- 2 hours ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:00At my final bridal fitting, I stepped out of the dressing room to find my sister Daphne.
00:04Straightening my fiancé Nolan's bow tie, Nolan Hayes, the Mafia Don feared throughout Boston's underworld.
00:10I had just opened my mouth to say,
00:11I'll do it, when the makeup artist smiled and walked toward Daphne.
00:14Right this way, bride?
00:16I stopped short. Nolan did not correct her.
00:18The black-suited guards stationed outside the door kept their eyes forward.
00:22Daphne only smiled shyly and leaned against him.
00:25Meanwhile, Miles, my childhood friend, raised his camera and began taking pictures of them.
00:29I stood frozen like an outsider.
00:31Nearly every photo on Miles' camera was of Daphne and my fiancé.
00:35There wasn't a single shot of me, the actual bride.
00:38Daphne spoke as naturally as though she were the one getting married.
00:42Fiona, bring me that bouquet.
00:44When Nolan noticed I had not moved, he came over and gently took the flowers from my hands.
00:48Those eyes of his, eyes that had terrified countless men across negotiating tables, held a rare trace of warmth.
00:55Fiona, what are you staring at?
00:56Go choose the invitation design.
00:58I'll come over when we're done with the photos.
01:02Fiona, move a couple of steps to the side.
01:03You're blocking the light.
01:05I moved without a word and stood in the corner.
01:07At that moment, I finally understood how unnecessary I was.
01:10If this wedding had no need for me, then I wouldn't be there.
01:14I quietly picked up my bag from the bench and pushed open the door.
01:17The bell above it chimed once.
01:18No one called after me.
01:20I looked back.
01:20Daphne was twirling in front of the mirror while Nolan stood behind her.
01:24Adjusting the bow at her waist, Miles held up his camera.
01:27Yes, yes.
01:28That's the angle.
01:29The shutter clicked five or six times in quick succession.
01:32I turned away and walked out of the boutique.
01:34As I got into my car, the two black sedans assigned to protect me fell in behind me without a
01:40sound.
01:40My phone lit up with a message from the wedding planner.
01:43Miss Bennett, the wedding is coming up.
01:45Have you chosen the invitation design?
01:47Before I could answer, another message arrived.
01:50Or you could let your sister choose.
01:52She has excellent taste.
01:54The car was so quiet that I could hear every breath I took, one after another, as though I were
01:58counting something.
01:59What was I counting?
02:00How many times I had been forgotten in this relationship.
02:03I typed three words.
02:04Let her decide.
02:05I meant it.
02:06Let Daphne decide.
02:07Nolan would listen to her in the end anyway.
02:09The reply came almost instantly.
02:11Got it.
02:11I stared at those words and imagined the planner breathing a sigh of relief.
02:15Every decision the bride made was always changed afterward.
02:18They were probably tired of revising the plans over and over.
02:21It was easier to let my sister make the decisions from the start.
02:24Before I could put my phone down, notifications began pouring in.
02:27Miles was uploading photos to the group chat one by one.
02:30I opened one.
02:31His composition was excellent.
02:33The light fell perfectly across their faces.
02:35Nolan stood in a sharply tailored black suit,
02:37and the two of them looked like the stars of a bridal campaign announcing the future wife of the haze
02:42dawn.
02:43I had poured everything into this wedding,
02:44as though doing so could prove that I was not always the one who got forgotten.
02:48I never imagined that, in the end, I would still be pushed out of the frame.
02:52My phone lit up, went dark, then lit up again.
02:55Maz kept filling the group chat.
02:56I did not respond.
02:57No one noticed.
02:58I dismissed my escort detail and drove alone to the apartment I had been renting.
03:02A note was stuck to the refrigerator.
03:04Seven days until the wedding.
03:05I peeled it off, crushed it into a ball, and dropped it into the trash.
03:09The next morning, I checked my phone.
03:11The wedding planning group chat showed 99-plus unread messages Daphne had tagged me only once,
03:16in a voice message.
03:17I tapped it.
03:18Fiona, I changed the wedding song.
03:20The song you picked was too groomy.
03:21The wedding should feel lighter.
03:23Nolan replied immediately beneath it.
