Chapter 15
The wedding was set for two weeks later.
Those weeks passed in a whirlwind of preparations, with Ash handling everything with his characteristic precision, though I caught him smiling more than I’d ever seen before.
His usual stoic demeanor had given way to an almost boyish excitement that he tried, and failed, to hide.
On our wedding day, the grand ballroom of the Harrington estate was transformed into something out of a fairy
tale.
Ash’s eyes never left me as I walked down the aisle, his normally composed expression softening with such pure joy that it made my heart skip.
The venue was filled with familiar faces from our social circle.
The same people who had once watched Julian and me now gathered here, though the dynamics had shifted dramatically.
Julian’s old friends approached us with champagne toasts and congratulations, their smiles a touch too bright, their words carefully chosen.
I could see the guilt in some of their eyes – they had helped Julian maintain his deception for two years, after all.
But now, faced with Ash Harrington’s quiet power and obvious devotion, they were eager to show their support.
Then Julian came.
He stood below the stage, eyes rimmed red, hands clenched so tightly around his champagne glass that it shattered.
Blood trickled down his fingers. I frowned at the sight.
Catching my glance, Julian’s eyes lit up hopefully.
He looked down at his bleeding hand, then back at me with a practiced expression of vulnerability – the same look he’d used to manipulate me countless times before.
“Blood on such a joyous day – how inauspicious,” I remarked coldly, turning away. Ash’s hand tightened protectively around my waist. The color drained from Julian’s face.
The next moment, security quietly but firmly escorted him out, as Ash’s friends smoothly stepped in to maintain the celebration’s flow.
The contrast couldn’t have been clearer – Julian’s dramatic gesture versus the genuine happiness Ash and I had found.
