Chapter Three
Hope regarded her reflection in the full-length mirror, barely recognizing the woman staring back.
The emerald gown hugged curves she'd stopped bothering to emphasize years ago, its off-shoulder design revealing collarbones she'd never considered worthy of display.
Her brown hair, styled in loose waves, fell past her shoulders in a way that minimized the silver strands at her temples, making her look. ..different. Softer. Less severe.
The stylist—a tiny, exacting woman named Lala—circled her with narrowed eyes. "The earrings. The diamond drops, not the studs."
Hope switched the jewelry with trembling fingers. The diamonds caught the light, drawing attention to her neck, her jawline.
"Better," Lala declared. "Turn."
Hope rotated slowly, the silk whispering against her skin. Two weeks of fittings, lessons in etiquette, and crash courses in Colin's background had transformed her outward appearance. Inside, she remained the same cautious administrator from Michigan, playing dress-up in a billionaire's world.
"The necklace is too much," Lala decided, removing the glittering pendant. "Your neck is one of your assets. We showcase, not overwhelm."
Assets.
She was still trying to understand how she felt about having her body parts defined in such a way when she heard a voice from the doorway.
"Are we good?"
Hope turned to find Colin watching her, his dark eyes moving over her with deliberate thoroughness.
He wore a tuxedo that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders, the lean strength of his body.
The silver at his temples caught the light, giving him an air of distinguished authority that made her mouth go dry.
Lala stepped back, assessing them as a pair. "Perfection. Like they were designed for each other."
A flush crept up Hope's neck. They'd barely spoken in the two weeks since her arrival, their interactions limited to stilted dinners and brief strategy sessions about the reunion. Colin spent his days at his office in the city, leaving Hope alone with her borrowed finery and rising anxiety.
"The car is ready whenever you are," Colin said, his gaze lingering on the curve of her shoulder.
The other woman handed Hope a small clutch purse. "Lipstick, powder, breath mints. Essentials only."
Hope took it, feeling like a child being prepped for her first day of school. "Thank you."
Lala departed with a professional nod, leaving Hope alone with Colin for the first meaningful moment in days.
"Nervous?" he asked, stepping closer.
The scent of his cologne enveloped her, and Hope's pulse quickened traitorously.
"Should I be?"
"Princess can be... intimidating."
"So can you," Hope countered with a helpless smile.
Colin didn't smile back, and she had to repress a now-familiar urge to squirm under his gaze. Why did it seem like he was studying her all the time? Was he trying to look for some flaw? Or something else?
"The dress suits you."
It wasn't quite a compliment, but Hope's cheeks warmed anyway. "The dress costs more than my car."
"Then perhaps it's time for a new car."
Hope shot him a horrified look. "Please don't buy me one."
Colin's eyes gleamed, and her heart tripped at the sight even as her horror grew. "I'm serious—-"
Colin suddenly reached out, and she forgot what she was saying as he adjusted one of the diamond earrings Lala had insisted on. His fingers brushed her earlobe, sending an electric current down her spine.
"I'm just as serious when I say this: you belong in beautiful things, Hope Soukoulis."
It was her first time to hear him call her that, and it made her feel so vulnerable that she couldn't help jerking back.
"We...we should go." Hope avoided his gaze even as she felt him frown.
"I, um, don't believe in being unfashionably late.
" She could feel him staring at her as she hurried away from him.
She didn't care.
This marriage wasn't designed to last. She had to do what she could to survive its end.
****
The ride to his reunion was spent in tense silence. And her tension only grew when they arrived at their destination. Hope's palm grew damp against Colin's as they approached the check-in table. The woman seated there—blonde, petite, with a name tag reading "Kimberly"—looked up and froze.
"Colin Soukoulis? Is that really you?"
Colin's posture shifted subtly, his public persona sliding into place like armor. "Kimberly. You look well."
Kimberly's gaze darted between them, lingering on their joined hands. "No one knew if you'd come. And you brought..." Her eyes scrutinized Hope from head to toe.
"My wife," Colin supplied, his arm sliding around Hope's waist. "Hope, this is Kimberly Davis. We shared AP Chemistry."
Hope extended her free hand, offering a warm smile. "We were in AP Physics together."
Kimberly blinked, confusion crossing her features before recognition slowly dawned. "Wait... you're the quiet girl who aced all the tests? I barely recognized you."
"I remember you, though. I had just transferred then, and you noticed I was lost. You took the time to show me where my class was."
Kimberley only stared at her. Hope could see that the other woman also remembered what she didn't say, and it was how Kimberley at that time had first called her an 'idiot' for getting lost.