03:25Agreed.
03:26The original song doesn't suit the occasion.
03:28Half the family will be there.
03:29Choose something lighter.
03:30The original song did not suit the occasion.
03:33I had spent an entire month choosing.
03:34It was the song my parents had played at their wedding.
03:37Hearing it always made my eyes burn.
03:38They had died far too young,
03:40and I had wanted them to be present in some small way.
03:43Nolan knew that so did Daphne,
03:45yet they still thought it was too gloomy.
03:46Daphne continued in the chat.
03:48Fiona never likes making decisions.
03:50We can just choose these things for her.
03:53Nolan replied with one word.
03:54Agreed.
03:55I stared at it without moving.
03:57Mass streamed past one after another.
03:59No one noticed that Fiona was in the group chat.
04:01No one noticed that Fiona was silent.
04:03I had no role in my own wedding.
04:05I opened my private conversation with Nolan.
04:07The last exchange was still from yesterday's bridal shoot.
04:10I had written,
04:11I'm a little nervous.
04:12He had replied with a head pat emoji.
04:14After that, nothing.
04:15He had not even messaged me privately after I left early to ask what was wrong.
04:19The only thing he had done was tag me in the group the night before.
04:22What happened?
04:23Did you get so nervous you left early?
04:25No one answered.
04:26No one cared.
04:28Daphne posted a photo with the caption,
04:30Fiona, today's shoot went perfectly.
04:32The dress is officially confirmed.
04:34And just like that, the matter was forgotten.
04:36Then they went back to discussing flowers, invitations, and the ceremony backdrop.
04:40Suddenly, I realized I was not merely unnecessary.
04:43Being unnecessary would at least mean I had once existed.
04:46I felt as though I had never been there at all.
04:48While I was packing, Daphne suddenly video called me.
04:53Fiona, you're moving way too slowly.
04:55The makeup team still hasn't confirmed, so I booked one myself.
04:58I'm testing them out for you first.
05:00I looked at Daphne in front of the mirror and wanted to say something, but I no longer knew what.
05:04Two weeks earlier, I had told her my friend would personally do my bridal makeup.
05:07But it was as though my wishes never reached her.
05:09She simply made every decision for me.
05:11Had I never confronted them, had I never been unhappy, had I never stood my ground, I had.
05:16It always ended with the same line.
05:19Fiona, you're more mature than she is.
05:20Don't make a big deal out of this.
05:22Miles had known me longer than anyone, yet he always took her side.
05:25Then Nolan entered my life and pursued me relentlessly.
05:28The man known throughout the underworld for his ruthlessness and decisiveness would personally drive me home late at night and
05:33tell me my quiet, absent-minded ways were adorable.
05:36I thought he liked me that way.
05:37But after he met Daphne, his preferences seemed to change.
05:40Without realizing it, he began saying that women should be lively and decisive.
05:44One day, I finally said,
05:46Can you stop being so close to Daphne?
05:48You need better boundaries with her.
05:50I thought he would understand.
05:51Instead, he laughed, ruffled my hair, and dismissed it.
05:54Boundaries?
05:54Once you marry me, Daphne will be part of the Hayes family too.
05:57Do you expect me to treat her like a stranger?
05:59I fell silent.
06:00Of course, I didn't want them at each other's throats.
06:02But the words, you are more mature, so you should be more understanding, had weighed on me for years.
06:08For the first time, those words felt heavy enough to suffocate me.
06:11They had forgotten that I was only two years older than she was.
06:13I wanted gifts too.
06:15I wanted someone to ask me,
06:16Do you like this?
06:17But no one ever cared.
06:18I called my landlord and told him I was moving out that day.
06:21I'm moving out today.
06:22Are you sure?
06:23You've lived there more than four years.
06:25Four years.
06:26When Nolan and I first started dating,
06:27he had wanted me to move into the Hayes estate,
06:30a heavily guarded compound where his most trusted family members lived.
06:33Daphne said I should keep some private space before marriage and suggested I live alone.
06:37So I rented this apartment near the family's downtown headquarters,
06:40hoping I would see Nolan more often.
06:43He agreed and every now and then,
06:45he would slip away from his security detail and spend the night.
