Chapter 4

William's friends were done teasing me as night began to fall. They were also losing interest in tormenting me. "We can see why you didn't pick Ms. Harlow now, William. She has a pretty face, but zero personality. What a buzzkill." I kept my head down as I got to my feet, distant and unaffected. William walked ahead of his friends, his eyes devoid of sympathy as he took in my miserable, bedraggled state. "She's just as boring in bed, believe me. You've no idea how much I wanted to retch whenever I looked at her plain, expressionless face." … On the day of the wedding, the lawn by the lake had been decorated with a red carpet and fresh flowers. It looked like a scene right out of a romantic movie. Sophie donned a glamorous wedding dress, delicately lifting the skirts as she slowly glided down the aisle toward William, the portrait of a demure bride. I smiled as I clutched the lucky charm nestled against my chest. I sent up a quiet thought to Tyler. "Are you seeing this, Tyler? The day is finally here. I promised you I'd watch William build a career and settle down." On stage, William froze when he noticed my smile and glittering eyes. I should be heartbroken and devastated at this moment. Why was I smiling and looking at him with a never-before-seen glimmer in my eyes? He wondered if this was one of my tricks to get his attention. If it were, he'd have to congratulate me for pulling it off. Realizing William was not looking at her, Sophie followed his gaze. Her expression darkened when she saw me, especially when she spotted the item I was clutching. "Ms. Harlow, what is the meaning of this? Did you deliberately bring this token of love you once shared with William to spite and embarrass me on our wedding day?" The audience flew into an uproar and began to hurl abuse at me. William went still, then smirked as he summoned the bodyguards to pin my hands and feet down. He stepped off the stage and tugged the chain off my neck, assessing the lucky charm hanging on it. A few seconds later, he sputtered. "What do you know? It really is the lucky charm I got for you eight years ago, the one that was part of a his-and-hers set." William had the counterpart to my lucky charm, only his was the moon, while mine was the sun. "It's not a token of love, but since it gave Sophie the wrong idea, I'll just throw it away." He ignored the tears in my bloodshot eyes and tossed the lucky charm into the lake like it was trash. "It's just a stupid lucky charm—" I didn't wait for him to finish speaking, for the minute those bodyguards released me, I leaped over the barricade around the lake and into the waters. As the icy lakewater swallowed me, I heard a man roaring angrily, "Are you out of your mind, Giselle?" No, I was perfectly sane. I would only lose my mind if I lost the lucky charm Tyler gave me. Remembering that I could swim, William raised a hand to stop those who wanted to jump into the lake to save me. "Let her fish the lucky charm out herself! She deserves it for bringing it here and flaunting it. This will teach her a lesson." … Five hours later, the wedding ceremony ended. Fatigue washed over me, my wounds were infected, and my flesh was turning white and prunish from the icy lakewater. Yet, I still could not find the lucky charm. Sodden and cold, I trudged over to the Cemetery of the Martyrs, whereupon I crouched and wrapped my arms around my knees. Silent tears streamed down my cheeks, mixing with the water on my skin. "I miss you so much, Tyler. I've carried out my promise to you. I've protected William and taken good care of him, but I'm tired. I'll look for you now, okay?" When William found me at the cemetery, he saw me leaning forward and placing a kiss on one of the tombstones. A stormy look registered on his face as he demanded through gritted teeth, "Who the hell is this dead guy, Giselle?"