Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 144979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
“Enough about me,” Chantel says. “How’s the bride-to-be?”
“I’m fine.” I shrug.
Gabi and Valentina exchange glances.
“It’s not too late to change your mind.” Val lowers her voice. “We can find a way to get you out of here.”
I smile at her optimism, hoping more than anything she can hang on to it when it’s her turn to marry.
“Right now, I couldn’t walk out of here if I wanted to.” I lift my nearly empty wine glass and swallow the rest.
Sensing my mood, Chantel nods and changes the subject. “Where are the rest of the girls?”
“Gone to bed already.” Gabi yawns. “There was a little too much excitement today.”
“Such as?” Chantel asks.
“Abella has been filling us in on her stalker.” Gabi glares at me, clearly still upset about the confession I made earlier. In my defense, we were on our third bottle of wine for the evening, and it just sort of slipped out.
“You have a stalker?” Concern settles over Chantel’s face. “How long has this been going on?”
“A while, apparently,” Gabi huffs. “I still don’t understand why you didn’t tell me.”
“I didn’t want you to worry about me.”
“What if this is connected to…you know?” Gabi asks.
Grant Ellison.
“It’s not.” I shake my head.
“How can you be sure? You could be in danger, and we’d have no idea—”
“It isn’t like that,” I tell them.
“So, what is it like?” Chantel asks.
“It’s…” The words get caught in my throat as I try to figure out how to explain this. “I don’t know...intense.”
Three wide sets of eyes stare back at me. “Did something happen, Abella?” Chantel leans closer, clearly invested.
A flush spreads down my neck as Val chimes in.
“Oh, something happened, alright.”
“Please do explain.” Chantel raises her brows. “I’m dying to hear this.”
I pour another glass of wine, the bottle glugging out the last of its contents. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but don’t judge me.”
“I would never,” she swears.
I give her the condensed version, explaining how the masked man showed up at my building in tactical gear, cut the power, and caught me in the rooftop garden.
“This sounds like a plot from one of my favorite movies,” Gabi quips.
Val side-eyes her, and I continue.
“His goons asked me a bunch of random questions about Matteo, and I said I wanted to deal with the masked guy because he was in charge. So he came over, pulled my head back, said something dirty, and then…”
I close my eyes, heat rushing up my spine as I recall what happened next.
“And then what?” Gabi prods.
“Stuff happened.” I leave out the part about dangling over the roof of the building. “And he made me come…after I begged him. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“A lot,” Val supplies.
“So what kind of skull mask are we talking here?” Gabi’s face takes on a dreamy expression.
Val shoots her a look.
“What?” Gabi replies primly. “You know I have a horror kink.”
“God, you’re all deranged,” Val tells us. “May the Lord save your souls.”
I laugh at her holier-than-thou attitude. “Oh, please. Do you think I haven’t seen what you read?”
Her cheeks flame red. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Okay, but he didn’t hurt you, right?” Chantel redirects the conversation.
“No,” I assure her. “He terrified me, but he didn’t hurt me.”
“Do you think he’s hot?” Gabi interjects. “I bet he’s hot.”
“Does it matter if he’s hot if he’s a psycho?” Val asks.
“I don’t think he’s a psycho,” I argue. “He’s just a little…unhinged.”
“You might as well call a kidnapping an extended date,” Val says.
“Just promise us you’ll be careful,” Chantel pleads. “This definitely sounds hot, but also…dangerous. We need to figure out who this guy is.”
“I’m not sure it will matter after tomorrow,” I admit. “I’ll be married, and I doubt he’ll get within ten feet of me again.”
Chantel nods, seemingly sensing my discomfort. “It’s getting late there, and you have a big day ahead of you.”
“I know. We should all get to bed.”
“We’ll do another video chat tomorrow from the bridal suite so you can hang with us while we get ready,” Gabi tells her.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Chantel promises. “Love you, babes.”
“Love you,” we all echo back.
Gabi disconnects the call and turns to me, ready to pepper me with a thousand more questions.
“Well, goodnight.” I spring to my feet, surprisingly agile for the amount of wine I’ve imbibed. “I’ll see you both in the morning.”
14
ABELLA
Ilean against the patio door, squinting at the morning sun with a pounding headache. I don’t know that I actually slept. Instead, I found myself staring at the ceiling as I tried to think about anything other than my impending wedding. But with each hour that passed, it felt like the noose was tightening around my neck.
Every reassurance that I’ve given myself doesn’t seem to matter. Matteo is a good friend, and I have to believe he will try to be a good husband. There’s always a possibility for love to grow. But if it could, why haven’t my feelings changed in the past six years?