06:48These rooms had witnessed the sweetness of our early love.
06:50Then the arguments,
06:51the silences,
06:52and the countless times he left in a hurry because of family business.
06:57Yes,
06:58I'm moving today,
06:59but now I had finally reached the end of my patience.
07:02The landlord sighed and told me to leave the keys in the mailbox.
07:04Not long after I hung up,
07:06the door opened from the outside.
07:07Nolan and Daphne walked in,
07:09laughing together.
07:10Daphne glanced back at him with a smile.
07:12You promise that when my lease ends,
07:13I can stay at your estate for a few weeks after the wedding?
07:17I want the room with the bay window in the east wing,
07:20and I want the curtains changed to pink.
07:22I stood in the middle of the living room,
07:24convinced I had heard her wrong.
07:26She spoke so naturally,
07:27as though she had every right to decide how long she would stay,
07:30and how our future home would be decorated.
07:32Nolan did not object.
07:33He smiled indulgently.
07:34As long as Fiona doesn't mind.
07:36Fiona always takes care of me.
07:37Of course she won't mind.
07:39Something loosened inside my throat.
07:41What if I do mind?
07:43The room went silent for two seconds.
07:45Daphne stared at me.
07:46Perhaps it was the first time I had ever truly refused her,
07:49before she could say anything.
07:51Her eyes were already turning red.
07:53Nolan's tone sharpened with reproach.
07:54What's wrong with you,
07:55Fiona?
07:56You've always given her whatever she wanted.
07:58Now you're gonna make an issue out of one room?
08:02I'm not making an issue out of it.
08:04Then what are you saying?
08:06Her lease is ending.
08:07She'd only be staying a few weeks.
08:08She's your sister,
08:09not some outsider we need to guard against.
08:12The estate is enormous.
08:14What difference would one extra person make for a few weeks?
08:17That is supposed to be our home after the wedding.
08:19The home of the future lady of the Hayes family.
08:22Which one of us is marrying you?
08:24That shut Nolan up.
08:25Daphne spoke softly.
08:26Fiona,
08:27I only wanted to be close to you.
08:29If you don't want me there,
08:30forget it.
08:31I won't move in.
08:31Nolan turned to me with reproach.
08:33Look what you've done.
08:34One sentence,
08:35and you've hurt her this badly.
08:37She's your sister.
08:39Can't you think about her feelings?
08:41And who thinks about mine?
08:42I lifted my head.
08:44You personally brought her
08:45into a company owned by the Hayes family
08:47and approved a salary
08:48far above everyone else at her level.
08:50She has almost nothing to worry about.
08:52What about me?
08:53All I have is-
08:54Enough!
08:55Be reasonable.
08:57She's your sister.
08:58I only take special care of her
08:59because of you.
09:00Do you really have to be this petty?
09:02Petty that word again.
09:03I smiled and stopped speaking.
09:05Daphne tugged it asleep.
09:06Nolan, stop.
09:08Fiona is probably just in a bad mood.
09:10He patted her hand
09:11then softened his voice toward me.
09:13Fiona,
09:13I've already made the decision.
09:15It will be good for Daphne to stay with us.
09:17You two can keep living close to each other.
09:19I nodded.
09:20Agreed.
09:21It was their home after all.
09:22I would never live there.
09:24Nolan relaxed.
09:25Daphne dabbed at the corners of her dry eyes
09:27and smiled again.
09:28I turned back to my packing.
09:30Behind me,
09:31Daphne asked,
09:32So I really can change the curtains to pale pink?
09:35Whatever you like.
09:36That afternoon,
09:37I went to the headquarters of the Hayes group,
09:39which Nolan controlled.
09:40On paper,
09:41the building housed shipping,
09:42hotel,
09:43and security companies.
09:45Everyone in the city knew what it really belonged to.
09:47I packed the access card to the Hayes estate,
09:50the key to Nolan's private office,
09:51and several files concerning the family's
09:53legitimate businesses that he had asked me to organize.
09:56At the reception desk,
09:57the woman immediately straightened when she saw me.
09:59Miss Bennett,
10:00shall I notify Don Hayes?
