Page 19 of Threat Level: Obsession (A.S.S. #1)

Chapter nineteen

Victoria

I stand in front of the full-length mirror, my fingers smooth down the delicate lace of my wedding dress. My reflection shows a woman completely transformed into the picture-perfect bride. My brown hair is swept up in an elegant updo, perfect makeup, blue eyes sparkling, and a smile that won't quit.

"Can't believe this is real," I whisper to my reflection. Just three years ago, I was just another nurse at Rising Sun, focused on my patients and career. Then Ryder walked into my life.

After a year of taking care of Ava, Ryder finally asked me out. One coffee date turned into dinner, then weekend getaways. Before I knew it, I was head over heels for this man who has shown me what true partnership means.

I take one final look at myself in the mirror, adjusting my veil. The elegant ballroom downstairs at the Grand Hotel is filled with our closest friends and family. In less than an hour, I'll walk down the aisle toward my future.

A soft knock at the door has me turning to see who it is. "Come in!"

My best friend Sarah pokes her head in. "Girl, you look absolutely stunning." She crosses the room to give me a careful hug, mindful of my dress. "Ryder's not going to know what hit him when he sees you."

I laugh, but happy tears threaten to spill over. "Is everything ready downstairs?"

"Perfect as can be. The flowers are gor geous, the string quartet is warming up, and your man is down there looking edible in his tux. Though I think he's about ready to climb the walls waiting for you."

My heart swells. That is my Ryder—always so controlled, except when it comes to me. The thought of him anxiously waiting to take me as his wife fills me with so much love.

"This is really happening," I breathe, touching the delicate diamond pendant he'd given me as an early wedding gift. "I'm marrying the man of my dreams."

I catch Sarah's look of concern in the mirror's reflection. She fidgets with her bridesmaid dress for a few moments before clearing her throat.

"Have you talked to Ryder about Ava yet?"

My stomach clenches. I smooth invisible wrinkles from my wedding dress, buying time before answering. "Not exactly."

"Victoria, you need to. He visits her almost every day. That's not healthy—for any of you." Sarah places a gentle hand on my shoulder. "You've been together longer than they ever were."

"I know." My voice comes out barely above a whisper. "But after everything that happened. The attack, her in a coma—he carries so much guilt."

"It wasn't his fault that her ex tried to kill her—" Sarah trails off, both of us knowing what horrible things he'd done to her. "But he needs to move forward. Focus on your life together."

I turn from the mirror, blinking back tears, trying not to ruin my carefully applied makeup. "Maybe he can cut back to once a week? I hate asking him to stop completely."

"That's reasonable. She's still your patient, after all." Sarah squeezes my hand. "But you're about to be his wife. Your relationship deserves his full attention, not constant reminders of the past."

"You're right." I square my shoulders, determination replacing uncertainty. "I'll talk to him after the honeymoon. I’ll suggest scaling back the visits."

"I still can't believe how perfectly we pulled this off," Sarah whispers, helping me adjust my veil again. "All those months of planning. It’s all paying off today."

I smile, remembering the countless hours we'd spent strategizing. "Remember hiding behind the nurses' station , timing his visits? Learning his exact schedule?"

"And me chatting up August and Ethan at Blaze, casually mentioning what a shame it was seeing their friend waste away at Ava's bedside." Sarah grins. "They were so eager to help push him to start dating again."

"The hardest part was timing my rounds perfectly. Standing outside that door, listening for the right moment to breeze in with her medication. Making sure to look completely surprised when he finally asked me for coffee."

"You played the caring, concerned nurse role brilliantly." Sarah takes a seat on the vanity stool. "All those little touches—bringing him coffee during his visits, staying late to chat about Ava's condition."

"It wasn't entirely an act. I do care about my patients." I catch Sarah's skeptical look in the mirror. "But yes, I made sure to be there whenever he needed someone to talk to. To be his shoulder to lean on."

"And now look at you—the beautiful bride." Sarah stands, straightening her bridesmaid dress. "Though I still can't believe we spent three whole months lurking outside her room, waiting for the perfect moment."

