CHAPTER NINETY-EIGHT - THE LAST GOODBYE

  "I don't know what to say." He smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You don't have to say anything right now. I just wanted you to know how I feel, how much you mean to me." Nia nodded, forcing a smile even as her heart broke. "You mean everything to me too," she whispered, the words both a truth and a lie. As they walked hand in hand out of the chapel, the weight of Nia's secret cast a long shadow over their entwined figures. She made a silent promise to herself that she would tell Leon the truth tomorrow, when he was stronger, when the pain of this day had faded somewhat. But even as she made the promise, a part of her knew she was only delaying the inevitable. Weeks passed, and Nia found herself standing in front of another mirror, this time in a luxurious hotel suite. The reflection that stared back at her was almost unrecognizable - a vision in a midnight blue gown that hugged her curves before flowing to the floor in a cascade of shimmering fabric. Diamond ear