Chapter 3 Three

Amelia

I gasped awake, my lungs pulling in air that smelled like flowers and expensive perfume. Not the damp, metallic stench of a prison cell. My heart hammered against my ribs as I blinked against bright sunlight.

I blinked hard. Where was I? I looked around, confused, because this place felt familiar. This garden, I knew it well, I have been here before.

Rows of chairs. White fabric draped between posts. Wedding music playing softly in the background.

This was Adele's wedding from three years ago, how the hell was that possible? Was my mind playing tricks on me? Was I reliving my past before going to hell?

My hands were shaking. I looked down at them, no bruises, no scars. I touched my stomach, flat, no pregnancy, no wound. My body was whole.

But that was impossible. I had died in prison. I remembered the cold floor, the sound of footsteps approaching my cell, and then nothing.

A dream. It had to be a dream. The kind that feels so real my body can't tell the difference.

My eyes dropped to my hand, and I almost jerked out of my seat. Declan was holding it, this was real. He was sitting right beside me like nothing was wrong. Like he hadn't destroyed my life. Like I hadn't died because of everything connected to him.

I snatched my hand away and stood up so fast the chair tipped behind me.

Everyone staring at me like I was acting weird. Adele was standing there in her wedding dress, staring at me nervously while her makeup artist adjusted her veil.

Declan reached for my arm and whispered, "Amelia, what are you doing? Sit down, do you want to ruin your friend's wedding?"

I pulled away from him. The dream, if that's what it was, had shown me everything. Every lie. Every betrayal. Every choice that led to my daughter dying in a hospital bed while I rotted in a cell.

I didn't know if it was prophecy or madness. But I knew one thing: if it was real, Killian's phone would prove it. He and Declan were always cut from the same cloth.

The pastor looked at me. "Is there a reason why you do not consent to their marriage, miss?"

My eyes went wide, so that was why everyone was murmuring and giving me those weird looks. God really has a sense of humor, because why would I snap back to my senses at the exact moment she was about to say I do? I remembered in my dream I was crying when she said it, but I see everything clearly now.

"Adele, we need to talk." Ignoring everyone around us, I fixed my gaze firmly on Adele, my best friend who had always given me everything.

"What's wrong, Amy? Why are you trying to ruin my happy moment? We planned this together." Adele clutched her bouquet to her chest, panic clear on her face.

I pulled her aside to a quiet, empty corner. "I swear to you, I am not crazy. I just heard some rumors. Killian has been cheating on you. And if I explain it, you will probably think I'm crazy. But please, do not go ahead with this wedding."

Adele looked at me like I had grown horns. "Girl, what are you even saying? Are you sure you are not high?" she asked, looking around like someone should come save her from me.

"Listen to me. Do you trust me?" I asked. She nodded. "Then you know I would never do anything to ruin your life."

"Check Killian's phone. The chat between him and Declan, there has to be something there," I said.

Adele studied my deathly pale expression and finally gave in."Alright... This whole thing is incredibly weird, but I' ll always believe in you."

She marched back to where Killian was standing and asked for his phone. He refused at first, insisting he wasn't handing it over, but he eventually gave it to her. She scrolled, and her eyes went wide. I rushed to her side, she turned the screen toward me.

The messages were right there. Killian and Declan, disgusting details, dates, amounts of money. One message from Killian read: She's paying for everything. Just keep her happy till I get what I need.

I looked at Declan. He looked completely baffled, gazing at me with plain dissent, as though my odd behavior had cost him face.

It was all real. Declan lied to me every single step of the way!

"You have been cheating on me! You even said you are only with me because of the money," Adele spat, shouting at him. Killian opened his mouth. "Babe, it's not..."

Adele pulled the ring off her finger and threw it at his chest. He flinched.

I grabbed her hand before she could say more. "Let's go."

Declan stepped in front of me. "Amelia, babe, you're clearly not well. Whatever this is"

He looked humble right now, but I knew exactly who he was, the desperate fashion designer dating me only because he wanted me to fund his career, drain all my money, ruin me, and eventually have me murdered.

I stepped closer to him. "I don't care what you or Killian feel, but as for me and you? It's over."

"Wait, what? Because Adele broke up with Killian? What does that have to do with us?" he asked.

"Everything. I don't want anything to do with you again. Don't come to my house, my company, or anywhere near me. This is the end. Go find someone else to leech off, okay?"

Declan stared at me for a long moment, like he was trying to process that I was serious.

"You really mean that?" he asked, like he thought I was joking.

"I really mean it," I said, stepping back. "I am done. Don't follow me, don't call me, don't even look for me."

He shook his head slowly, like he didn't fully believe it, but I didn't give him a chance to argue. I grabbed Adele's hand, and we walked out of the garden together, leaving both Killian, Declan and the guests standing there.

"I will give you a lift," a voice called out. I turned to see Jake, who happened to be Adele's cousin and was also at the wedding, waving at us. "I am heading whatever way you are heading."

"Can we please not go home?" Adele sobbed. "I don't want to sulk there or face my mom, she is going to rub it in my face that she told me he was a gold digger. " I pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Jake grinned. "Absolutely. A crazy biker party tonight - my original plan. You girls in?"