Chapter 34 Wedding Night
Back in the wedding hall, the reception was in full swing. The newlyweds stood before their parents, receiving blessings under a ceiling of golden chandeliers. Eva’s smile was wide and bright, her hand clutched tightly around Maverick’s as though her every wish had just come true.
But Maverick’s eyes were elsewhere. They scanned the crowded hall again and again yet she wasn’t there.
He hadn’t been with since after their moment in the shower the day he had realized she wanted to end it. The anger he had felt had driven him to threaten her words he hadn’t planned, but he meant all he said.
He hated that she wanted to walk away. He was marrying Eva yes, but that changed nothing. Heaven was still his.
Still, when he saw her leave the hall earlier, something inside him twisted. Uncomfortable. Uneasy. A feeling he couldn’t quite name.
He hadn’t had a moment alone since. His mother had made sure of that, keeping him busy with fittings, rehearsals, endless obligations to Eva and her family
“Congratulations, Captain,” Private John greeted with a grin, his tone cheerful. A few of the platoon members had been given leave to attend.
“Thank you,” Maverick replied evenly. “Who’s with the suspect?”
John blinked, half exasperated. Even now? he thought. Couldn’t his captain smile at least once on his wedding day? “The others on duty, sir,” he answered.
“Congratulations, ma’am,” John added politely to Eva, who was still holding Maverick’s hand.
“Thank you,” Eva said warmly, her smile gracious.
Around them, both their parents mingled and laughed.
“Silly boy,” General Richard said, shaking his head. “Do you really have to think about work today of all days?”
“Who does he take after?” Eleanor teased with a knowing smile. “You went to work the morning of our wedding, remember?”
General Edward laughed. “A soldier never forgets his duty. To us, the country always comes first.”
“So you’re saying you would choose Ivory City over me?” Kiara, his wife, shot back playfully.
Their laughter filled the hall, light and easy. For a moment, no one remembered the quiet, absent daughter-in-law until General Richard turned his head, scanning the hall.
“Where’s Heaven?” he asked.
A servant approached and leaned close, whispering something in his ear. He nodded faintly, expression unreadable.
Maverick’s jaw tightened. He wanted to ask but he couldn’t. Not here. Not now. So he stood, composed and silent, while his pulse hammered in his ears.
“I think the new couple should be excused,” Eleanor said, smiling knowingly. “It’s time they had their first night together.”
Kiara laughed. “Ah, little Richards on the way soon!”
Eva blushed, glancing shyly at Maverick. His expression, however, gave nothing away cold, composed, detached.
Outside, the car awaited them a sleek silver Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe. Eva stepped in first, heart fluttering. Maverick followed, his movements measured, distant.
From across , Killian watched silently. His gaze followed the car as it pulled away, pain tightening his chest. She was leaving now. And he knew he wouldn’t see her at the Edwards’ estate again.
Kiara watched the car move “darling, do you think she is going to be okay?” She was worried about her daughter adjusting with that cold boy Maverick. She was too kindhearted for this world.
“She’s stronger than you think, her father’s daughter.” General Edward told his wife his eyes lingered on the faded car.
Inside the car, Eva’s hands rested nervously on her lap. Her heart was full overflowing even. She was finally his. His wife.
She looked down at her wedding ring and smiled.
This was the beginning, she told herself. Tonight, he would see her. Love her.
But Maverick sat unmoving, eyes fixed on the dark window, his reflection hard and far away. He didn’t notice when her fingers brushed his.
His mind was elsewhere.
With someone else.
He pulled out his phone.
“Where are you?” he typed.
No reply.
“Don’t you dare ignore me, Heaven.”
Still no reply.
Eva saw the tension in his jaw, the flicker of his phone screen reflected against his cheek. Her throat tightened.
He was right there beside her but he wasn’t with her.
“Where would you love to go for our honeymoon?” she asked softly, forcing a smile.
“Anywhere of your choice,” he muttered as the car stopped.
The driver announced their arrival before he could answer.
“We have arrived at the Richard estate.”
Maverick opened the door himself and stepped out, the night air catching in his dark hair.
Eva’s heart sank, but she refused to let it show. She was going to make him love her one way or another.
The servants were already waiting outside the Richard estate.
“Congratulations, Second Young Miss,” Butler Rose said warmly, handing her a bouquet. “Welcome home. Your room is ready.”
Eva smiled, cheeks pink. “You didn’t have to go through the trouble, it's my home anyway,” she said shyly, though her heart raced at the thought of finally sharing a room with him.
Maverick walked into the house while the others remained outside, busy welcoming Eva with laughter and greetings..
His shoes echoed against the marble floor, each step sharper than the next. He knew exactly where he was going, to see the person that haunted him all day.
He had texted her. Twice. And she had ignored him.
His jaw clenched, anger simmered beneath his calm exterior. She dared to ignore him.
He was going to punish her for it.
He turned down the quiet corridor that led to her room, his pulse quickening. Something in his chest coiled tight, not just anger… something darker, heavier.
When he reached her door, he paused. The door wasn’t closed completely.
He pushed it open.
The faint scent of her filled the air with lavender and rain. But the room was dim, eerily still.
Then his eyes fell on her.
And for the first time in his life, Maverick’s blood ran cold