Mark didn't think he had ever felt Verity grip onto his hand as tightly as she was doing with James stood in front of them. He let her hold him, mainly because he had no intention of going anywhere. Her voice had shaken as she had spoken her ex-boyfriend's name and Mark wondered if he had ever heard her sound so anxious before. She hardly spoke about James and Mark never wanted to bring it up. She had told him all about her ex the first night he had gone back to her apartment. He knew all about what he had done. He knew how he had stolen all of Verity's work and made her feel worthless. He'd made her feel like she wasn't good enough and Mark couldn't stand the thought of anyone making her feel like that considering how talented she really was.
"Verity, darling, you look stunning," James spoke and he dared to step forward, a hand dropping to her hip. He leant forwards and pecked her on the cheek, taking her completely off guard. "I should've known you would be Janet's maid of honour. You two always have been thick as thieves."
"What are you doing here?" was all Verity asked and James stood up straight and chuckled.
"Robert invited my father and my mother couldn't make it and so he asked me to come as his plus one," James said. "Besides, I knew you'd be here and I thought that it would be good to see you again. Your mother keeps insisting we catch up."
"We don't need to catch up," Verity said. "We don't need to talk."
"Don't be like that, V," James urged from her.
"I think Verity would like you to leave her alone," Mark finally spoke up, voice even and stern. He wasn't going to stand by silently when he could tell that Verity didn't want this man anywhere near her.
James finally looked to him, drinking in his appearance. He'd heard all about Mark Hoffman from Dorothy when he'd met her. She had been disappointed that her daughter was dating a cop. She hadn't exactly had anything kind to say about Mark Hoffman. James had found it entertaining to a certain extent. Verity was now dating a cop when she could be married to one of the wealthiest men in New York if she had just put her own pride to one side. But she'd made her decision. She'd chosen to break up with him and pursue a career that hardly paid her enough when she could have lived a comfortable life.
"You must be Mark, right?" James checked, not bothering to offer the man his hand. "Dorothy told me that Verity was dating someone from the force. I had to laugh at that. How did you two even meet? I take it you don't mingle in the same circles?"
"I don't know," Mark drawled, "I've arrested quite a few people from your circle."
James chuckled and Verity swore she'd never felt so uncomfortable as they stood on the edge of the dancefloor and couples danced around them. Verity didn't want to make a scene. She didn't want anyone to stare and gawp at them. She knew what Mark's temper could be like. He had a short fuse when it came to certain things, particularly surrounding her.
"Yes," James said in a low voice. "I heard about what happened to the Jacobson family."
"That was nothing to do with Mark," Verity defended him.
James looked to her with a sceptically raised brow. "I doubt it," he replied. "Anyway, how about that dance, V?"
"How about you leave her alone?" Mark retorted before Verity could answer. "You know all about me? Well I know all about you. I know what you did to her. I know how you lied and stole her work. I know how you tried to ruin any shred of self-confidence she had."
James was silent then and Verity felt her cheeks begin to redden as Mark kept hold of her hand and took a step towards James. He wasn't going to be intimidated by this man and let him get away with taunting Verity.
"But it didn't work," Mark said in a low hiss. "She's got more talent than you could ever dream of having. Now, I suggest you leave us alone and crawl back into whatever hole it is your crawled out of."
James glared at Mark. He shook his head slowly, his narrowed eyes turning back towards Verity. "This is the guy?" he checked with her. "This is the guy you want to be with?"
"This is the guy I am with," Verity retorted. "Just leave us alone, James, I don't want you to make a scene at Janet's wedding."
"I'm not making a scene," he defended himself, hand going to his chest and eyes widening like he was the very image of innocence, despite being anything but. Verity rolled her eyes skywards and Mark gave her hand a solid squeeze, wondering if there was anything he could do to make this any less awkward for her. "I just wanted to dance with my ex-girlfriend."
"I don't want to dance," Verity said in a harsh but low voice. "I don't want to be anywhere near you, James, so just leave us alone."
"What the fuck is he doing here?"
Mark had to confess that Janet was saying exactly what he was thinking. She was storming over towards them, hands on her hips and dress catching around her legs. Robert was following her, eyes moving between everyone stood on the edge of the dancefloor. Janet's loud snap gained attention, more eyes turning in their direction. Verity wanted to groan, knowing that Janet wouldn't hold back. She was more likely to yell at James than Verity was.
