“Gun under the pillow? I hope you didn’t think I was just going to leave it loaded,” he asked, ice dripping from his voice.

“You touched my gun!”

“I’ve touched more than your gun. Get over it,” he said, closing the door as he left.

The blood in my veins was boiling so badly, my skin was turning red.

Grabbing my phone, I tried not to yell when I heard the other voice on the line.

“Fedel, are you ready to redeem yourself?” I asked. I could almost hear him jumping out of bed.

“Yes, ma’am, anything,” he replied right away.

“Liam has a breakfast this morning. I want every goddamn detail. He sneezes, I want to know about it.”

“Of course, where is he?”

“I don’t fucking know! Do your job!” I screamed before hurling the phone at the wall, shattering it and the mirror it hit. Running my hands through my hair, I tried my best to breathe, but I was pissed off. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill something! But I couldn’t—not now at least—so I stood still, breathing slowly, shutting out the world around me. I didn’t allow myself to think, just breathe. I wasn’t sure how long I stood still. All I knew was that my boiling blood was becoming cold.

“Ma’am.” Blinking, I came face to face with Adriana. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but you’ve been like this for an hour and you need to get ready for mass.”

I stared at her before turning to the clock, and sure enough it was seven forty-seven. Nodding, I walked into the bathroom.

“Adriana, I need a new phone,” I said before stripping down and heading into the shower. As much as I enjoyed the warmth of the water as it beat against my skin, I needed to get a move on.

My father always said, never keep God waiting. When I stepped out, Adriana was already waiting with a towel.

“Adriana, you will not be going to Camp with us,” I told her as I dried out my hair.

“Did I do something to upset you?”

“No, I simply have another assignment for you,” I replied, dropping the towel and reaching for my underwear. “While we are gone, you are to train Coraline Callahan in hand-to-hand combat. She wants to learn how to shoot as well, but she will fail at it. Teach her the basics on knives. She may be good at that.”

Adriana handed me a blue dress with a white bow on the front to step into.

“How far am I to go, ma’am?” she asked. I knew she was worried about Declan.

Placing my earrings on, I thought for a moment. “Make sure any scars or bruises are not visible and that she treats them quickly. Give her safety knives first.”

She placed my shoes before me and nodded. “Is that all, ma’am?”

“Yes, and don’t go soft on her. Make sure she understands it only gets worse after Day One before it gets better,” I replied, stepping into my shoes before sitting down so she could place a little bit of make up on my face.

Before she could reply, there was a knock at the door.

“Enter,” I called out. Fedel walked in quickly with a camera in his hands.

“Good morning—”

“Did he see you?” I asked, stretching my hand out for the camera.

“No.”

As I looked through the pictures, I felt my anger return. He sat across from a blonde bimbo, leaning in close to her stupid fucking face.

“Her name is Natasha Briar. She attended the wedding with Amory. She came after Declan and Neal met him for breakfast. They spoke for a few moments, and when he headed toward the back, she followed. Twelve minutes later, he headed back into his car, where he then went to a boxing club in south end.”

Do not overreact, my mind screamed as my throat closed up.

Standing, I placed the camera down and grabbed my sunglasses along with my purse before walking out of the room. I wasn’t going to think or say anything until later. Right now, I just needed to breathe and stay calm. I would kill him, but not on a Sunday. I didn’t kill anyone on Sundays, even if I really wanted to. Stepping outside the doors, I watched as everyone spoke among themselves. I wasn’t sure how far away the location of Liam’s breakfast was, but he was back and speaking quickly to Neal. He stopped when his eyes caught mine.

Evelyn smiled. “You look beautiful, dear.”

“Thank you, Evelyn, as do you,” I said as I walked toward Liam’s Audi. His driver held the door open, and I sat inside.

When Liam stepped in, newly showered and dressed, he didn’t bother looking at me. Instead, he focused on his phone. In my mind, all I saw were the photos, and it made me want to stuff the phone down his throat.

“Remember to pretend as if you care about anything. There is always a chance for a photo of us to be taken.”

Fuck you.

Nodding, I looked out the window to see the same church we had gotten married in, only a block away. I did my best not to think about my wedding. It only reminded me of my father. When he took my hand, but I flinched away, and he smiled sadly, shaking his head before tightening his grip.

“Do what you do best and lie,” he whispered as he helped me out of the car. Sure enough, there were a few photographers. You would think they would have more respect. We were going to church for God’s sake.

Sighing, I took off my sunglasses the moment we stepped inside, looking around again at the beautiful and grand cathedral that mirrored many of the ones I loved in Europe.

“You really do look beautiful, Mel.” Coraline smiled at me, but I could tell she was more excited about her future than she was about me.

“Thank you, Cora,” I said, smiling back. Olivia gave me a glare before taking Neal’s hand and walking deeper into the church.

I bit my tongue to keep from saying something rude in God’s house. However, when my eyes met that of a blonde in a pink, too-short-for-church dress, I felt the floodgates open and a smile spread over my lips. She walked into the bathroom, and no one else seemed to notice her. Not even Liam as he spoke with Neal, again.

Looking up, I smiled. Thank you, Jesus, for this gift. “You all go in. I will meet you in a moment.”

Liam eyed me carefully. “We should go in together. My mother wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Then your mother will just have to deal with it. I’m heading to the ladies room. I’ll be right back.”

I sighed loudly. He had to fight me on everything. Coraline stepped forward, but I glared at her before she could dare volunteer to join me. I handed Liam my purse and turned away from him. He rolled his eyes before walking in after Neal and Olivia.

My pulse quickened when I stepped into the bathroom, pushing the wooden door open. There, of course, stood Natasha, adding more lipstick to her Botox-filled lips. The way she looked at me when in the door closed behind me told me all I needed to know. She had no idea what type of person I was.

I smiled at her, washing my hands. “Hi.”

She smirked. “Well, if isn’t the infamous Mrs. Callahan.”

“Do I know you?” I asked innocently.

She whipped her golden hair over her shoulder twice, and I wanted nothing more than to rip it from her head.

“You should,” she said, giving me a fake frown. “Look, I’m not trying to hurt you and you seem sweet . . . a little too sweet, actually. But you need to know. Liam and I were something before you got married. I know this is just some arranged marriage. He told me so. It won’t last, sweetheart. Like I said, you’re sweet, but Liam doesn’t need sweet. He needs a real woman.”

“And you’re that real woman?”

She smiled. “He doesn’t know it yet, but yes, I am. I know how to give him pleasure like no one else. He came every time my mouth was on him. He begged at night for me. He made me come over and over again. We went at it like animals. But then he would make sweet, slow, and passionate lov—”

Before she could finish, I grabbed her by her stupid blond hair and slammed her face against the mirror. She screamed, letting out a cry of pain as the glass shattered around her head. It almost looked like a spider web . . . a bloody spider web. Pushing her face harder against the broken glass made her cry out again.