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CHAPTER 18

Author: Flowervil
last update Last Updated: 2025-03-30 19:49:18

Alessia Moretti

The car ride back to the manor was suffocating.

I sat in the backseat, arms crossed, my reflection in the tinted window barely recognizable. The wedding dress fitting had been a disaster. Not because of the dresses themselves, but because, for a fleeting second, I had let something unthinkable creep into my mind.

I had almost felt like a bride.

It made me sick.

Nikolai sat beside me, annoyingly relaxed, as if today had been nothing more than another business deal. His phone was in his hand, thumb scrolling absently over the screen, but I knew he wasn’t really focused on it. He was watching me. Waiting.

Predictable.

“So,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong, or should I start guessing?”

I didn’t bother turning my head. “You? Guessing? That’s a first.”

His lips twitched. “Fine. Let’s see… You’re brooding, which isn’t unusual. But this is different. More dramatic.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please enlighten me, Dr. Vo
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