10:01Or I placed the bag on the desk.
10:03No.
10:03Just give him this.
10:04Then I turned to leave.
10:05As I reached the dark carpeted staircase,
10:08Nolan's voice drifted through a half-open door.
10:10Two armed guards stood outside,
10:11and I slowed without meaning to.
10:13You want me to take you to your bridal manicure on Saturday?
10:16My fingers stiffened.
10:17A moment later,
10:18his amused voice carried through the doorway.
10:22All right,
10:23you want to look your best for the wedding,
10:24so I'll take you.
10:25I'll explain it to Fiona.
10:26I gave a bitter smile.
10:27I had already decided to let go.
10:29What was I still hoping for?
10:31Before the wedding,
10:32Nolan and I had planned to do one thing
10:34we had never managed during our relationship,
10:36to watch the sunrise together.
10:37He had been postponing it since winter,
10:39always saying he was busy
10:40and that we would go next time.
10:41At last,
10:42we had chosen this Saturday.
10:43Now he had postponed it again,
10:45but this time,
10:46I no longer cared.
10:47I pushed through the glass doors
10:48and drove straight back to Hartwell,
10:50the small coastal town in Maine
10:51where I had grown up.
10:52The next morning,
10:53I was cleaning the house
10:54my parents had left behind in Hartwell.
10:56Aunt Claire and Uncle Robert lived nearby,
10:58and Claire came over early.
11:00Fiona, take a break.
11:01I shook my head and told her I was almost done.
11:04Claire took my hand and patted it gently.
11:07All these years,
11:08you've always been the one expected to be mature,
11:10the one expected to give in.
11:12You've suffered far too much.
11:14She sighed,
11:14as if turning over years of memories in her mind.
11:16Daphne may have been adopted by your parents,
11:19but you always treated her like your own sister.
11:22You gave her everything.
11:24That child never learned when to stop taking.
11:28The relatives all knew,
11:29but they were afraid you'd feel uncomfortable,
11:31so no one dared say anything.
11:33Now you're both grown,
11:34and you're about to start a family of your own.
11:38I thought you would finally be free
11:40from taking care of everyone else.
11:41I smiled, but said nothing.
11:43After a while, I said,
11:44Aunt Claire,
11:44you and Uncle Robert should move in.
11:46An empty house doesn't stay in good shape for long.
11:49Claire looked startled.
11:50What do you mean, empty?
11:51You'll still come back after you're married?
11:53She smiled.
11:54I know you and Nolan will live at the Hayes Estate,
11:57but you'll need somewhere to stay when you visit us.
11:59I agreed, yet continued insisting that they move in.
12:01Claire thought I was only being polite
12:03and refused several times.
12:04I did not explain.
12:05I only thought that once I left,
12:07I might not return for many years.
12:09That evening,
12:10Nolan arrived for the pre-wedding family dinner,
12:12as arranged.
12:13Three black sedans stopped outside.
12:15His guards remained by the entrance,
12:16while Daphne stayed at his side like the hostess.
12:18They both looked surprised when they saw me.
12:21Fiona, what are you doing here?
12:23Nolan asked,
12:23as if I had no reason to be there.
12:25But I was the bride,
12:26and the family dinner had been arranged at my uncle's house.
12:28Wasn't I exactly where I was supposed to be?
12:30Oh, he was probably used to it by now.
12:32Whether I was present did not matter,
12:34as long as Daphne was.
12:36Fiona, good.
12:37You're here.
12:38Nolan said he was coming to see Uncle Robert,
12:40and I had nothing else to do, so I came along.
12:42I said nothing.
12:43Daphne had never liked Hartwell
12:44and rarely returned to the seaside town
12:46where we had grown up.
12:47I was genuinely surprised
12:48she had come so close to the wedding.
12:50Whether she had come for me
12:51or for some other reason no longer mattered.
12:53In the living room,
12:54Uncle Robert exchanged a few words with Nolan.
12:56Even with Nolan deliberately restraining his presence,
12:59the lieutenant standing behind his shoulder
13:00made the small room feel tense.
13:02Daphne sat beside Nolan,
13:04poured his coffee and answered questions for him,
13:05as though she were the woman being introduced
13:07to the inner circle of the Hayes family.
