When I told Violet, I expected shock.
I didn’t expect the way she looked at me—like I had become someone she didn’t recognize.
“I didn’t think you were that kind of person,” she said quietly.
That hurt more than I wanted to admit.
“I’m just being realistic,” I tried to explain.
“You’re selling yourself,” she replied.
“No,” I said, though my voice wavered. “I’m choosing a different life.”
She shook her head.
And that was the moment everything broke.
She cut me off that same day.
No calls. No messages.
Just silence.
The guilt stayed with me.
But not enough to stop me.
The wedding was small.
Elegant. Quiet. Controlled.
Rick’s family filled the room—polite smiles, watchful eyes, whispers they thought I couldn’t hear.
No one came for me.
I wasn’t surprised.
I stood there in a beautiful dress that didn’t feel like it belonged to me, saying vows that sounded like lines from someone else’s life.
And just like that—
I became his wife.
After the ceremony, we drove to his estate.
It was larger than anything I had ever lived in. Cold in a way that had nothing to do with temperature.
A house full of things, but not warmth
