Page 99 of The King of Hearts

Both of our mouths hang open, and our eyes are wide in wonder once the dress is revealed. I recognize the design style immediately, and from Em’s slack-jawed look, so does she. The wedding dress is the most gorgeous dress I’ve ever seen.

The style is A-line and reminds me of something a princess would wear in a fairy tale. The whole thing is white and made of the finest lace with delicate white flowers woven in. The straps on the bodice are about an inch wide, and there’s a cut between the breasts that’ll show off a tasteful amount of cleavage. Below the cups, the lace is thinner and slim-fitting to show off a hint of skin. At the waist, there are multiple layers of the same thin lace, and it flares out in a flurry, but the volume isn’t overly dramatic, nor will it be cumbersome to move in. From the knees down, the woven flowers start to fade until they disappear close to thebottom. It’s the slit on the side that I like the most, which starts just above mid-thigh.

“How in the hell did he manage to secure an Adele Bastien wedding dress? Those are so rare because she only comes out with new ones once every three years. And only a handful at a time.”

Em turns her shocked gaze to me, and all I can do is stare back at her.

“I don’t know.”

“How much money does your future husband have? He must have major connections.”

“Apparently.”

We admire the dress for a few more minutes before she looks at me. “All right, we only have a couple of hours. Hair and makeup first.”

Two hours later,my face and hair are done, and I’m wearing the prettiest dress known to man. I’m back in front of the mirror in the corner, momentarily stunned at the vision in front of me. Em is behind me, flitting around with the train of the dress, but I pay her no mind. I’m too caught up with how I look.

The dress fits like a glove, as if it were made specifically for me. With the connections and the money Ryker obviously has, it wouldn’t surprise me if that were the case. Em did an amazing job on my hair, the updo perfectly matching the fairy-esque style of the dress. Only a few strategic pieces are left to softly flow around my face while the rest is loosely twisted up in a braid that runs along the crown of my head and around the top, sort of like a headband. There are small white baby’s breath flowers woven throughout the strands. My makeup is muted with a lightlayer of foundation, a soft peach blush, a thin layer of eyeliner and mascara, and a swipe of soft lavender eyeshadow. My lips are a light pink. Around my neck is a thin silver necklace with a diamond teardrop. My ears wear matching earrings. Gifts from Mom and Dad. Ryker presented me with a set of earrings and a beautiful diamond necklace that went with the dress, but I chose to wear these instead.

I’ve never felt more beautiful.

It just sucks because it all seems like a waste. It’s not like I want or need to impress Ryker. He’s already impressed to the point of obsession.

The door to the room opens, and I turn to see Mom walking in. She’s wearing a gorgeous sage-green dress that hugs her curves, and her hair is left down to fall into wavy curls over her shoulders and down her back.

She takes one look at me and her eyes fill with tears. “Oh, baby, you look absolutely stunning,” she says, rushing over to my side and pulling me into her arms.

I’ve only seen her once in the week I’ve been living here. I made Ryker take me to her and Dad’s estate after we left Dr. Bale’s office. I had spoken to my parents after Ryker nearly fucked me to death the night of the attempted robbery, but I knew they would worry until they saw me in person. Dad wanted to come to Ryker’s mansion to see me that night, but I managed to talk him out of it, promising I would come see them the next day.

“I can’t believe my only baby girl is getting married,” Mom says tearfully in my ear.

I pull back and smile at her. “I can’t either.”

She sniffs and uses a handkerchief to dab below her eyes. “How are you handling things?”

“As good as can be expected.”

“This is not how I envisioned you getting married,” she says dolefully. “I wanted better for you.”

“Everything will be fine. It’ll all work out in the end.”

She looks at me doubtfully, and I’m not sure if I believe the words either.

“Where’s Dad?”

“Downstairs, keeping the peace between Ryker and your brothers.”

I snort. “Not sure how much help he’ll be since he wants to kill Ryker too.”

Mom’s lips twist into a half smile, half grimace. “They aren’t the only ones. I’d like to plunge a knife into his chest for forcing you to do this.”

Behind me, Em makes a sound in the back of her throat, and Mom glances at her. “Don’t tell me you haven’t had the same thoughts.”

“Oh, I have, but mine have been more colorful.”

We all laugh, but of course, it’s not really a laughing matter, so the sound fades quickly. Mom and I can’t say much with Emersyn in the room, but from her look, I don’t need to hear the words she’s thinking. I know Dad and my brothers are still trying to come up with a solution. The sad thing is, I don’t think they’ll be able to.

It’s not even the fact that Ryker is forcing this marriage on me that has me balking and keeps my dislike for him strong. Or that he broke into my room and touched me while I was sleeping, ultimately getting me pregnant without my knowledge. Or all the other fucked-up shit I’m sure he’s done. As insane as it is, those things I could get over. If I’m honest with myself, the obsession to the point of madness appeals to my fucked-up psyche.

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