"His father brought him as a plus one," Robert answered his wife and her gaze turned onto him and he shrugged, trying to defend himself. "I only heard this morning and I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry," he said and Janet's glare softened slightly before her husband looked to Verity. "I'm sorry, V."
"It's alright," she promised him.
"The hell it is," Janet said and then looked to James, stepping towards him with her chin jutting out. She looked up at him, eyes in narrow slits. "You have some nerve showing your face here after everything you've done. What made you think you'd be welcome?"
"Jan, don't," Verity said, nervously looking round and sensing that people were watching them now, whispering behind cupped palms. But Janet didn't care and James certainly didn't mind.
"Why am I being ganged up on here?" he questioned, looking at the four of them. "I did nothing wrong. I simply wanted to accompany my father and pass on my best wishes to the bride and groom…plus it would be rude not to say hello to V…we did used to date."
"Just because you dated doesn't mean you have any right to talk to her," Mark spoke up.
"I'm with him," Janet said and James chuckled. He found the situation amusing more than anything and that scared Verity. She knew how he was. He was smarmy and arrogant. He was the one who could get a rise out of people. She had seen him do it so many times before.
"Look, we don't want any trouble," Verity said, trying to calm the situation. "James, just stay away from us, okay? I don't want to ruin Janet's day."
"This piece of shit couldn't ruin my day if he tried," Janet said. "Besides, is it not in a bride's prerogative to ask someone to leave?" she wondered, looking to Robert who, in turn, was also looking uncomfortable in the situation. "I think it is. Don't we have security here?"
"Jannie," Robert whispered, trying to calm his wife.
"Not necessary," James said, holding his hands up defensively. "I know where I'm not wanted. I'll leave…it was good to see you, Jan," he said, offering a smirk in her direction as she folded her arms over her chest and refused to mellow. James switched his gaze over to his ex then, looking to her as she avoided his gaze. "Catch up soon, V. You're looking stunning."
"Just go, James," she urged, knowing that he was just trying to get a rise out of them. She sensed that it had almost worked as Mark flexed his fingers inside of hers.
James did turn on his heel and go then, walking in between the group of people who parted to let him walk by. He kept his head held high like he had every right to be there. Verity shook her head slowly and glanced to Janet. "I'm sorry."
"Why the hell are you apologising?" Mark was the one to demand from her, voice stern and she could see that his cheeks were slightly tinged red. He was beyond annoyed over what had just happened. He tried to keep his anger in check, but the entire day had been exhausting. So much had happened and he was fed up of the injustice. He was fed up of these people thinking that wealth and power protected them from behaving like decent human beings.
"He's right," Janet said. "You don't apologise to me, understand? He was the one who tried to ruin this."
"I know," Verity said. "I just don't get why he does this. Why does he turn up when he knows no one wants him here?"
"Because he's a piece of work and I'm not going to let you think that this has ruined my day," Janet said to her friend, stepping forward and grasping hold of her upper arms, squeezing them tightly and trying to tell her that everything was fine. She was never going to let a guy like James ruin something. "Now, I'm going to go back and dance and enjoy my day. Can you please do the same?"
"I'll make her," Mark said.
Janet smirked at that and Robert moved a hand into hers. She lifted her free hand up and pointed at Mark. "I knew there was a reason why I liked him. Good job I set you two up, huh?"
"Yes, this is all down to you," Verity humoured her friend who just chuckled manically and let Robert lead her back to the dance floor. Turning to look up to Mark, Verity looked exasperated and still slightly upset over what had just happened.
"Don't let him get to you," Mark urged from her.
"Hard not to," Verity confessed. "Months of him telling me I was no good just came flooding back. I never wanted to see him again, but I guess the circles we run in are pretty small. I figured if I just tried to stay out of them then I'd be okay. Besides, are you alright?"
"Me?" Mark asked and then scoffed. "Ver, you know I deal with lowlife criminals? Your ex and his pathetic insults aren't going to do anything to me. I can handle them. Besides, I have to confess that I quite liked the look on his face when he realised who I was…knowing that you're not his anymore."
Verity arched her brow. "Got a possessive streak, have we, detective?" she questioned, not entirely certain how she felt about that. A small part of her liked it because she was the same. She'd seen some girls glance in Mark's direction when they'd been out before and she didn't like it. Mark smirked, the rueful look lighting up his face.
