Valerie Thorne’s Pov:

The wedding ceremony finally began.

The official attendant kept talking, god knows what, but I didn’t hear a word of it. My mind was miles away, spiraling in a dark, endless loop that was taking me away from the sunshine.

I wanted to scream, to run, but every option seemed to lead me back to the same cold feeling, the same cold truth. I was trapped. I was getting trapped. And I saw no rescue around me.

My gaze swept past the audience to the stranger’s faces. None ...