Chapter 37
Ace
The music floated through the air like a soft echo, the string quartet playing something light, something romantic, something that didn’t belong in the chaos raging inside my chest.
Jasper and Corrine’s wedding was everything it was meant to be: elegant, sophisticated, dripping with the kind of happiness that people spent their lives searching for. The vineyard was bathed in golden light, the sun slipping behind the hills in a final burst of color. Laughter rippled around me, glasses clinked, and the air was thick with the scent of roses, champagne, and lavender.
I should have been happy. I should have been present. After all, I was the best man.
But my heart was somewhere else entirely.
Brittany stood across the dance floor, the soft pink of her maid-of-honor dress glowing under the fairy lights, her hair pinned up in loose curls, that smile — God, that smile — lighting up herentire face as she laughed with Corrine. Every time I looked at her, I felt this sharp twist in my chest, like a rope tightening, like a clock ticking down.
Because I hadn’t told her.
Because I was a coward.
I took a sip of champagne, the bubbles sharp and cold, and then set the glass down on the nearest table. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to catch my breath, trying to pull myself together.
And then, as if the universe wanted to punish me further, I saw her — Sierra.
She stood alone near the edge of the terrace, her silver dress catching the last rays of the sun, her arms folded across her chest, gaze cast down at the marble tiles. Her expression was tired, drawn, like she was just as trapped as I was.
I didn’t want to go to her.
But I had no choice.
I crossed the terrace, weaving through the crowd, every step heavier than the last. When I reached her, she barely looked up.
“Sierra,” I said softly, my voice hoarse.
She turned, and for a second, just a second, her face softened. “Ace.”
We stood there, the hum of conversation all around us, the music wrapping us in a fragile bubble of sound.
“I—” I swallowed hard. “Please. Please don’t do this.”
Her lips trembled, her eyes glistening under the lights. “Ace…”
“Please,” I whispered again, the word cracking apart in my throat. “Don’t agree to this marriage. Don’t let them do this to us.”
Her jaw tightened. She looked away, blinking fast, her hands knotting together in front of her. “You think I want this?” she said bitterly. “You think this is my dream, Ace?”
I reached for her arm, desperate, aching, barely holding myself upright. “We can figure this out. We can fight them—”
“You don’t understand,” she cut me off sharply, pulling away. “My father… he’s threatened everything. My family’s business. My mother’s health. I don’t have a choice.”
The words hit me like a slap.
I stumbled back a step, cold creeping into my chest, numbing my fingers. “No,” I breathed. “No, no, no…”
“I’m sorry.” Her voice broke on a whisper, and for a second, I saw the girl I used to know, the one who laughed with me under the bleachers, who dared me to jump into the lake, who smiled at me like I was her entire world. “I’m so sorry.”
I looked at her — really looked at her — and saw the defeat in her eyes, the resignation, the silent surrender.
And it crushed me.
“We’re both prisoners,” she said softly, her gaze flicking back to the crowd. “But at least you have someone who loves you.”