13:09I sat there like an unnecessary piece of furniture.
13:11No one spared me a second glance.
13:13I checked my phone.
13:14Nolan had sent a message.
13:16I've been busy with the family
13:17and the wedding these past few days,
13:19so I neglected you.
13:20But why didn't you tell me
13:21you were going back to Hartwell?
13:22Neglected me.
13:23His tone sounded less like an apology
13:25and more like an accusation
13:26that I had behaved irresponsibly
13:28by leaving on my own.
13:29He was always active in the group chat,
13:30joking with everyone.
13:31He even replied to Daphne between family meetings.
13:34Yet he rarely messaged me privately
13:35to ask whether I had eaten,
13:37what I was doing,
13:37or whether I was happy.
13:38That was why he did not know
13:39I had gone to headquarters.
13:41That was why he did not know
13:42I had come home.
13:43He did not know
13:43because he had never asked.
13:45My fingers moved.
13:46I know you are busy.
13:47Whatever occupied,
13:47you no longer had anything to do with me.
13:49When the dinner ended,
13:50Robert stood to see them out.
13:51You two shouldn't see each other
13:52for the next few days.
13:54Let the anticipation build
13:55before the wedding.
13:56Nolan agreed.
13:56Robert turned to me.
13:57Fiona,
13:58go back to Boston with them.
14:00Stay in the bridal seat
14:01before the wedding
14:01so you don't have to travel
14:02back and forth.
14:03You can return
14:04for the family brunch after.
14:05I wanted to refuse,
14:06but when I saw the hope
14:07in his eyes,
14:08I swallowed the words.
14:09I went back to the old house
14:10to collect my suitcase
14:11and make sure
14:12I had left nothing behind.
14:13But by the time
14:14I stepped outside,
14:15Nolan's car was already gone.
14:16I stood in the doorway
14:17for two seconds.
14:18Then I looked at my phone.
14:19Daphne wanted to check
14:20the venue security and setup,
14:21so I took her ahead.
14:22I forgot you were still there.
14:24Have the guards drive you back.
14:25Forgotten.
14:25Again.
14:26How many times
14:27had Nolan forgotten me now?
14:28I drove away,
14:29but I did not return to Boston.
14:30I went somewhere far,
14:31far away.
14:32The wedding was scheduled
14:33for Monday.
14:34Three days later,
14:34the Hayes family
14:35had invited nearly
14:36every influential figure
14:37on the East Coast,
14:38and security outside the church
14:39was tighter than it had been
14:40for any family meeting.
14:41Nolan checked the navigation system
14:43and looked at Daphne.
14:44The hotel address is correct?
14:46Yes.
14:47I compared them one by one
14:48before choosing this one.
14:49It's upscale
14:50and close to your home.
14:52Picking her up here
14:53is easier than going
14:53to her apartment.
14:55You always handle things properly,
14:57unlike Fiona.
14:58Uncle Robert only asked us
14:59not to see each other
15:00for a few days
15:01to preserve the anticipation,
15:02and she still
15:03haven't replied
15:03to a single message.
15:05His lieutenant,
15:05seated in front,
15:06glanced at him
15:07through the rearview mirror,
15:08then silently looked away.
15:09Nolan opened the door
15:10of the armored sedan.
15:11Daphne naturally slid
15:12into the front passenger seat.
15:13Let's go.
15:14Fiona will start rushing us soon.
15:16Daphne,
15:16that seat is for the bride.
15:17Ride with me.
15:19No.
15:19Nolan drives the smoothest
15:21and the family convoys with us.
15:22I won't get carsick.
15:23Nolan shook his head
15:24with a smile.
15:25What am I going to do with you?
15:27The black convoy
15:27turned into the hotel entrance.
15:29Wedding security
15:30immediately cleared the way.
15:31Nolan walked in front.
15:32Daphne stayed at his side.
15:34Two family guards
15:34followed half a step behind.
15:36Miles lifted his camera
15:37and out of habit
15:38took several photographs
15:39of their backs.
15:40Good morning.
15:41How may I help you?
15:42We're with the Hayes wedding party.
