I stood in my childhood bedroom, staring at my reflection in the full-length mirror. Ariella's wedding dress hung from my shoulders—ivory silk that cascaded like water, but water that no longer fit the vessel containing it. The dress was preserved perfectly, just like her memory. Just like her heart beating inside my chest.
The door creaked open behind me. My mother entered, her hands trembling as she carried a small jewelry box.
"You need to wear this," she whispered, never quite meeting my eyes. "It was hers."
She approached me slowly, as if I were a ghost myself. Her fingers brushed against the dress, adjusting the bodice that hung too loosely across my frailer frame.
"She would have wanted you to honor her this way," Mother continued, her voice barely audible. "This dress... it's like she's still here with us."
I nodded, unable to speak. My fingers instinctively moved to my chest, feeling the steady rhythm beneath my palm. Ariella's heart—stronger than mine had ever been—beat faithfully within me. Both gift and accusation.
"I'll be downstairs when you're ready," Mother said, backing toward the door. "Kaiser is waiting."
She left without looking at me again.
I took a deep breath and descended the stairs, each step heavier than the last. Kaiser stood in the foyer, tall and imposing in his black suit. His face was expressionless, but his eyes—those cold blue eyes—tracked my movement with unsettling precision.
He held something in his hand. I recognized it immediately—Ariella's wedding ring, the one she'd chosen with such care three years ago.
"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice devoid of emotion.
I nodded again, unable to form words.
---
The chapel was exactly as it had been for their wedding. The same white lilies lined the aisle, the same music played softly through hidden speakers. Even the guest list remained unchanged—people who had celebrated Ariella and Kaiser's union now watched with somber expressions as I walked toward him.
The only difference was the date. Today marked both a marriage and a cremation.
Kaiser's vows came next, delivered in a flat monotone that echoed through the chapel.
"I take you as my wife," he said, his eyes focused somewhere beyond my shoulder.
When the officiant pronounced us married, Kaiser leaned forward mechanically. His lips barely brushed mine—cold, dry, perfunctory. He pulled away immediately, turning his gaze to the exit as if already eager to leave.
At the reception, held in the same hotel ballroom where Ariella and Kaiser had danced their first dance as husband and wife, guests approached with awkward condolences rather than congratulations.
"Such a brave thing you're doing," they murmured. "Honoring her memory like this."
I smiled weakly, accepting their words like blows.
Across the room, I noticed her—a striking woman in a burgundy dress that hugged her curves with confidence I'd never possessed. She leaned close to Kaiser near the bar, her hand lingering on his arm with familiar intimacy.
She approached me as I stood alone by the window, champagne untouched in my hand.
"Scarlett, isn't it?" Her voice dripped with false sweetness. "I'm Peyton Hart. How brave of you to step into Ariella's shoes." She paused, her smile never reaching her eyes. "Though I suppose they'll always be too big to fill."
My father's toast came next. He mentioned Ariella seven times and never once acknowledged me by name.
---
Three weeks later, I stared at the pregnancy test in disbelief. Two pink lines had appeared—clear and undeniable.
My hand trembled as I wrapped the test in tissue paper. A child. Our child. Maybe this could change things between us. Maybe this could bridge the vast distance Kaiser maintained since our wedding night—when he'd slept in the guest room, claiming he needed space.
I found him in his study, surrounded by photographs of Ariella. Her smile followed me from every surface as I entered.
"Kaiser," I said softly. "I have something to tell you."
He looked up, his expression unreadable. "What is it?"
"I'm pregnant," I whispered, hope fluttering weakly in my chest.
Something changed in his eyes—something cold and terrible. He opened a desk drawer and removed a small bottle of medication.
"Take these tonight," he said, placing the bottle between us. "All of them."
"What? Why?" I asked, my voice small.
Kaiser's eyes finally met mine with icy clarity. "You think I would allow a child of yours to carry my name? Ariella's bloodline deserves better than what you can provide." His voice was calm, matter-of-fact. "This pregnancy ends tonight, Scarlett. Don't make me enforce it."
That evening, he watched as I swallowed the pills one by one, tears streaming down my face. Then he left me alone in the bathroom as cramps seized my body and I lost my first child, muffling my sobs so he wouldn't hear my grief through the walls.