"Small kindnesses matter," Hope added with a smile. "It's nice to see a familiar face after all these years."
The other woman slowly relaxed. "That's true. And I'm sure everyone will be delighted to see you again."
The ballroom buzzed with conversation and laughter, crystal chandeliers casting a flattering glow over the assembled alumni. Women in cocktail dresses, men in suits—all trying to present their most successful selves to the people who had known them when they were young and unformed.
Heads turned as Colin guided Hope through the crowd. Conversations paused. Eyes widened.
"You're causing quite the stir," Hope noted under her breath.
"I can say the same for you," Colin murmured, his hand warm against the small of her back.
A tall, athletic man with graying blond hair approached, his smile wide and practiced. "Colin Soukoulis, in the flesh. You actually showed up."
"Andrew." Colin shook the man's hand. "This is my wife, Hope. Hope, Andrew Thompson. Former basketball team captain, current car dealership owner."
Andrew whistled low, his gaze lingering on Hope longer than necessary. "When the hell did you get married? And your wife...I remember you back then. But I never thought you'd turn into such a knockout."
The possessive tightening of Colin's arm around her waist felt less like performance and more like protection, and it was only when Andrew finally let them go that the tension in his shoulders eased.
Colin guided her toward the bar. "Champagne?"
"Just water, please."
As they waited for their drinks, Hope scanned the room, trying to see which faces were familiar.
"Still nervous?" Colin asked, studying her profile.
Hope accepted her water from the bartender. "Just wondering which shark in this tank will try to take a bite out of me first."
"No one will touch you," Colin stated with quiet intensity. "You're mine tonight. They all know it."
A shiver raced down Hope's spine that had nothing to do with fear.
"There's Roland," Colin nodded toward a portly man with thinning hair who stood near the photo display.
Hope studied him. "He hasn't aged as well as you."
"Few have." No false modesty in that statement.
"True," Hope acknowledged even as her heart started to ache. "And speaking of rare beings who age like fine wine..."
"Colin Soukoulis." A woman's voice, honey-sweet but edged with steel. And the sound had Colin stiffening in recognition even when he had yet to turn.
He slipped an arm around her, and Hope did her best to relax as she came face to face with the woman who once owned Colin's heart. And maybe, she still did.
"I wondered if we'd see you tonight."
Princess Halstead Garcia.
Twenty-five years had refined rather than diminished her beauty. In high school, she had looked what her name suggested: a princess with the face of an angel. Now, she looked like a golden-haired queen who was used to holding court wherever she went.
"Princess." Colin's voice remained even, but Hope felt the tension radiating from him. "You look well."
"As do you," Princess replied, her blue eyes traveling over him with possessive familiarity before sliding to Hope. "And who is this?"
"My wife, Hope." Colin pulled her closer to his side. "Hope, Princess...Garcia. We were... classmates."
The deliberate diminishment of their past relationship did not go unnoticed. Princess's perfect smile tightened at the corners.
"Wife? My goodness." Princess extended a manicured hand. "What a surprise."
Hope accepted the handshake, noting the excessive pressure Princess applied. .
"I seem to have missed all the news about your wedding."
"Hope wanted a quiet one," Colin answered, "and whatever she wants, I do my best to provide."
Princess's gaze swept over Hope again, lingering on her gown. "That's a lovely dress. Valentino's spring collection?"
"You should ask Colin," Hope answered honestly. "I defer to all of his decisions, sartorially speaking."
"He always did have good taste in women's clothes." Princess's smile held a secret, her eyes meeting Colin's with an intimacy that made Hope's chest tighten. "Remember that little boutique in Austin? You had such an eye for quality, even back then."
Colin's expression remained neutral, but Hope felt him stiffen beside her.
"What is it that you do now?" Princess insisted on asking. "I don't believe you mentioned it."
"Colin wanted me to stop working," Hope said truthfully, "so I did."
"How quaint."
"I just believe in the same thing he does. Whatever my husband asks of me, I obey."
Colin's thumb traced small circles against her waist, a silent acknowledgment of her performance.
"Well...it seems I'm intruding, since you two are clearly in your honeymoon stage still." Pain flashed over her face, the sight so unexpected that it had Colin stiffening. "Enjoy it for as long as you can. Because it doesn't last. Not for anyone."
Unease stirred inside of Hope as she watched Princess walk away. And when she glanced up at Colin, the expression on his face made her heart ache even more. He wanted to run after Princess. And the only thing stopping him was her.
The wife he had paid for.
But neither wanted nor loved.