15:44We're here to take the bride
15:45to the church.
15:45Nolan gave the room number.
15:47Room 302.
15:47The bride is Fiona Bennett.
15:49The receptionist
15:49checked the system.
15:50I'm sorry.
15:51The room was reserved,
15:52but Miss Bennett
15:53never checked in.
15:54Nolan stared at her
15:55as though he had not understood.
15:56His brow furrowed
15:57and he pressed one hand
15:58heavily against the desk.
15:59Our wedding is today.
16:01Fiona was supposed
16:02to check in last night.
16:03Are you sure
16:03you haven't made a mistake?
16:05Exactly.
16:06Check again.
16:07Room 302
16:08under Fiona Bennett.
16:09The receptionist
16:10looked at the screen
16:10once more
16:11and shook her head.
16:12I'm certain
16:12she never checked in.
16:15Unbelievable.
16:16Did she go to the wrong hotel?
16:17She's the one getting married.
16:18How could she mess up
16:19something this important?
16:20Nolan took out the phone
16:21reserved for his private contacts
16:23and called Fiona.
16:23The call rang seven times,
16:25then went to voicemail.
16:26He didn't leave a message.
16:27He called her on FaceTime instead.
16:28The screen displayed
16:29the waiting animation
16:30until the call ended on its own.
16:32He opened their iMessage thread
16:33and sent more than
16:34a dozen messages.
16:35Where are you?
16:36We're at the hotel.
16:36Fiona, call me back.
16:37Not one received a reply.
16:39Each message seemed to sink
16:40into a bottomless well
16:41without an echo.
16:42She isn't answering.
16:43Nolan frowned.
16:44What is Fiona doing?
16:46Today is her wedding.
16:47She isn't throwing
16:47another tantrum, is she?
16:49Miles lowered his camera enough
16:50for half his face
16:51to show behind it.
16:52Hasn't she seemed
16:52different lately?
16:53She walked out
16:54during the dress fitting too
16:55without telling anyone.
16:56But this is the wedding.
16:57Daphne muttered.
16:58The church is surrounded
16:59by guests and media.
17:01No matter how angry she is,
17:02she can't treat this
17:03like a joke.
17:04She's humiliating Nolan
17:05and the entire Hayes family
17:07in public.
17:07Nolan's frown deepened.
17:08The guards nearby sensed
17:09that something was wrong.
17:10But none dared speak.
17:12He called Aunt Claire.
17:13Nolan, did you pick up the bride?
17:15Aunt Claire?
17:16Fiona isn't at the hotel.
17:17Has she gone back to Hartwood?
17:18No.
17:19Wasn't she supposed to return
17:21to Boston for the wedding?
17:22She was meant to stay
17:23in the bridal ute last night.
17:25Claire sounded confused.
17:26Daphne is the maid of honor
17:27and the planner said
17:28she was responsible
17:29for confirming the check-in
17:30and staying with the bride.
17:31We older relatives agreed
17:32not to see her again
17:33until after the wedding
17:34so we wouldn't interrupt
17:35her preparations.
17:36Ask Daphne.
17:37She's the maid of honor.
17:38She should know.
17:39Nolan looked at Daphne.
17:41She knew.
17:41How could she know?
17:42Daphne had spent
17:43the entire previous day
17:44with them.
17:44Lunch at noon.
17:45Drinks in the afternoon.
17:46Then some so-called
17:47bachelorette party
17:48at a private club
17:49owned by the Hayes family
17:50which had lasted
17:50until after one in the morning.
17:52She had remained in his sight
17:53the entire time.
17:54If Daphne had not been
17:55with Fiona
17:56then had Fiona
17:56spent the day before
17:57her wedding alone.
17:58Alone.
17:59He had messaged her
18:00the day before
18:00asking where she was
18:01and whether she was nervous.
18:03She had not replied.
18:04He had not asked again.
18:05He had assumed
18:05she was following
18:06the custom of avoiding
18:07the groom before the wedding.
18:08A thread of guilt
18:09stirred inside him.
18:10He began to understand
18:10that he might have
18:11done something wrong
18:12but he still refused
18:13to admit it fully.
18:14What?
