The Silence I Broke

The reply came back almost instantly: [?]I shut off my phone.Inside, the laughter kept rolling."Alright then! If Joelle's really that obedient, drinks are on me next month!""Make it three," Nathan said."Deal, deal!"More laughter.I bolted.The second I hit sunlight, the tears came fast.Nathan had fallen headfirst for Sophie—a college kid. Spoiled her rotten with a sky-high suite in Seavora, designer everything.However, she wouldn't even let him touch her—no hugs, no kisses.She floated around like a queen, decked out in five-figure outfits, nose in the air like, "I'm not some side chick."Nathan? Ate it up.This was Act Three of his tragic little drama.Act One? I was the trophy wife.Had no clue Sophie was even real.I clung to him like a happy idiot, snapping selfies.He posted a grid of pics. I was glued to my screen—waiting, refreshing.Nothing.Turns out? Visibility: "Sophie only."Act Two? Picked a fight out of nowhere. Left me bawling on the curb.Sn

I only replied: [Getting divorced.]After signing the papers, I ducked outside Nathan's office, shaking.[William, I think I'm about to lose my home.]No dad. No mom. No brother. Not even the dog I loved more than most people.And now? No Nathan.What was even left?Didn't expect his reply:[Why don't you just marry me?]Inside, the circus rolled on."Yeah right, like Joelle's actually pulling off a divorce. The second she dumps Nathan, she'll forget how to speak.""If she ends up in court, she'll totally lose it. Full meltdown.""Really?" Nathan let out a laugh.Tossed his lighter on the table. "Even if she's bawling in court, she'll come crawling back and do whatever I say."I stared through the door crack at the guy who used to be my everything—and now looked like a complete stranger.And I texted William:[Okay.]***William sent me a checklist.Stuff to get done in a month:Visa? Yep. Legal papers? Obviously.But then came his real priority—like twenty places I

Parisia, Francia.I hadn't stepped out of Seavora since the crash.Planes, trains, cars—yeah, no thanks. Just the thought of being somewhere totally new made my chest tighten.I sat next to William, my fingers doing nervous laps around each other. Guy was tall. Like, still towering over me while sitting.He looked all business. The driver said something, and he barely replied. Just a couple words, like he was royalty or something.Back at the airport in Seavora, reporters had swarmed him, yelling "Mr. Windsor" like he was some celeb.And me? I didn't even know his last name until our first call. William Windsor.Now I was in Parisia—a place I'd never even let myself dream about.He suddenly moved, pulled something from his pocket, and handed it to me."Want one?"It was candy. Cute wrapper, pink bunny and all.My brain jumped straight to two years ago. I'd been spamming 'her' chat like a dork:[Angel, do you like candy?][I just found this one—it's crazy good!][Peachy, s

I had no idea what was happening.Still dazed from the kiss, my brain barely working, I just blurted out,"Tomorrow..."It was already evening anyway.***The next day, William actually took me to Parisia's city hall.Some old dude—probably the mayor—rambled on something. I just nodded like I got it.Then he handed over the marriage certificate.I was kinda nervous, yeah. But mostly? I felt this quiet buzz, like... finally. Like I belonged somewhere.People like us—we just click.And marrying William? Felt right. No doubt about it.Too bad Nathan had to ruin the moment. Somehow, the guy got my Parisia number. Called from some Francia line."So you really ran off to Parisia," he snapped the second I picked up. "Joelle, what is this? A tantrum? It's been a month. You done yet?"Deep breath. No way was I letting him mess with my head."Nathan Ziegler, stop butting into my life."He laughed. "Your life? What life? Don't think I don't know—you ran off to Parisia chasing that

William didn't just send over a few dresses.He sent an entire boutique.Racks on racks of clothes, shoes lined up like they were on display, jewelry sparkling under the lights—and a whole glam squad to top it off. The room looked like a fashion week backstage.And with him going all out like that, I couldn't exactly slack.So I tried on outfit after outfit, switching nonstop, practically till late night.In the end, I chose something simple and sweet. Nothing loud—just soft and low-key.Good thing William hadn't come back yet. He hadn't stepped foot in Carmoria in a decade except when he took me abroad last time, and now that he was finally visiting the Seavora branch in person, he was buried in work.I ended up sleeping half the next day away.By the time I opened my eyes, it was already afternoon.I got ready, did my makeup, and just as I was finishing up, a message popped up from William:[Driver's on the way to pick you up.]Right when I got in the car, my phone rang—ra