Chapter 22
Chapter 22
After Bella moved in with him, Damon barely mentioned Emily anymore. He let Bella do whatever she wanted, even as she got bolder–she started sharing every detail of their life online, posting daily updates about her and Damon as if she were living in a fairytale.
Everyone ate it up. Her account blew up overnight. The story was just too good: a powerful CEO swooping in to save a lost party girl from the wild world of nightclubs. Their carefully curated vlogs, full of glamour and soft filters, went viral in days.
But the latest video was on another level: Damon threw Bella a birthday party straight out of a movie, and then, right at the end, he got down on one knee and proposed in front of everyone. The proposal video went everywhere–suddenly Bella’s channel exploded, and before anyone knew it, she was one of the most–followed influencers online.
The final shot of the video? Bella teasing their wedding, promising a full livestream in just two weeks.
Those two weeks flashed by, and the day of the wedding arrived. Damon didn’t cut any corners–the venue was stunning, every detail planned to perfection. He even invited tons of influencers to stream the whole thing live.
The wedding instantly shot to the top of the trending charts, holding the number one spot for hours.
At exactly noon, the ceremony began.
Everything went exactly as planned–right up until the officiant turned to Damon and asked, “Damon, do you take this woman to be your wife? To love and cherish her, in good times and bad, for the rest of your life?”
Damon smiled, but his voice was ice cold.
“I don’t.”
Bella’s eyes went wide. She grabbed his hand, desperate.
“Damon, what are you saying? Are you serious?”
He pulled his hand away, and Bella, wobbling on her heels, stumbled and fell. Damon just looked down at her, his expression unreadable.
“Who do you think you are? You really think you deserve to marry me? Don’t think I don’t know who sent you.”
Bella’s face went pale. She couldn’t say a word.
Damon didn’t even blink. He signaled to the cameras to keep rolling.
The livestream exploded–comments flying in, people freaking out, question marks and exclamation points filling the chat.
1/2
“This woman?” Damon said, his voice steady. “She’s not who you think she is. She was sent by someone who wants to hurt me–someone who found a girl who looks just like the woman I love. I played along. I helped her build her platform, made sure everyone was watching. All so I could do this, right here, in front of the world.”
He looked straight into the camera.
“Emily, I know I messed up. You’re the only one I’ll ever want as my wife. No matter where you are, no matter what you’re doing, I will find you.”
“You promised you’d always stay by my side.”
“And if anyone watching knows where Emily is, if you have any information, I’ll give you whatever you want. Thank you.”
Behind him, the huge screen that had been playing his and Bella’s highlight reel suddenly glitched, and then Emily’s photo filled the room.
A split second later, the livestream cut out.
Down in the crowd, Yvonne ended a call, her face stone–cold. She was the one who’d ordered the feed to be cut. Watching Damon up there, looking half–crazed, she just felt tired and disappointed.
The whole thing dissolved into chaos. Bella was dragged away, and Damon’s friends hustled him into a car.
“Damon, did you really have to do all this? There were other ways to find Emily. Your mom is furious,” one of them said.
Damon just leaned back in his seat, scrolling through the dozens of trending topics with his name on them, a rare smile playing on his lips.
“This is the only way to get everyone looking for her,” he said quietly. “If Emily comes back, nothing else matters.”
