Chapter 134: Share The Room

Dawn’s Point of View

We were late, and we both knew it. The moment the doors opened, everyone’s attention shifted from the bride and groom to Logan and me. I bit down on my lip, my gaze darting away from the judgmental eyes of the guests and settling on my mother.

Oh, she looked beautiful in her white gown.

I had never seen her look so happy.

I glanced at her, expecting to see disappointment in her eyes, but instead, she smiled at me.

She wasn’t even angry that I was late.

My eyes shifted toward Logan. Unlike my mother, he looked completely indifferent. Judging by his expression, I was almost certain he couldn’t wait to get out of there. He didn’t even seem to give a damn about what was happening around him.

We quickly walked down the aisle together.

The irony wasn’t lost on me, Logan and I were walking down the aisle to meet our parents. I quickly shifted the thoughts out of my head.

We reached the front and took the seats that had been designated for us. Mr. Luther nodded in our direction, but his eyes held a hint of disappointment as they settled on Logan.

He looked like he was about to berate him for arriving late. Logan, however, didn’t even spare him a glance.

“Ahem.” The priest cleared his throat. “Can we proceed with the ceremony?”

The couple turned their attention back toward him, and he began speaking.

But I barely heard a word, I was too busy watching my mother. The genuine brightness in her smile made something ache inside my chest. I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen her this happy.

Not even when I was a child.

My mother had spent most of her life chasing after love.

She chased in vain, she had dated countless men hoping to find that one person, only to have them break her heart. And at some point, I had even told her to give up.

Maybe love simply wasn’t meant for some of us, and its okay, we just had to accept that. Whenever she got drunk, she would tell me about a childhood love.

The one man she had never been able to be with because his family refused to let them stay together.

The man who could possibly be my father.

I didn’t pay much attention to her or those stories, because she only ever talked to me about my father when she was drunk. And now, watching her stand there in that white gown with the happiest smile I had ever seen on her face, I couldn’t help but wonder... Was this what she had been waiting for all along?

But my earliest memories were of her and Jackson.

Always fighting.

Jackson was a cruel, heartless man who also had a sick obsession with little girls. I hated him more than anyone because he eventually turned those disgusting fantasies toward me.

Then, after Jackson, my mother met Luther.

And the two of them became inseparable, she had finally found the love she had spent years desperately searching for.

And I was happy for her.

Not completely.

Because, if I was being honest, I didn’t think Luther was a good person either. The way he looked at me sometimes was concerning. There was something in his gaze that made me uncomfortable.

But he had never tried to do anything to me, so maybe I was simply being paranoid. Maybe he was a good man who was genuinely trying to welcome me into his family.

Maybe he was trying to be the father I had never had.

And maybe he loved my mother enough to accept me completely.

I had considered Logan’s offer.

The offer to ruin this wedding.

To walk into this church and tell everyone that I had developed a sinful attraction to my own stepbrother. To admit that I didn’t know if I could control myself anymore.

But at what cost? My mother had suffered her entire life.

I had watched her cry, suffer, and battle with depression and hopelessness until she became so lost that she even began neglecting me.

She hardly listened to me anymore. She was always somewhere inside her own head, drowning in whatever pain she refused to talk about.

I couldn’t even bring myself to tell her that I was being bullied at school.

And now…

Now I finally had a chance to have my mother back.

A chance to see her happy again.

I glanced at Logan.

His expression was hard, his eyes fixed on the couple standing before the altar.

I knew he wanted me.

I knew what he was asking me to sacrifice.

But could I really take my mother’s happiness away from her for something I wasn’t even sure was love?

“Do you, Luther Ashton, take Bella Kingsley as your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?” the priest asked.

Luther looked into my mother’s eyes, and the affection in his gaze softened his entire face.

“For the rest of my life, I do.”

The priest turned toward my mother.

“And do you, Bella Kingsley, take Luther Ashton as your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

She nodded hurriedly, barely able to contain her excitement.

“Yes, yes, I do,” she answered.

The priest smiled before turning his attention toward the guests.

“Is there anyone in this gathering who has a reason why these two should not be joined together? Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

The entire hall fell silent, my heart pounded against my ribs.

Logan glanced at me and raised an eyebrow, almost as if he were saying, This is our chance.

I bit down on my lip, my fingers clutching the fabric of my dress. But could I really do that to my mother?

I loved Logan enough to consider it, that alone terrified me.

But this was probably just a phase. These feelings would eventually disappear. I had to believe that. The same way my feelings for Jasper had eventually faded, these feelings for Logan would fade too.

I just needed to give myself time.

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

My heart sank.

“You may kiss the bride.” In an instant, my mother threw her arms around Luther’s neck, and he kissed her, lifting her completely off the ground.

The entire hall erupted into applause.

Everyone clapped and cheered as my mother laughed against Luther’s lips. I sat there with an unpleasant taste in my mouth, my thoughts becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

I glanced at Logan.

He was already looking at me.

For a moment, neither of us said anything.

Then he shrugged.

The rest of the celebration continued as usual. There was dancing, food, and plenty of wine, but I could barely bring myself to eat. My mind was somewhere else entirely.

I kept thinking about everything. Things would have been so much easier if I had never fallen in love with him.

By the end of the day, the rain had started pouring.

We tried to find a hotel where all four of us could stay, but almost every hotel in the city was fully booked. By the time we finally found one with available rooms, there were only two rooms left.

Mom and Dad obviously took one.

Which left Logan and me to share the other.

Because apparently, we were now step-siblings, they had no idea what kind of danger they were putting us in.

They didn’t know how I felt about Logan, they didn’t know about the attraction between us. They certainly didn’t know about all the dirty thoughts that was crossing my mind right now.

If they did, they would never have allowed us to stay in the same room.

Because this wasn’t harmless, It was dangerous.