18:15Daphne didn't stay
18:16with Fiona?
18:17We told her to help
18:18with the preparations.
18:19How could she be
18:19so careless?
18:21Nolan said nothing.
18:22He stood in the hotel lobby
18:23the Don who could remain
18:24calm in the face of guns
18:25and betrayal found
18:26for the first time
18:27that his thoughts
18:27were in chaos.
18:28Let's go.
18:29We'll pick her up
18:29at the apartment.
18:30Nolan put away his phone.
18:31Fiona's probably angry
18:32because I left
18:33Uncle Robert's house
18:34in a hurry last time
18:34without bringing her back.
18:35Now that he thought about it
18:36he really had ignored
18:37her feelings.
18:38The bride of a mafia
18:39Don had been left alone
18:40in a small town
18:41by her own Fionga.
18:42In their world
18:42how many people
18:43would turn that
18:44into dinner table gossip?
18:45Daphne followed him
18:46for two steps
18:46then suddenly slapped
18:48a hand to her forehead.
18:49Oh no.
18:50The wedding dress
18:50is still at my apartment.
18:51Nolan stopped and turned.
18:53What wedding dress?
18:54Fiona's.
18:55Yesterday I used
18:56the pickup authorization
18:57she gave me
18:58to collect it
18:58from the boutique.
18:59I was in such a rush
19:00this morning
19:01that I forgot to bring it.
19:02Something finally
19:03struck Nolan as wrong.
19:04Not only had the bride
19:05failed to appear
19:05at the hotel
19:06but the dress
19:06belonged to her.
19:07Yet the final confirmation
19:08pickup and storage
19:09of the gown
19:10had all somehow happened
19:11without the bride herself.
19:12Daphne had taken
19:13the dress home
19:13hung it in her own apartment
19:15and then forgotten it.
19:16Nolan frowned.
19:16Get in the car.
19:17We'll pick up the dress
19:18then go to Fiona's apartment.
19:19The convoy pulled out
19:20of the parking lot.
19:21Nolan gripped the steering wheel.
19:22His lieutenant
19:22and the security vehicles
19:24followed behind.
19:25His phone remained lit
19:26in the mouth.
19:26Fiona's conversation
19:27was completely silent.
19:28No reply came.
19:29What was wrong with her?
19:30She had wanted
19:31so badly to be a bride.
19:32To be the center
19:33of her own life for once.
19:34He had given her that chance.
19:35Why was she hiding now?
19:36After they collected the dress
19:38Nolan did not start
19:39the car immediately.
19:40He gripped the steering wheel
19:41in silence for several seconds.
19:42Wait.
19:43Daphne's hand paused
19:43on the seat belt.
19:44When we find her
19:45apologize to your sister.
19:46Daphne thought
19:47she had misheard him.
19:48What?
19:49Apologize.
19:50Nolan repeated the word
19:51in the tone he used
19:51when issuing orders
19:52at a family meeting.
19:53It was not loud
19:54but it allowed no argument.
19:55Why?
19:56Daphne frowned.
19:57I've been running around
19:58for this wedding
19:58while she throws a tantrum
20:00and disappears
20:00and I'm supposed
20:02to apologize?
20:03Nolan turned toward her.
20:04running around?
20:05You worked so hard
20:06that you didn't even know
20:07which hotel she was staying in.
20:09You worked so hard
20:10that her wedding dress
20:11is hanging in your apartment.
20:13What was she supposed to wear?
20:15And what about
20:15the makeup artist?
20:16Did you arrange one?
20:18The makeup team...
20:19I told them to wait
20:21at the hotel
20:22but they said
20:23they never saw the bride.
20:24Nolan's face darkened completely.
20:26Even the guards
20:26outside the car
20:27could feel his anger
20:28through the glass.
20:29Daphne.
20:29He said her name.
20:31Do you actually want
20:32her to get married?
20:33Silence filled the car.
20:34Daphne lowered her head
20:35and twisted the seatbelt
20:36between her fingers.
20:37What if I do want her to marry?
20:40Just not you.
20:42Nolan stared at her.
20:43Daphne looked up,
20:44eyes red,
20:44something unreadable
20:45in her expression.
