Her gaze drifted past them, scanning the crowd of guests settling into their seats. Elegant dresses, polished suits, the quiet hum of polite conversation. Families from both sides, friends, associates, the kind of gathering where everyone looked beautiful and nothing was quite what it seemed.
And then she found him.
Nicolas stood near the front, surrounded by a small cluster of friends, all of them laughing at something he had just said. He looked every inch the groom, impeccably dressed in a pale gray suit that probably cost more than most people's cars, his dark hair perfectly styled, that easy smile firmly in place.
He was laughing. Loudly. Carelessly. Like he did not have a care in the world.
Like he was not about to marry Hazel in a matter of minutes.
Bella's smile faded slightly.
She watched him clap one of his friends on the shoulder, watched the way his eyes swept the crowd. There was something in that glance that made her skin prickle.
