The Ruined Bride of Velvet Nights by Brick Moving Ant

Chapter 4

Victoria’s eyes gleamed with venom as she leaned closer. “If I were you, I’d honestly just off myself. It would save everyone the trouble of looking at your fucked–up face.”

She waited eagerly for my reaction, desperate to see me crumble.

But I felt nothing. My heart was a dead thing in my chest. The Dagonet name meant nothing to me

now.

“I’ll leave. Take it all if you want it so badly.”

Victoria let out a high–pitched laugh. “God, you’re pathetic. While you’ve been getting your ass handed to you, I absolutely killed my SAB audition. Got my acceptance yesterday.” She tapped my wheelchair with her foot. “As for you… enjoy rolling around for the rest of your worthless life.”

Her voice dropped to a cruel whisper. “But that’s still not enough. I need them to hate you as much as

I do.”

Before I could process what was happening, she whipped out a small pocketknife and slashed her own cheek with practiced precision.

As she crumpled to the floor in a perfectly executed fall, Victoria hissed in my ear: “FYI, Daddy dearest only wanted those guys to rough you up a little. I’m the one who paid them extra to make sure you’d never dance again…”

Something cold and primal flashed in my eyes.

A heartbeat later, Victoria’s bloodcurdling screams echoed through the hospital.

Dad burst through the door, slamming my wheelchair aside as he rushed to Victoria’s side.

Christ, what happened?”

my doctors: “Help her! Now!”

one even glanced at me lying on the floor, fresh blood seeping through

face, tears streaming down in perfect pathways,

Chapter 4

manufactured fear.

how s–sorry I was about everything! Please, Val, please forgive me! I’ll do

expression transformed into pure

you fucking kidding me? Victoria comes here out of the goodness of her heart, and you ATTACK her? What the hell

those guys didn’t go far enough. If Victoria’s face scars, I swear to

job.”

Victoria out, rushing her toward treatment as if she were

Perfect.

we’d be nothing

the next hour hovering over Victoria during examinations, only remembering I existed after confirming her superficial scratch wouldn’t

“Swing by Ladurée and grab some of those raspberry macarons

ten minutes later, Dad’s phone

kind of suicide note. And the major shareholders just simultaneously pulled their investments from the

through the hospital’s security feed as Dad crashed into my empty room,

scrubs. “Where the fuck is my

hand away, her disgust

for real right now? That girl has suffered catastrophic

heard

that poor girl, and now you have the audacity

alone, sobbing her heart out while you all coddled that