Page 41 of Vengeful Union

He doesn’t have to finish the sentence. I know that Niall Murphy would likely kill meandhis own son if he knew we were planning something.

I swallow hard and nod. Rory’s right.

I take his phone and scroll through pictures, finally finding the perfect ring–a princess cut diamond, a single carat, with inlaid rubies. Rubies are my favorite gemstone. Plus, it’s not as expensive as the two and three carat ones.

“That one,” I breathe, but something aches in my chest.

I wish this were real. I wish I was sitting next to the man I loved, not the son of my father’s enemy.

“It’s pretty.” Rory takes his phone back, pressing buttons and entering information on the keyboard. “It’s purchased. I’ll pick it up in the morning.”

I blink. Even though I’d picked one that’s fairly inexpensive, it’s still a lot of money to dole out at once. And he bought the wedding dress today, too. “You make that kind of money as an accountant?”

Rory grins. “I do pretty well for myself, and I’ve got a ton in savings. But my father is footing the bill for this wedding.”

“Of course.”

I hate it, Niall having anything to do with my wedding. But it has to be this way. He and Rory have to seem like a united front.

“You have to be bored in here.”

I groan. “Unbelievably bored.”

It’s not exactly that I’m bored, if I’m honest, but more that I know I won’t sleep any time soon. I need something to distract myself.

Rory stands and reaches his hand out to me.

I stand up, and he leads me to the door. I pause in the doorway, biting my lip.

“You’re not going to run into my father,” he promises. “He’s away until tomorrow.”

I nod and follow him into the hallway. I’m not quite ready to meet the man, the myth, the legend. The monster.

“Remember I told you the left wing was mostly storage?”

“Yeah?”

“I left something out.”

“What’s that?” I’m intrigued despite the situation.

Rory takes my hand, and heat rushes through me at how big his hand is, how it devours mine.

He tugs me toward the left wing, and we pass the room I was thrown into.

I hurry past it, not wanting any memories to come through, as if they’re lurking beyond the door instead of in my head.

At the end of the left wing, there are two huge double doors. The doorknobs are decorated with leaves.

“What’s this?”

“You’ll see.”

Rory smiles slightly as he opens the door, and the room beyond ishuge, bigger than any of the bedrooms and the dining area.

Bookshelves line the walls, books stacked in every spot, and there’s a large picture window with a window seat.

I look around in awe and then hurry to the window seat, sinking down on the cushion with my knees. There’s a gorgeous view of the pool and the back terrace with its gazebos on either side. And flowers. Flowers everywhere.

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