We ducked into a narrow passageway between two buildings, the moonlight casting eerie shadows on the walls. Sarah paused, catching her breath. “He was on the phone with someone. They were talking about… after the wedding. About ‘sealing the deal’ once you ate the cake.”

“What deal?” I asked, dread coiling in my stomach.

“I don’t know all the details,” she admitted, frustration pinching her features. “But it sounded like you were part of some twisted business transaction. The cake was laced with something, Maya. I couldn’t let you eat it.”

A chill swept through me, more biting than the night air. The man I thought I loved, the man who had promised me forever, was a stranger. A monster hiding behind charm and charisma.

“We have to go back, Sarah. We need proof, something to show the police,” I said, my resolve hardening.

“No,” she said sharply, her grip on my wrist tightening. “It’s not safe. David has connections—powerful ones. That’s why I didn’t trust him from the start.”

Doubt flickered in my mind. Could Sarah be right? Could David truly

“We need to disappear,” she continued, her voice calm despite the chaos surrounding us. “Just until we figure out what to do next. I have a friend—a safe place where he can’t find us.”

I hesitated, glancing back toward the conservatory. The life I had planned was crumbling, but beneath the rubble, a new path was emerging. Uncertain and fraught with danger, yet undeniably real.

With a deep breath, I nodded. “Okay. But we come back. We uncover the truth, together.”

A small, relieved smile touched Sarah’s lips. “Together,” she echoed.

Hand in hand, we stepped out into the night, leaving behind a shattered vision of love tainted by deceit, heading into the unknown with only each other to rely on.