Chapter 16

The next thing Charley became aware of was stepping out of the church into brilliant sunlight and a cacophony of sound. Cameras flashed, her heart fluttered into sudden panic, and the man standing beside her drew her closer to his side. Two rows of dark-suited security men formed a barrier to hold back the curious onlookers, and Dami hurried her down through this corridor of safety to a waiting limousine, his arm not leaving contact with her until he had seen her safely shut behind the car door.

The car sped off the moment he’d settled beside her. The hazy glaze lifted from her eyes. Silence stung. It was over. She’d done it. She’d married her best friend’s fiancé. The air sounded choked as it left her lungs.

"So you do remember how to breathe," Dami’s quietly sardonic voice said beside her.

"It seems so," Charley thought without attempting to offer a reply.

Instead, she looked down at her hand, where a traditional gold band now adorned her slender white finger. Across the gap separat