside before she could think too much about it. Cassie entered like a ghost returning to a pl
The morning sunlight streamed weakly through the apartment windows, but it didn’t bring any warmth to the heaviness sitting in Minnie’s chest. She sat at the small kitchen table, dressed in an oversized hoodie and flannel pants, her uneaten toast resting cold on the plate. A chipped mug of coffee had long gone cold beside her.Across the kitchen, Ellie stirred a pot of oatmeal distractedly. Her eyes flicked over to Minnie again and again, concern knitting her brows. “You’ve been quiet all morning,” she finally said. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”Minnie didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes were fixed on a crack in the wall above the sink, as though it held the answers to a thousand questions she was too afraid to ask.“I saw Ethan yesterday,” she murmured at last.Ellie perked up. “You did? When?”“At work. He tried to talk to me. We… we ended up in the storeroom again.”Ellie set down the spoon and crossed her arms, leaning against the counter. “And? Don’t keep me hanging.”Minnie
The doorbell rang long after sunset, the sound slicing through the silence of Minnie’s apartment like a blade. She didn’t move at first. Wrapped in a knit sweater, hair tied in a loose braid, she sat curled on her couch, one hand clasped around a lukewarm mug of tea. She already knew who it was.Ethan.The second chime was softer, followed by a knock. Three gentle raps. Hesitant. Apologetic.Minnie stood slowly, ignoring the twinge in her side. Her injuries had mostly healed, but pain still bloomed beneath the surface—wounds that bandages couldn’t fix. She padded toward the door and opened it just a crack, just enough to see him standing there.Ethan Lockwood looked wrecked.His usually pristine hair was mussed like he’d run his hands through it a dozen times. His jaw was tight, his eyes tired. He held a paper bag from a local bakery in one hand and a bottle of something that looked suspiciously like soda in the other.“I brought cookies,” he said, voice low.Minnie didn’t answer, did
Sunlight filtered through the arched windows of the private bridal boutique, casting golden pools of light across ivory silks and glimmering chiffons. Minnie stood in front of a full-length mirror, her reflection fractured between fabric swatches and the weight of a future she hadn’t quite chosen.Ellie flitted around her like a bright, persistent butterfly—lifting veils, holding shoes against her calves, tucking and pinning lace with the efficiency of a born stylist.“Oh my god, this one,” Ellie gasped, holding up a sleek satin gown with delicate spaghetti straps. “It’s so simple. So you. Look at the neckline—it’s subtle but sexy. Classic Audrey Hepburn vibes.”Minnie turned toward the gown slowly, heart thudding with quiet apprehension. She hadn’t wanted this. Not the fittings, not the dress, not the attention. And yet, the idea of disappointing Ellie—or looking back one day and regretting not choosing something beautiful—had pushed her into agreeing.The gown Ellie held was unlike
The office was unusually quiet.Minnie Love had made it her mission to keep her head down and stay invisible. She timed her lunch break to avoid crowds, dodged the elevator when she knew Ethan might be using it, and pretended to be far more engrossed in data entries than she truly was. Her wound still ached—a dull throb that mirrored the confusion pressing against her chest—but she didn’t have the luxury to tend to either.Especially not with Marlena Lockwood’s words echoing in her head like a threat dressed as opportunity.Marry Ethan Lockwood, or risk everything being exposed. Her past. Ruby. The truth she’d buried so deep it had begun to feel like a bad dream.And now? That dream was one signature away from becoming her reality.Minnie kept her gaze fixed on her monitor even as she felt Ethan’s presence in every room he walked into. His silence was louder than his voice ever could be. He hadn’t approached her since the moment his eyes widened in stunned disbelief at the revelation