20:46Nolan did not answer.
20:48He looked away
20:48and started the car.
20:51The bay window room
20:52in the east wing
20:53was originally meant
20:54to be your sister's study
20:55after the wedding.
20:56If your lease expires
20:57you can stay
20:57in one of the family's apartments.
20:59You don't need
21:00to move into our home.
21:01But Daphne sounded
21:02even more wounded.
21:03You already promised me.
21:05Nolan said nothing.
21:06They drove to
21:07Fiona's apartment building.
21:08Nolan turned off
21:09the engine
21:09and ordered the guards
21:10to remain downstairs.
21:13The three of them
21:14went up.
21:15No one spoke
21:16in the elevator.
21:16Daphne stood
21:17in one corner.
21:18Miles leaned
21:18against the wall
21:19lifting his camera
21:20once before lowering
21:21it again.
21:21Nolan knocked
21:22once,
21:22twice,
21:23three times.
21:24The door opened.
21:24Fiona,
21:25I...
21:26The man standing there
21:27looked 27 or 28.
21:29With handsome features
21:30and damp hair
21:30as though he had just showered,
21:32he leaned against
21:32the doorframe lazily.
21:33Who are you looking for?
21:35Who are you?
21:36Nolan stepped forward,
21:37his expression
21:38turning lethal.
21:39It was the same look
21:39that had made family
21:40traitors beg on their knees.
21:42Why are you in her home?
21:45What is your relationship
21:46with her?
21:46He couldn't imagine
21:47his quiet, obedient fiancé
21:49hiding another man
21:50in her apartment.
21:51Anger surged
21:52out of control
21:52inside him.
21:53The guards near the elevator
21:55heard the commotion
21:55and instinctively reached
21:57toward their weapons.
21:58Tell Fiona to come out.
21:59From behind him,
22:00Daphne asked softly,
22:01Is Fiona
22:03with someone else?
22:04The words pierced Nolan
22:05like a needle,
22:06turning his face
22:06dark with rage.
22:07He raised one hand
22:08to keep the guards back,
22:09shoved the door open himself,
22:11and searched every room.
22:12No one was there.
22:13The man finally asked
22:14from the living room,
22:16What are you looking for?
22:17Watching Nolan rush around
22:18like a headless man.
22:19She moved out a while ago.
22:21Nolan spun around.
22:24Moved out?
22:25I'm the new tenant.
22:26Miss Bennett terminated the lease,
22:28and the landlord
22:28rented the place to me.
22:30A painful pressure
22:30built in his chest
22:31with nowhere to go.
22:32After several seconds,
22:33his voice dropped.
22:34Did she say
22:35where she was going?
22:36No.
22:37The man shook his head.
22:38The apartment was empty
22:39when I arrived.
22:40Nolan felt as though
22:41lightning had struck him.
22:42His ears rang.
22:44Daphne tugged at his sleeve.
22:45Nolan, Fiona.
22:47He shook her hand off
22:47and strode out.
22:48The hallway was empty.
22:50He took out his phone
22:51and called Fiona again.
22:52It was still turned off.
22:53Before,
22:54he had assumed she was sulking
22:55and waiting for him to coax her.
22:57Now he knew
22:57she had already left
22:58the apartment she had rented for years.
23:00For the first time,
23:01he was truly afraid.
23:03He stared at her name on the screen
23:04and it suddenly felt unfamiliar.
23:06Fiona,
23:07his fiancée.
23:08Their wedding was only hours away
23:09and he had no idea where she was.
23:11When she had moved out
23:12or why she had ended the lease.
23:14He was the Don
23:15who controlled an information network
23:16spanning the entire city
23:18and he knew nothing
23:19about his own fiancée.
23:20This obedient, sensible woman
23:22had never made him feel so helpless.
23:24Daphne followed him.
23:26Fiona may only have acted impulsively.
23:29We should go to Hartwell.
23:30Uncle Robert might know where she went.
23:32Nolan did not want to answer her.
23:34Her voice only grated against his nerves.
23:36He put his phone away
23:37and pressed the elevator button.
23:38Copyright Able.
23:38Far halt and shut up and chunky.
23:39Hartwell. All listen
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