"Have to confess, I'm quite possessive over you," Mark admitted to her and he saw the way her cheeks reddened slightly. She bit down on her tongue as he leaned down and knew he could make her blush even further. "Because you're mine, aren't you, sweetheart?"
Grabbing hold of his hand, Verity dragged him from the ballroom and he wondered if he was going to be yelled at. She picked up a key from a table on the way and his brow furrowed. Thankfully it was better than he imagined as she headed to the elevator and pressed the button to call the car down. Mark had to confess that he was shocked there was no one waiting by the elevator to do that for them.
"Janet insisted on booking a room for the bridesmaids so that we could freshen up throughout the day," Verity said, eyes fixed on the elevator because she knew that there was no chance she could look at Mark without coming over all flustered.
"Considerate of her," Mark said.
"I thought so too," Verity said as the doors dinged open and they stepped inside the empty car.
Mark stood behind her, hand on the small of her back before he moved a single finger up her spine, feeling her shudder underneath his touch. He knew he was playing a game here, but he quite enjoyed the thrill of it. He just wished that James could see that he had no chance. He let his finger tickle the back of her neck as the elevator slowly climbed the floors and he toyed with the strap of her dress.
Verity said nothing, well aware that her mood had changed in seconds. How had she gone from being so fretful to wanting to jump her boyfriend's bones in seconds? She had no idea, but she knew Mark's light caresses were doing nothing to slow her pulse. She closed her eyes for a second and breathed out a sigh of relief as the doors opened on the floor and they walked towards the suite.
Slipping the key into the lock, Verity unlocked the door and opened the door. Mark followed behind her, barely having time to look at the suite and appreciate how plush it was and how it was almost three times the size of his entire apartment because Verity had pushed him against the door and turned the lock. She threw the key to one side and her lips met his, using his tie to drag him down to her height as she kissed him hungrily, her hands reaching for his belt. Mark moved his lips from hers to gasp for breath as he pulled on the straps of her dress and tugged them off her shoulders, shimmying the material down her chest and leaving her in a strapless green bra.
"Wasn't sure if you were going to snap at me for being a possessive asshole," Mark confessed as she finally found the fly of his trousers.
"I can always do that if you'd prefer," she asked as he kissed her neck, biting down on a sensitive spot that made her moan and then soothing it with his tongue.
"Think I prefer this," he muttered.
"Just…don't use it against me," she urged from him and Mark wondered what she was saying. He stopped for a moment and pulled back to look at her. She kept her hands against his hips as she tried to tug his belt from its loopholes and out of her way. Her eyes widened and Mark instantly moved his hand to cup hold of her cheek, brows furrowing.
"What do you mean?" he asked from her and she shook her head.
"It doesn't matter," she replied, instantly knowing that she might have killed the mood. She pulled her dress back up to cover her chest, the straps dangling down her arms.
"Don't do that," Mark urged as she turned on her heel and moved towards the bed, perching on the edge of it, fingers clasping silk material against her chest. "Don't close off from me, Ver. We tell each other everything. What is it? Something clearly happened in your mind and now you've gone all quiet."
"Just…we…we haven't really discussed this because things have been good…I mean…vanilla but in a way that is like the best scoop of vanilla ice cream you've ever had," Verity said and Mark frowned but went to sit down next to her on the end of the bed. She let out a deep breath and suspected that she should tell him because she trusted him.
"Well that's good to know," Mark said. "I never thought that our sex life was particularly boring, but clearly I was mistaken-"
"-No," Verity interrupted him, moving a hand to his thigh and squeezing tightly on the flesh she could grip. She shook her head and looked at him again with those wide eyes he was a sucker for. "Everything is great, but I just…there's been times in the past when I've quite enjoyed…someone taking a charge…being possessive…" she confessed to him. "I mean, it's no big deal and if you're not into it then-"
"-Ver, sweetheart, I'm a cop," Mark reminded her. "Most of us quite like having an air of authority. If you want me to take charge every once in a while then you know I'm more than into that. Hell, the idea…Christ…" he lost words as his mind started to get carried away before he shook his head. "What did you mean when you said not to use it against you?" he wondered from her.
