A scoff sliced through the moment, sharp and dripping with thinly veiled bitterness.
Isabelle.
River turned her head slowly, already bracing for it.
“Of course you're not unhappy,” Isabelle said, her tone light but poisoned. “Only that dress on you would feed our family for several years.”
River’s eyes narrowed, her heart twisting painfully as she snapped before she could think, “Isabelle, not everything is about money and material things.”
But Isabelle only smiled, tilting her head as if amused by her sister’s naivety.
“And you want us to believe you’re here because of love? That you and your … Prince Charming just fell for each other under the chandeliers?” Her smile grew tighter, cruelty leaking through her words like venom. “Or should I say... Deathbringer?”
The name hit the
