Page 24 of Forbidden Vows

“I was born ready,” Ciara declares as I hand her the bridal bouquet. “You go in first with the other bridesmaids. I’ll be right on your heels.”

“I’m so proud of you, honey,” Dad tells her.

“I want to thank you for making this happen, Daddy,” Ciara replies and plants a kiss on his cheek.

The more I look at him, however, the more uneasy I feel. There’s definitely something wrong, something he’s not telling us. Several times, I’ve seen him out of breath from a simple flight of stairs. A year ago, this man could run circles around others half his age. He’s been eating less and less. He’s barely touched his favorite whiskey over the past month or so.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Dad?” I ask again.

“Go inside, Eileen. Let’s not spoil Ciara’s special day,” he bluntly replies.

“Come on, Eileen, lead the girls in. I’ve got a fabulous entrance to make,” Ciara giggles.

I force myself to walk up the steps while a cold sweat works through me. I keep my head up as I grab my bouquet from the side table next to the ceremony hall’s main entrance, then give the other bridesmaids a nod to follow me. I’m supposed to lead the way, yet I feel so out of place.

I take a deep breath as I push open the doors.

“Here comes the bride,” I hear one of Ciara’s close friends announce somewhere behind me. I roll my eyes.

In an instant, everything changes.

My breathing becomes erratic as I take it all in. The two hundred guests turn around to face us. Up ahead at the altar, I see the minister in his pristine white robe, purple and gold flowing over his shoulders. Next to him stands Anton in his tuxedo, looking so goddamn handsome it’s a bloody sin. His brother and best man are beside him.

I catch Laura giving me a wink and an encouraging smile. “You can do this,” she mouths at me. I return the smile, but suddenly everything starts to spin.

“Oh no, something’s not right,” I whisper.

Cold sweat is joined by a hot sensation swirling through my body. All of a sudden, I feel as if I swallowed a lead ball, and it’s currently swelling inside my stomach. Looking over my shoulder, I see the bridesmaids following me without a care in the world, smiling and drawing admiration from the wedding guests.

I look forward again, noticing the frown on Anton’s face as he watches me.

I’m still walking, right?

No, I’m falling.

The entire view shifts too quickly as someone gasps, “Oh, my gosh!”

I hit the ground and land on my side. My whole body goes limp before cold and hot hits me at the same time. I stare at the ceiling. I hear rushed footsteps, my father’s voice booming across the wedding hall.

“Out of my way!” he snarls.

But it’s Anton’s face that pops into my field of vision first.

His hazel eyes are wide, filled with fear and concern, and that same softness I remember from the night we met.

Darkness tugs at me.

“Stay with me,” he says before I can’t hear him anymore.

His lips moving in silence is all I see before everything fades to black.

A sea of voices washes at the shore of my consciousness as I come to. I’m being wheeled on a gurney, red lights flashing around me.

“Oh, shit,” I hear myself say as I realize what happened.

My father is close by, and so is Ciara. He looks worried. She looks inconvenienced.

“What’s going on?” I ask the paramedics just as they’re about to load me into the ambulance.

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