"I…James…he went out one night and I met him for a drink. It turned out he'd told all of his friends about what we got up into the bedroom," Verity said and Mark rolled his eyes to the ceiling, cursing in his mind. "Anyway, there were times when he'd use the power trip to try and get me to tell him how useless I was compared to him…and that…that was the bit that hurt. He claimed it was just playful, but it never felt entirely playful."
"He's a prick," Mark said. "And he should never have done anything to make you feel uncomfortable. That's not how relationships go and don't ever think anything differently. Whatever we are doing…whatever we're doing…it should always be something we both are happy with."
Verity continued to glance up to him before placing a hand on his cheek and moving her fingers into his hair. She reached up and this time kissed him sweetly, savouring the feeling of his mouth against hers and closing her eyes, firmly shutting them and allowing herself to luxuriate in his warmth.
"I love you," she said to him and he kissed her back.
"I love you too, sweetheart."
…..
Leaving the suite, Mark tugged at his tie, trying to make sure it was straight. Verity locked the door behind her and Mark took the key to place in his pocket. The two of them had tried to tidy up and not look too dishevelled, but their cheeks were still flushed and Verity's dress was slightly creased. Heading back down towards the party, they hardly had chance to join again before Verity's parents were there, demanding her attention.
"Verity, we need to talk," her father demanded and John Daniels looked his daughter up and down as Dorothy let out a tut. "I'd ask where you've been considering we've been looking for you for ages, but clearly you've been acting like a cheap two-bit whore."
"Watch your tone," Mark was the one who spoke then.
"I'm talking to my daughter, not you," John snarled at him.
"We'll talk next door," Verity said, "I'm not causing a scene here."
"It wouldn't be the first scene you've caused today, would it?" Dorothy questioned but Verity was already turning around and heading down the corridor towards an empty conference room. She opened the door and stepped inside, Mark by her side. She headed towards the u-shaped mahogany table and leant back against it, arms folded over her chest.
"Did you come here to insult me or is there something you actually want to talk about?" Verity demanded from her parents. Her mother stood to one side, peering out into the small courtyard through the net curtains. John closed the door and Mark remained stood by Verity's side.
"Why did you have James kicked out?" John demanded to know from his daughter.
"Technically he got himself kicked out," she defended and John shook his head. "He wasn't invited and Janet didn't want him here."
"It was terribly rude," Dorothy said, still not giving them her full attention. "He said that he just asked you to dance but your…date…practically told him to back off."
"My date?" Verity questioned. "He's my boyfriend. We're together. I don't see why that's so hard for you to understand. Besides, I didn't want to dance with James. I told him to leave his alone and not make a scene, but he ignored us. He wanted to be the centre of attention like always. I don't see why this makes me the bad guy here."
"For fuck's sake, Verity, could you not just do as your told for once?" John exclaimed, losing his temper and flapping his arms by his side. His tone took Verity by surprise and Mark wondered if she'd seen her father like this before as he wildly pointed in her direction. "James is from a respectable family. His parents adore you for some unknown reason. He's good for you. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have people ask me what you're doing and I have to tell them? You're in an apartment you can't afford, dating a man who is miles beneath you and still thinking you can make a living playing the piano. You know who I am, right? You know my social standing? You understand there are certain expectations that come with you being my daughter?"
"John," Dorothy looked to her husband, almost like she was trying to urge him to calm down.
"I am sorry that I am a disappointment of a daughter for you," Verity said, hand going to her chest as she stood up tall and took slow steps towards her father. "I'm sorry that I didn't marry James and just dangle off his arm at parties and sit on the boards of charities where all you do is sit around an congratulate each other for being so generous despite hoarding your wealth. I'm sorry I'm doing something I love that you don't approve of. I'm sorry it pains you to have to see me with a man who loves me for me and I love him for who he is…a man who is not beneath me…a man who is kind, generous and cares for me more than you ever could."
"You think he cares for you?" John demanded. "I offered him money to stop dating you."
"Money I never intended on taking."
"But you didn't say that though, did you?" John retorted. "I told you to think on it and you never said anything in response to it."
"I said no," Mark snarled. "I asked you what Verity would think if she knew you were doing this."
"But you never told her," Dorothy took her time to chine in then.
"Because we are at her best friend's wedding," Mark snapped, his voice rising. "Because, for some stupid and probably naïve reason, I thought you might see sense and realise what a ridiculous thing it was to do…to protect her…because I didn't want her to know how despicable her parents really were."
