All Chapters of The Deal in a Wedding Dress: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

CelesteThe drive to the mansion was suffocating silence broken only by the engine's growl and my ragged breathing. Killian's hands gripped the steering wheel so tight I thought it might crack. Every muscle in his body radiated tension, coiled violence barely contained beneath expensive fabric.I stared out the window, my reflection ghostly in the glass, and tried to process what had just happened. The punch. The blood on Derek's mouth. The way people had stared and whispered and filmed everything with their phones raised like weapons.Tomorrow morning, we'd be everywhere. Every gossip site, every business page. "Hart Industries CEO Loses Control." "Billionaire's Marriage Already Crumbling." The headlines wrote themselves in my mind, each one more damaging than the last.The car screeched into the driveway. He was out before the engine fully stopped, slamming his door hard enough to make me flinch. I climbed out slowly, my legs unsteady, watching him stride toward the house with that b

CelesteI woke up slowly, my body aching in ways I'd never felt before. Every muscle protested as I shifted, the soreness a vivid reminder of last night's intensity. For a moment, I kept my eyes closed, savoring the warmth of the bed, the expensive sheets against my skin, the lingering scent of him on the pillow beside me.Then I reached out.My hand met cold, empty sheets.My eyes snapped open. The space beside me was vacant, the pillow still dented from his head but long since abandoned. Morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing everything in harsh, unforgiving clarity.He was gone.I sat up slowly, clutching the navy sheet to my chest, and took in the evidence of what we'd done. My dress lay crumpled on the floor where he'd dropped it last night. Papers still littered the floor near the desk. The chair was overturned. My shoes lay in opposite corners of the room like they'd been flung there in desperation.Everything looked so stark in the morning light.

CelesteI just wanted to disappear into my room and never come out.The car pulled up to the mansion, and all I could think about was my bed, my locked door, a place where I could finally stop pretending. Stop hurting.Then I saw the car in the driveway.A sleek red Tesla, gleaming in the afternoon sun. Expensive. Unfamiliar. My stomach twisted with instinctive dread.Margaret met me at the door, her expression apologetic in a way that made my heart sink further."Mrs. Hart," she said quietly, "you have a visitor. Ms. Chase is waiting in the living room. She said Mr. Hart gave her permission to be here."Of course he did.I found Evelyn lounging on the couch like she owned the place. She wore yoga pants and a silk top—casual, comfortable, the kind of outfit you wear when you're completely at ease. A wine glass dangled from her fingers, red liquid catching the light.She looked up when I entered, her smile bright and false. "Celeste! I hope you don't mind. Killian told me to make mysel

CelesteI woke up late, my body heavy with exhaustion. The sun was already high, streaming through my curtains in harsh, judgmental rays. I'd finally fallen asleep near dawn, after Margaret's revelations had shattered what little peace I had left.Something white caught my eye near the door.An envelope had been slipped underneath while I slept. Heavy cream cardstock with an embossed seal I recognized immediately—Hart Industries legal department.My hands shook as I picked it up. I knew, somehow, that whatever was inside would be bad.I opened it slowly, my heart pounding.The letter was printed on official letterhead, marked in bold red letters: "URGENT - CONTRACT VIOLATION REVIEW."My breath caught.[Dear Mrs. Hart,This letter serves as formal notification that your conduct on the evening of December 04 is under review for potential breach of contract Section 7.3: Public Conduct Requirements.The marriage contract stipulates that both parties must maintain "impeccable public conduc

CelesteI stood in front of the mirror for twenty minutes, checking every detail.The cocktail dress Nora had selected was beautiful—emerald silk that brought out my eyes, elegant without being flashy. I'd practiced my talking points until I could recite them in my sleep. My makeup was perfect. My hair was styled exactly how the professionals had done it for previous events.I was ready. I could do this.I had to do this.The Four Seasons ballroom was beautiful, all crystal chandeliers and white tablecloths. I walked in with my head high, prepared to prove I could handle being Killian's wife even when he wasn't here.Then every head in the room turned toward me.The expressions on their faces made my stomach drop. Pity. Confusion. Judgment. Some women actually covered their mouths, whispering to each other behind their hands.I looked down at myself, suddenly unsure. The dress was beautiful, wasn't it? I looked fine, didn't I?Then I looked around the room.Every single woman was in b