After Cara helped me into my wedding gown and zipped its back, I gazed into the mirrored vanity in the bedroom suite that had been set up as my dressing room, part of me still not fully believing the reflection that stared back at me. The Vera Wang dress we’d chosen for me was a lovely balance of modern and classic. Ivory and sleeveless, with a deep V neckline exposed just enough cleavage, its skirt fanned out gracefully from my waistline, and appliques of delicate, corded lace added a touch of shimmer to its classic silhouette. I’d styled my dark hair in a sleek updo, which complemented the clean lines of my dress, and diamond solitaire earrings sparkled from my ears, completing my look.

Aside from a trace of shadows beneath my eyes, I looked every bit the perfect Hamptons bride, and aside from Cara and Mimi, who knew that I’d bared my heart to Ronan and been rejected, no one would see the truth behind the illusion, let alone what it was costing me to maintain it.

“We definitely picked the right dress,” Cara said, stepping back to inspect me. “You’re gorgeous, and you’ll only be more stunning when I finish your makeup.” She glanced around. “Damn it. I must have left my makeup bag in my room.”

“Can’t we use mine? Trust me, it’s fully stocked with everything we could possibly need.”

“My brushes are better than your brushes.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s a matter of opinion.”

“Back in two minutes,” she said, heading for the door.

When it closed behind her, I nervously paced back and forth, as the reality of what I faced sank into me in ways that it never had before.

I was about to marry the man I loved. Within the hour, I would stand beside him and vow to love, honor, and trust him. And in my heart, I still wished those vows could be real.

But they couldn’t.

Ronan’s rejection had shocked me awake from that dream, and now, as I prepared to pay the price for all the risks I had taken, raw emotion simmered in my gut.

Agreeing to a fake marriage had been stupid, and falling in love with my fake husband-to-be made me the biggest idiot of all time.

But this situation wasn’t only on me.

Over the past week, I’d searched my soul. I’d questioned and picked apart every memory of my time with Ronan. And while he’d never spoken of love, in every other way, he had behaved as if he loved me. He’d shared intimate parts of his past with me, he’d made passionate, tender love to every inch of my body, and he’d made me feel treasured in ways that no man ever had.

He’d given me hope that our story could have a happy ending.

And then he’d torn that hope away and shredded my heart.

When Cara returned, we sat down in front of the vanity, and she began applying concealer to the shadows beneath my eyes.

As she worked, I contained my emotion, until I couldn’t. “I must be the dumbest woman alive,” I said. “Either that, or I’m losing my mind. Part of me still can’t believe all of this.” I gestured at myself. “Me. This dress. This wedding, which feels like an insane mix of fake and real.”

Cara leveled me with a look. “Are you having second thoughts about going through with it?”

“No. I gave my word, and beyond that, I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt Ronan that way. I can’t help loving him, even if I wish I didn’t. But right now, I’m angry. I’m furious with myself for getting into this mess and frustrated with Ronan’s refusal to give us a chance. His whole I’m-not-capable-of-love thing is nothing but a pose, and I call bullshit on it.”

“It’s not a pose,” Cara said as she began brushing foundation onto my face. “It may be bullshit, but it’s what he truly believes.”

“I get that—and I’m not asking you to take sides between me and your brother. I know how much you love him.”

She sighed. “I love you both. And it kills me to see you hurting like this, but I still believe that Ronan loves you. He’s crazy about you, Ava. He just needs more time to come around to admitting it.”

“I wish I agreed—but I don’t.”

“You haven’t known Ronan as long as I have,” she said. “He can’t be rushed, which is why I advised you to give it time before telling him how you felt.”

“I couldn’t go into this wedding and make vows without knowing what they meant.”

“I get it,” she said. “That’s who you are, and in your shoes, I’d probably feel the same way. But Ronan’s a man. He’s different from you and me. He doesn’t analyze his emotions the way we do, and he doesn’t grasp his true feelings until they punch him in the gut. When that happens, as it inevitably does, he’s forced to acknowledge how he really feels—which also takes time. It takes him a while to sort out his feelings, but over the next two years, he’ll figure it out.”

“I doubt that.”

“Don’t give up on him, Ava. A lot can change in two years.”

“Not this,” I said. “For better or worse, Ronan’s made his decision. And I don’t expect him to change his mind.”