**Maya's POV**
The morning of our wedding dawned gray and drizzly, as if the weather was reflecting my mood. I stood at the window of the guest suite, watching raindrops streak down the glass while I sipped coffee that tasted like ash in my mouth.
Today I would become Mrs. Ethan Blackwood. Legally, officially, irrevocably.
My phone buzzed with a text from Lily: *How are you feeling? Want me to come over?*
I typed back: *I'm fine. Just getting ready.*
*You don't have to go through with this, you know. It's not too late to change your mind.*
But it was too late. The money had already been transferred to my account—all three hundred million dollars sitting there like a beautiful, terrible reminder of what I'd sold myself for. Mom's treatment had been arranged, her flight to Switzerland scheduled for next week. The wheels were in motion, and I was just along for the ride.
*I'm fine,* I texted again. *See you at city hall.*