"The timing had to be exactly right. Too soon and he wouldn't have been ready. Too late and someone else might have caught his eye." I touch the diamond pendant sitting at my throat. "Every calculated move was worth it to get here. Now I'm marrying the man of my dreams."

"You can't be fucking serious." I whirl around at the venom in Danie's voice, my heart dropping into my stomach. She stands in the doorway, her bridesmaid dress rustling as she stalks into the room.

"You fucking bitch." The words drip from Danie’s mouth with disgust.

"Danie, it's not what it sounded like." My hands tremble as I reach for her, but she jerks away. "Please, let me explain—"

"Explain what? That you're plotting to keep Ryder away from my best friend, but waiting until after he marries you to give him the ultimatum?" Her face contorts with rage. "That you're using her condition to manipulate him into marrying you?"

Sarah steps between us. "Now hold on—"

"You stay out of this," Danie snaps, shoving past her to get in my face. "How long have you been planning this? Did you enjoy playing the caring nurse while waiting for your chance? "

My throat closes up, tears threatening to spill. "That's not fair. I love Ryder"

"Love?" She barks out a harsh laugh. "You don't know the first thing about their love. What they had is real. It wasn’t planned and manufactured by two scheming bitches. I watched them together, I saw it. It was good and real, until that psycho Clint—" Her voice cracks.

I clutch my bouquet tighter, the stems crushing under my grip. Everything I'd built with Ryder over the past two years felt like it was crumbling around me. "Danie, please. Ava is still my patient. I care about her recovery—"

"Save it." She jabs a finger at my chest. "You're nothing but an opportunistic vulture, swooping in when she couldn't fight back and Ryder was vulnerable."

I stumble back from Danie's accusation, my wedding dress rubs against the vanity. "That's not true. I would never—"

"I heard every word." Danie's emerald eyes flash dangerously. "Timing your rounds? Lurking outside her room? You calculated this whole thing."

Sarah steps forward again. "You need to leave before—"

"Before what?" Danie cuts her off. "Before I tell Ryder how his bride-to-be orchestrated this whole relationship while Ava was in a fucking coma?"

My hands shake as I grip the edge of the vanity for support. "Please, Danie. I know how this sounds, but I truly love him."

"Love?" She scoffs. "You manipulated a grieving man. Used his guilt and pain to worm your way into his life. That's not love—that's predatory."

The truth of her words hit me like a physical blow. I had justified my actions as helping Ryder move forward, giving him someone to lean on. But hearing it laid bare in front of me—this would devastate Ryder.

"And now you want him to stop visiting her?" Danie's voice drips with disgust. "You're threatened by a woman in a coma?"

"I just thought maybe it would help him heal if—"

"If what? If he abandoned her completely? Forgot she existed?" Danie pulls out her phone. "Well, let's see what Ryder thinks about all this. I'm sure he'll love to hear how fucked up in t he head you really are."

My blood runs cold. "Wait, please don't!"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't expose you right now." Her finger hovers over Chase's contact. "Why I shouldn't march downstairs and tell everyone what kind of woman Ryder's really marrying."

Meeting her steely gaze, "Because I'm head over heels in love with him. I want to be his wife and spend the rest of my life by his side."

She just shakes her head, her shoulders slump in defeat and disappointment. "I trusted you, he trusted you, we all trusted you. He has to know what you did." With that, she turns and leaves, her heels clicking against the floor with a finality that makes my stomach churn.

My panic starts to rise, threatening to completely overwhelm me. My hands begin to tremble as I turn to Sarah, my voice barely above a whisper. "What am I going to do?" I ask, feeling the sting of tears forming in my eyes.

"Don't cry, you're going to ruin your makeup that took me an hour to perfect. And don't worry about it. He won't believe her," Sarah says, gripping my shoulders firmly. "We'll say she's making it up because she saw you in your beautiful wedding dress and started freaking out. Ryder will believe you honey, don't worry. He loves you."

God, I hope she is right. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him. I would be completely broken.