"You would've taken that money eventually," John said. "Because we both know it's the only way Angelina will go to college."
Verity looked up to Mark then, wondering if that was true. He went quiet for a minute and she saw a brief look of concern pass his face. But he quickly covered it up, shaking his head.
"You know nothing," Mark settled on saying.
"Verity, you need to see sense," Dorothy urged her daughter. "Your father is telling you the truth. He would've taken that money and left you. You can't trust him."
"What? And I can trust you?" she questioned and then she knew what she had to do. She couldn't keep going round in circles with her parents. She couldn't keep doing this dance. "We're done," she settled on saying to them. "If you think so little of me then we're done. I don't want anything to do with either of you."
"You don't mean that," Dorothy said and Mark really wondered if they were so naïve as to think that they hadn't brought this on themselves?
"I do," Verity said and Mark wondered if he had ever heard such conviction in her voice. She looked to her father and shrugged her shoulders. "When people ask, you can tell them that you don't have anything to do with your daughter. Tell them that I cut you off. Tell them that I turned out to be nothing but a spoiled brat. I don't care. You can tell them what you want."
"You're being ridiculous," John snarled.
"No, you're being ridiculous if you think I'd believe you over Mark," Verity said. "I know what you're like. You're a narcissist. The only thing you can think about is yourself. You've never cared for anyone else, even mother…you want to portray the perfect life. You want people to think you're strong and have everything: the loving wife; the doting daughter; the business empire," Verity continued, going toe-to-toe with her father. "The problem is it's all a façade because deep down we know you're empty. You're a vacuous pit who is a mediocre businessman who would rather fuck his secretary than go home to his own family."
"You little slut!" John snapped then and he reached for Verity. He shook her violently and before Mark could intervene had slapped her across the face with enough force to push her to the ground. She collapsed in a heap, a gasp coming from her.
Mark balled his hand into a fist and lashed out then. He punched John squarely in the nose, watching him tumble backwards to the ground, Dorothy shrieking loudly. Mark turned his attention to Verity, falling to his knees by her side, fingers grasping at her and helping her to sit up.
"You alright?" he asked from her. She clung onto her cheek, hair falling in her face messily and eyes stinging with tears.
"Yeah," she said to him.
"You monster!" Dorothy snapped, standing near her husband who kept brushing her off, not wanting her to hover around him. "Look at what he did to your father."
"Look at what he did to your daughter," Mark snapped back and moved to his feet, helping Verity to stand and finding her uneasy on her feet, swaying slightly back and forth. He kept an arm around her waist to hold her upright. "You're lucky I didn't do anything worse to him."
John's hands remained cupped around his nose and Mark only hoped he was bleeding. "You'll pay for that," he warned him, voice muffled around his fingers. "You think you can punch me like that?" he demanded. "And you think you can talk to me like that? I gave you everything. Without me you'd be nothing…you'd have no piano to play…you'd have no Julliard education…nothing."
"That's maybe true, but we're done now," Verity snapped at him. "There's nothing left to say. I'm done with you both."
"There will be no second chances, Verity," John warned her. "You can't come crawling back once this relationship ends. You've made your choice. You've chosen him and you don't get another shot."
"You were the ones who made this choice when you tried to pay him off," Verity said. "Either way, it's him I want. I'm not leaving him and he's not leaving me. I love him and you can't accept that…so we're done."
"You're going to regret it," Dorothy said. "Trust me, love isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"And that's why I pity you," Verity replied and moved from Mark's grip but took his hand inside of hers. "Because I don't want a life like yours, mother. I want to make my own way and if that means all I'll ever afford is a small bedsit in the suburbs then I'll take that…because at least I'd be happier than you."
"You won't think that forever," John said, wiping his nose with the back of his hand, blood smearing on his skin.
"We'll see," was all Verity said and she walked out of the conference room with Mark by her side, his glare glancing between her parents. They walked silently down the corridor and back towards the elevator. Verity let out a shaky breath and Mark knew they were going back to the suite.
"You okay?" he asked her.
"Can we talk when we're away from prying eyes?" she asked and she sensed people in the foyer watching them, no doubt having heard the entire screaming match that had gone on. Mark looked at them and they had the decency to look away.
