bride of vengeance
Then, without warning, his gaze landed directly on me, and held.
Not a glance. Not the passing curiosity the other brides drew from him. A held gaze, deliberate, measuring, the kind that made me instantly certain he had already marked me as something worth a second look.
*He's requesting to question every bride. Including me.*
I told myself it meant nothing. Every bride would face the same questioning. There was no reason to believe his eyes had lingered on me any longer than they had on the others. I repeated it to myself twice more before I half believed it.