Chapter 1 - THE PERFECT ANNIVERSARY Emily Yates believed her first wedding anniversary would be the night she finally got her husband back.
The Yates estate glittered beneath the warm glow of chandeliers. White lilies filled crystal vases. Soft piano music drifted through the house. Outside, expensive cars lined the circular driveway beneath a sky heavy with summer rain.
Brandon had been strangely tender all evening.
He kissed Emily's forehead. He told her he was tired of fighting about money. He promised that their marriage could become what it had been before ambition poisoned everything between them.
Emily wanted to believe him.
She wanted desperately to believe him.
For months, Brandon had pressured her to give him greater control over the companies her father had placed in her name. He called it business strategy. She called it pressure.
Tonight, however, he poured her a glass of vintage red wine and lifted his crystal flute.
"To us."
Emily smiled.
"To us."
She drank.
Within minutes, the room began to move.
The chandelier stretched into a glowing blur. The marble counters seemed to tilt beneath her feet.
"Brandon..."
Her husband's face remained perfectly calm.
Emily reached for the kitchen island.
Her fingers missed.
The darkness came quickly.
The last thing she felt was Brandon catching her as she collapsed.
May you like
And the last thing she heard was his quiet whisper.
"Forgive me."
Related Stories