They kept silent as they rode the elevator and came to the sixth floor again. Mark filled up an ice bucket that was at the end of the corridor next to the ice machine and carried it back to the room, unlocking the door and holding the door open for Verity. She stepped inside first and he locked the door behind him.
"Fuck that hurt," Verity finally cursed and Mark watched her cling onto her cheek.
"Sit down," he urged from her and went to grab hold of a wash cloth from the bathroom. He wrapped pieces of ice into it and knelt down in front of where she sat on the dressing table bench. He held the ice against her cheek and she winced in pain. He moved his other hand to her other cheek to urge her to keep still. "There you go, sweetheart."
"He's got a mean hit on him," Verity muttered. "Should've known."
"He's hit you before?"
"When I was a teenager," Verity confessed. "It's been a while…I used to push his buttons."
"That doesn't matter. He shouldn't hurt you," Mark said with conviction and Verity just shrugged her shoulders awkwardly. But Mark wasn't having that. "Ver, listen to me, whatever you did, you didn't deserve it. The way your family…James…have treated you…it's wrong. You deserve so much more, do you understand me? You deserve better than they could ever give you."
"It doesn't always feel that way," Verity confessed to him with a small whisper.
"I don't want to hear you say that," Mark said. "I want you to understand just how amazing you are because you…you're incredible. You're not like anyone I've ever met before."
"You have to say that because you love me," Verity said, trying to tease him slightly and move away from the intense conversation. "You might be bias."
"I might be," he said. "But then again, I'm a good judge of character so I know what I'm talking about."
They both went silent then for a few moments, Mark's hand on her uncovered cheek stroking along her cheekbone, thumb running along the bone as she moved a hand to sit on his arm and he leant in to quickly kiss her on her forehead, silently letting her know that he was there for her.
"Quite a wedding, huh?" she asked him in a whisper.
"Most chaotic one I've been to," Mark said to her. "You sure have expanded my horizons, Verity Daniels."
"Wish you hadn't met me?" she wondered.
"Never," he promised her. "In fact…I'm not sure I can imagine a world without you now."
"You don't need to because I'm going nowhere," she assured him. "But there is one thing bothering me."
"What is it?"
"What they said about the money. Are you really struggling to pay for Angelina to go to college?"
Mark shifted on his knees uncomfortably and his eyes flickered to the ceiling. Verity caught the look of apprehension flash across his face and she instantly knew that he was, but she wanted him to be open with her.
"No secrets, remember?" she reminded him.
Nodding firmly to himself, Mark steeled himself. "I'm struggling," he confessed. "Even with the apartment and the job…I'm not sure it's going to be enough to send her to college even with a partial scholarship."
Verity considered what he was saying and she spoke impulsively. "Move in with me," she said.
Mark cocked his head to the side. "Ver," he said her name in a low voice.
"I mean it," she promised him, growing with conviction. "You spend most of your time at mine anyway and I'm in a position where, fortunately, Jan doesn't make me pay rent. You'd be able to save more that way and…maybe there's the fact that I quite like waking up and finding you there…seeing your toothbrush next to him…letting you cook breakfast…maybe it's too soon, but it feels right, doesn't it?"
"I don't want you to ask me this because of financial reasons. I want you to ask me because you want me there."
"Can it not be both?" she queried from him. "Can it not be because I want you to move in and there's a positive of saving money?"
"You're sure? And what about Jan?"
"Honestly, she already thinks we've moved in together with the amount of time you spend there," she said. "Say yes, Mark. Please?"
Mark's smile widened on his face and he nodded. "Yes," he said. He wanted to live with her, he truly did. He loved how she pulled off her clothes and left them strewn around the bedroom. He loved how she would always hum in the shower. He loved how he would walk in and find her at the piano, playing softly and lost in her own world.
"And we'll find a way to get enough money to send Angelina to college," Verity said.
"No," Mark said, shaking his head. "That's my problem."
"We're a couple. Your problems become my problems. My problems have certainly become yours," she retorted. "We do things together, understand? I love you and I'm going nowhere."
Mark leaned in and kissed her, grateful for her more than anything at that moment in time. He knew that everything would be alright. They were strong. They could overthrow anything that was thrown at them. At least, that's what he convinced himself of. Reality was a much more different world.
...
A/N: Leaving the wedding in the next chapter - more dynamics with a sibling and also...a stalker?
