Georgia stood frozen in the doorway, fists clenched so tight her nails were digging into her palms.
Jaw locked with the kind of fury that came with betrayal wrapped in silk sheets and fake innocence.
Two heads snapped toward her like deer caught in blinding headlights, except these deer had their lips locked moments ago.
Nancy Baskin… The girlfriend of his brother before he was murdered.
Nancy was the first to scramble for an excuse, hair tousled, lipstick smeared, and guilt practically oozing off her.
"Georgia! This... this is not what it looks like! I swear! He was really drunk... I-I was just helping him to get to bed, and we tripped and… and he fell on top of me! That kiss? Total accident! He thought I was you. He even called me your name."
'Oh. How original!' Georgia thought.
Georgia's brow twitched, her voice like velvet wrapped around a dagger. "Oh, really? That's fascinating. Must be one hell of a fall to end up with your tongue down his throat."
Nancy flinched.
Raymond sat up slowly, his hair messy and eyes glazed. "Hon, there you are. Listen to Nancy. She's telling the truth, I was so dizzy, and I thought of you. I don't know what I was doing."
Georgia crossed her arms, her lips curling in a tight, poisonous smile. "Oh, now you know her name? How convenient. Excellent timing, really. You should write a book on how to ruin a wedding in under five minutes."
Nancy stood and took a step forward, reaching out with trembling hands, but Georgia shot her a glare sharp enough to cut steel. She raised a hand, not in violence, but with cold authority, telling Nancy to stop approaching her.
"Don't. Just... don't," she said icily. "Go back to your little bachelor party. Don't let me interrupt the accidental make-out session.
In fact, go ahead and finish what you started. I'm sure you both have so much left to say, with your mouths."
She turned to leave, her vision blurring with tears that burned the corners of her eyes. But before she could escape, a hand caught her wrist.
"Wait—hon, please. I was drunk, and I thought she was you. I messed up. I admit it. But it won't happen again. I promise," Raymond slurred, pulling her toward him with all the desperation of a man who just realized what he was about to lose.
Georgia stared at him, at the man who had promised her forever and delivered betrayal.
Then, without hesitation, she shoved him away, hard. "You're right," she hissed. "It won't happen again. Because... We. Are. Done!"
Her trembling hands flew to the necklace around her neck, the one with the little heart-shaped locket he had given her after her brother's funeral.
Inside were their photos, their memories, his promise that whenever they were apart, she could look at it and feel like he was still with her.
With one furious yank, she tore it from her neck. The chain snapped. The heart fell.
Just like theirs had.
"I don't care about your drunken excuses, Raymond. You had one job. Be loyal. Not even decent. Just loyal. And you blew it—literally."
He reached for her again, stumbling. "It's our wedding night, Hon… Don't make this a bigger deal than it is. I said I'm sorry. Isn't that enough?"
Georgia stepped back, her voice cracking like a thunderclap. "Don't you dare touch me! I said we're done! There will be no wedding tomorrow."
Her voice choked off as she turned and stormed out of the suite, slamming the door behind her.
"GEORGIA!" Raymond called out, wobbling on his feet. He moved to follow her, but Nancy stepped in, gently placing a hand on his arm.
"Raymond," she said softly, with a careful shake of her head, "let me talk to her. Woman to woman. She trusts me. I can explain everything. She'll believe me."
Raymond, the fool that he was, nodded. "Yeah… okay. Fix this. Please."
Nancy gave him one last glance, then turned toward the hallway with something unreadable in her eyes.
Was it guilt? Or something far more calculated?
Georgia ran like hell through the dim corridors of the cruise ship, her silk pajama pants whipping around her ankles, breath hitching as tears blurred her vision. She didn't care where she was going—she just needed to get away. Away from them. From him. From her.
The promenade deck was empty, quiet, tucked far enough from the festivities that no one would think to look for a sobbing bride out there.
It was the perfect place.
She collapsed halfway down the walkway, knees slamming against the cold deck floor as she clutched the railing like it was the only thing anchoring her to the planet.
She screamed into it.
Hot, ugly sobs tore through her chest as betrayal spilled down her cheeks.
Her perfectly planned future? Shattered.
Her trust? Violated.
Her heart? Barely beating.
Two hands gripped her arms gently, familiar but unwelcome.
"Georgia, please," Nancy said, her voice soft, breathless. "I'm so sorry. I am a bit drunk too. I swear it was just a moment—a stupid, horrible mistake. I regret it more than you can imagine. But please… don't take it out on Raymond.
He was so drunk, he didn't even know where he was. He thought I was you, Georgia. You know he loves you. He wouldn't have proposed if he didn't, right?"
Georgia stiffened.
Slowly, she lifted her head, mascara streaking her cheeks like war paint. She looked at Nancy dead in the eye, and what Nancy saw wasn't sadness.
It was fury. Cold. Sharp. Controlled.
Georgia stood slowly, wiping her face with the back of her hand. She stepped backward, away from Nancy, like her very presence was toxic… because it was.
"Don't you dare," she whispered. "Don't you dare spin this into some tragic little accident. That wasn't a 'moment.' That was a betrayal. A betrayal you tasted and enjoyed."
Nancy's expression flickered, but Georgia wasn't done.
"You think I don't know what happened the night before my brother was murdered?" Her voice cracked, but the fire behind her eyes didn't falter. "You were with him that night, too. And the next morning he was dead."
Nancy froze. "Georgia, I—"
"Save it!" Georgia snapped. "You walk into people's lives like a stray kitten, wide-eyed, innocent, sweet, and then somehow everything goes to hell. You're not just bad luck, Nancy. You're a curse."
She stepped forward now, voice rising like a tide.
"You slithered your way into my brother's heart. And now Raymond's. Perhaps the rumor of your two-timing my brother was true as well. You wrap yourself in grief and call it love, but all you do is bring destruction."
Nancy's lip trembled, but Georgia wasn't done.
"I treated you like family," she spat. "I mourned with you. I defended you. I believed you cared about us. About Katie. But I was wrong. You're not one of us. You never were."
Her voice dropped low, trembling with rage.
"You're an abomination, Nancy. Get away from me. Stay away from my niece. Stay away from my life. If you ever come near me again, I swear to God—"
She didn't finish the sentence. Nancy didn't let her. And what she felt next was her pent-up anger.