All Chapters of Married At My Ex Husband's Burial: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The door banged open again just as I was about to relax and think of my next plan...Daniel was back, standing in the doorway, blocking the door with his broad shoulders. It was like he remembered something that got him excited because the panicked mess who had walked out of my room ten seconds ago was ago was completely gone... He had a broad smile on his face that still didn't reach his eyes..."Oh right... I almost forgot," he said, stepping right back in without knocking. He crossed the rug with heavy, deliberate strides. "I spoke to your dad about a grand idea I thought about two days ago...and we settled it this morning. We’re throwing a pre-wedding ball tomorrow night. In honor of our union and marriage."My heart dropped straight into my stomach. Tomorrow?! What the absolute fuck?!I'm out here thinking of ways to stop this wedding, and Daniel was actively making it harder and harder to do so..."Tomorrow?" I stood up so fast my vanity chair scraped loudly against the floor.

An hour later, Maya was in my room with a makeup artist doing finishing touches on my face..."If you throw up on this floor, Celene, I swear to God I am leaving you here."Maya’s voice cut through the dull, throbbing ache right behind my eyes. I winced, squeezing my lids shut as the makeup artist used a cool, damp beauty blender to pat my cheekbone repeatedly."Careful, Sarah," Maya told the makeup artist, who was treading very lightly around my sour mood. "Make sure you cover the dark circles thoroughly since she decided drinking a full bottle of alcohol was a great substitute for sleep.""It was a terrible substitute, Maya...I know that now," I mumbled, my mouth feeling completely parched. I peeked through one eye at Maya, who was pacing back and forth near the end of my bed with her phone clamped in her hand. "Oh...come on, Maya... please don't embarrass me in public tonight, we have a guest right here...""I don't need to embarrass you, young lady..." Maya shot back, giving me a

I knew that voice. I knew it in my dreams, in my nightmares, and I would have recognized it even if I were stone-fucking-deaf.Cole Ryder.A fresh surge of rage boiled up through the haze of alcohol. He was showing up now? Now?! How fucking late could anyone be? "Go away!" I screamed at the stall door, my voice raw and slurred. "Get the fuck away from me and leave me alone!""Why?" Cole’s voice was calm, completely unmoved by my outburst.I let out a bitter, mocking scoff, wiping my wet, running nose with the back of my hand. "Because I was a fucking idiot for believing you! I was a fool to ever think you’d be the one to save me. You’re a liar, Cole! You told me I could come to you if I ever needed help... You promised to help me... and yet when I came to you, you ignored me!"I rambled but Cole was silent on the other side of the door for a few seconds."I never made you such a promise to you," Cole finally said, his voice dropping into that dark, dangerously refined tone. It was co

Daniel lunged forward, reaching to snatch my arm from Cole and pull me back to his side. "Celene, come here..."Cole didn't even flinch in Daniel's direction or react to whatever the fuck he was doing... It was almost like he thought Daniel was simply not there...instead, his grip tightened around my waist, pulling me firmly against his side, effectively blocking Daniel with his broad shoulder."What the hell is going on here?!" Senator Vance stepped forward, his face dark with outrage as he pointed a finger at Daniel. "Boy, is this how you treat your fiancée?""Did she really fall, Daniel?" Commissioner Hayes chimed in, his phone still busy recording, as his eyes narrowed in disbelief. "Because from where we were standing, it looked like you were punching her like a fellow man.""No, no, please, you all have it wrong!" Daniel stammered, his voice rising in panic as he tried to lie through his teeth. "Celene hasn't been feeling well...and then she’s had far too much to drink! She was

"What about Cole Ryder?" I asked, sinking back into my pillows.Maya snorted, setting my phone down on the nightstand. "That mafia lord showed up with a whole bloody army. But the second he knew you were safe? Vanished. Didn't even stay for a drink or to properly receive our thanks. Just gave your father a sharp nod in the hallway and walked out with his men... I wonder what made someone as scary as him even want to help you down there... Honestly, Celene, I don't know if I like him around you...the rumors around him are so dark and bloody...it scared me..."I fell silent. I wasn't even sure how to process Cole saving me in his own weird, calculated way. I honestly didn't have the strength to ask Maya why she felt Daniel was a "good boy" but Cole Ryder was "dark and bloody" even though both of them have literally switched roles in my life....But then the reality of the date hit me square in the fucking chest.Today was supposed to be my wedding day.Instead of walking down an aisle