CHAPTER 35

The stained-glass windows cast rainbows across the marble floor, light catching in the veil that framed Pearl's face. Every step down the aisle was heavier than the last, not because her dress was too tight, or the heels unsteady beneath her, but because of the war waging in her chest. No one had explained anything to her. Was she supposed to go with the flow...even if it’s a fricking wedding? Her wedding? She held her breath as the distance between them shrank, her eyes tracing the familiar lines of Ethan’s face as he waited at the altar. He looked devastatingly handsome in a black tuxedo, his dark hair combed neatly back, but his eyes—those always told on him. There was something clouded there, something waiting to be unveiled. Her heart pounded as she stopped just a breath away from him. He stepped forward, gently taking her hands in his. “Pearl,” he said, voice low and steady. "You look... beyond words." She tried to smile, but the lump in her throat made it hard. "You disappe