Chapter 6

• Kaia Everhart walked hand-in-hand with Kai. While one hand was intertwined with his, her other held a bouquet, and with that same hand, she waved at the people congratulating them as they walked outside.
• She forced a smile onto her face, so much so that her cheeks had already started to hurt. She looked momentarily at Kai, wondering if the bright, sincere smile plastered across his face was genuine.
• For a split second, Kaia thought maybe — just maybe — Kai was happy about the wedding.
• At last, they made it outside, where a white BMW decorated with balloons and roses awaited them. Kaia got in first, and Kai followed, slamming the door behind him.
• That was it.
• Kaia wondered where they were headed next. Kai had given her zero information regarding the wedding. He had made it clear that all that was expected of her was to show up and say "yes" when asked.
• True, she hadn't asked for more details — but even if she had, she doubted he would have answered. Kai seemed like that kind of person.
• The ride was silent. Several times, Kaia glanced in Kai’s direction, and whenever she tore her gaze away, she realized the driver was already looking at her through the rearview mirror.
• It wasn’t the same driver who had driven them to the station.
• This one was someone Kaia had never met, and she could only imagine what he must have been thinking. She looked back at Kai.
• The moment they got into the car, he had immediately gotten on his phone, answering one call after another, his brows furrowed as he focused intensely on the screen before quickly moving on to the next call.
• Fed up with trying to catch his attention, Kaia leaned her head against the window, staring at the tall buildings whizzing by.
• Soon, her eyelids grew heavy, and the last thing she heard before drifting off completely was Kai’s firm, angry voice yelling into the phone — “You’re fired!”
• The next time Kaia Everhart opened her eyes was when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She gasped as she woke up, coming face-to-face with a pair of wicked eyes.
• “I’m sorry for scaring you, Mrs. Sorrento. But we’re at the villa,” the driver spoke up. Kaia frowned harder. His voice didn’t match the wickedness she saw in his eyes.
• But deeper than that, she wondered — where was Kai? Why hadn’t he bothered waking her when they arrived?
• Then it sank in — the driver had called her Mrs. Sorrento. Kaia wanted to correct him, but decided against it. She was married to Kai now. At least for the next year. Might as well get used to it.
• “Where—” she began to ask.\n\n“Mr. Sorrento went inside,” the driver answered swiftly.
• “Oh,” she murmured.
• The driver stepped back, allowing Kaia to get out of the car.
• There she stood, outside the grand villa, bouquet in one hand, the other clutching the white folds of her wedding dress. She felt ridiculous.
• No one — not even the maids or Mrs. Jane Robbins — came out to greet or congratulate her.
• Thinking back, Kaia wondered if any of the villa’s workers had even attended the wedding. She braced herself and walked inside.
• The villa was eerily quiet, almost like a desert. There was no one in plain sight, and for a brief moment, Kaia felt relief. A part of her wasn't sure if she wanted any interaction.
• She fastened her steps up the stairs. When she finally made it to her room, she quickly locked the door behind her. She threw the bouquet into a corner and rushed over to the vanity, grabbing her phone. She dialed the one number she always called whenever she felt down and needed comfort.
• “Hello?” the familiar voice answered, immediately soothing her. The warmth of it wrapped around Kaia like a hug made of clouds.
• “Hi, Mom,” Kaia tried to hide the sadness in her voice.
• There was a brief pause before Mrs. Everhart spoke again.
• “Is everything okay, my little pumpkin?” The concern in her mother’s voice almost broke Kaia. She s*ck*d in a shaky breath. Silence stretched between them.
• “I’m okay, Mama. I just miss you and Pops,” she lied.
• True, she did miss her parents.
• The last time she had visited them was over seven months ago.
• Kaia remembered coming home from school with a beaten-down look, only to be snuggled up with hugs and kisses from her parents.
• And when she whined and complained, they would tell her the same comforting words:
• "It’s okay to be sad, my little pumpkin. It’s okay to be sad and it’s okay to cry. What isn’t okay is letting that sadness sink into your veins and s*ck away the passionate flame inside you. So cry all you want, but remember, you are strong, and you can achieve anything you set your mind to."
• Although she used to secretly whine about the overwhelming affection, right now, it felt like the only thing that could heal her.
• But Kaia didn’t want to alarm her mother.
• She couldn’t tell her about the things she had been through in the past few days, not when they were miles apart.
• “Are you sure you’re fine, baby? Do you want me to put your father on?” Mrs. Everhart asked.\n\nBefore Kaia could answer, she heard her mother already calling out to her husband.
• “Yes, honey?”\n\n“It’s Kaia. She’s on the line,” Mrs. Everhart said, already forcing the phone into her husband's hand.
• Mr. Everhart’s familiar voice came next, sounding rough but loving.
• “Baby, are you alright?”
• Kaia sighed.
• “Yes, Daddy. I’m alright. Mama’s just being dramatic for no reason at all,” she said, praying her voice sounded convincing enough.