Chapter 4
I shook my head frantically, muffled cries escaping through the gag in my mouth.
Mandy ignored me. She took out her phone, set up a camera, and pointed it at me.
"These men have risked their lives for Tristan. It's about time you took some of his bad luck off their hands, too."
The chains around my wrists and ankles left me helpless.
I sank to the floor, tears streaming down my face.
But Mandy wasn't finished.
"My wedding to Tristan is tomorrow."
"I wonder if he'll still want you after I make sure you can never have children again."
Mandy had once been a nurse. That was how she'd first caught Tristan's attention while treating his wounds.
He'd always thought she was sweet and innocent.
Now, she ordered her men to strap me to an operating table. Then she took charge of the procedure herself, refusing to give me anesthesia.
"What kind of good-luck charm are you supposed to be? There's nothing special about you!"
"You must have paid that fortune-teller to make up the whole story just to get Tristan into bed!"
She made sure I would never be able to have children again.
"You're not even worth keeping around anymore. Try crossing me again, and I'll make sure you don't get another chance!"
Mandy didn't seem to notice that the blood I'd lost was dark.
The pain and exhaustion made it hard to think. Through the haze, I thought I saw my mother waiting nearby.
Before she died, she'd apologized for being a burden. She'd begged me to keep living.
But I had nothing left.
Not Tristan. Not Cedric. No one.
My eyes slowly closed. A final tear slipped down my cheek.
"Mom, I wish I could have kept my promise."
My spirit drifted free of my body.
When Mandy realized I was dead, panic flashed across her face. A moment later, it turned into delight.
"That bitch Celeste will never get in my way again!"
"Next, I'll make sure her precious son joins her!"
"My baby will be the only heir to the Voss family. No one will ever take his place!"
Mandy paid everyone in the warehouse a hundred million dollars each to keep quiet.
Then she ordered them to put my body in a bag and dump it in the ocean.
Standing by the shore, she laughed triumphantly.
"After the wedding, I'll be the most powerful woman in the Voss family!"
Perhaps my fate really had been tied to Tristan's. Even after death, I couldn't move on.
My spirit remained trapped by his side.
The last time Tristan had dressed like a groom, it had been for the wedding photos I'd begged him to take with me.
This time, he didn't look annoyed.
The next day, everything was ready for the ceremony.
Everything except the piano player.
Tristan glanced around before calling one of his men over.
"Where's Celeste? Why isn't she here to play?"
"Does she think this is the time to throw a tantrum?"
The man shook his head. "No one has seen her in over a day, Boss."
"Find her. I'm not listening to anyone else play!"
Tristan's men immediately scattered to search for me.
He had no idea I was standing right beside him.
Mandy stood at his side in her wedding dress, her arm linked through his. The officiant was waiting to begin the ceremony.
But Tristan refused to move, no matter how many times Mandy called his name.
"The wedding doesn't start until Celeste gets here!"
Mandy froze. Hatred flashed in her eyes, but she didn't dare argue.
Tristan waited for a full hour before one of his men rushed inside.
"Boss, we found Celeste's last known location. It was out in the middle of the ocean."
"Our divers searched the area. They found her body!"
