Monday finally arrived.

Sienna had barely slept the entire night. No matter how many times she closed her eyes and told herself to stop thinking, her mind refused to cooperate. Every thought eventually returned to the same matter, making her heart race all over again.

Today was the day she and Zachary would register their marriage at City Hall. After everything that had happened between them, after all the twists and turns that had brought them to this point, she was finally going to become his wife.

The last time she remembered looking at her phone, it had been three in the morning. At the time, she had convinced herself that she still had several hours left to sleep, but somehow those hours had passed without giving her any real rest.

Now, at seven o’clock, her eyes were already wide open, and a dull ache pulsed through her head as though someone had spent the night knocking against her skull.

Letting out a long sigh, she slowly pushed herself out of bed and rubbed her forehead. The headache lingered stubbornly, but she ignored it and walked toward the window.

The moment she pulled the curtains apart, bright sunlight poured into the room and forced her to squint.

Down below, the city was already alive. Cars filled the streets, people hurried along the sidewalks, and the familiar rhythm of a busy Monday morning unfolded before her eyes. Yet instead of paying attention to any of it, her thoughts drifted straight back to Zachary.

A smile appeared on her face before she even realized it.

"You need to get ready, Sienna," she murmured to herself while staring out the window. "Today is the day you finally become his wife. You’ll become Mrs. Sterling."

Hearing the words aloud made her stomach flutter immediately. The feeling was impossible to describe. She was excited, nervous, happy, and terrified all at once. It still felt unreal that the man who had once seemed so distant from her world would soon become her husband.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone suddenly buzzed on the bedside table.

The sound startled her enough to make her jump slightly before she hurried back toward the bed. The moment she saw Zachary’s name on the screen, surprise flashed across her face.

Without wasting another second, she answered.

"Morning, Zach."

"Morning, Sienna." His deep voice immediately reached her ears. "Did I wake you?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head out of habit even though he couldn’t see her. "I’ve been awake for a while."

Silence followed her answer.

At first, she thought he might have become distracted by something. Still, after several seconds had passed without hearing another word from him, a slight frown appeared on her face.

She was just about to ask if he was still there when a sudden knock echoed through her bedroom, immediately drawing her attention toward the door.

The unexpected sound made her heart tighten.

She wasn’t expecting visitors, especially this early in the morning.

Before she could even wonder who it might be, Zachary’s voice suddenly came through the phone again.

"Sienna, can I come in?"

For a moment, she simply stood there, staring at her phone while trying to process what he had just said. Then her gaze slowly shifted toward the bedroom door, and realization gradually dawned on her.

Another soft knock followed a second later, finally confirming what she had begun to suspect.

Without saying anything, she hurried across the room and opened the door.

The sight waiting for her immediately stole her breath.

Zachary stood there with his phone still pressed against his ear, looking as though he had stepped out of the pages of a magazine. His white shirt fit perfectly across his broad shoulders. At the same time, his navy trousers gave him a polished appearance that somehow made him look even more handsome than usual.

The morning sunlight spilling through the apartment only seemed to highlight the warm smile that appeared on his face the moment their eyes met.

Sienna ended the call and stared at him in surprise.

"Zach, when did you get here?"

"Just now." He slipped his phone into his pocket and continued looking at her. "I didn’t want to wake you, which is why I called first. Honestly, I thought you wouldn’t answer."

His gaze lingered on her face, and only then did Sienna suddenly become aware of her appearance.

She had literally just gotten out of bed.

Her hair was probably a complete mess.

She wasn’t wearing any makeup.

And worst of all...

Her eyes widened slightly as she looked down at herself.

The thin pajamas she had been wearing suddenly felt far more revealing than they had a minute ago.

Heat rushed straight to her cheeks.

"Zach, please...wait here!"

Before Zachary could react, she placed both hands against his chest and gently pushed him backward before quickly shutting the door.

A laugh immediately sounded from the other side.

"Why are you running away?"

Sienna covered her burning face with both hands.

She could already imagine the amused expression on his face.

"Don’t be shy," Zachary continued from outside the door. "You look beautiful."

His words only made her blush harder.

"And sexy."

"Zachary!"

His laughter echoed through the apartment while Sienna hurried toward the bathroom, completely determined to ignore him.

A short while later, she stood in front of her closet, wrapped in a towel, staring helplessly at the rows of clothes hanging before her.

The more she looked, the more frustrated she became because nearly everything she owned was either black, white, or gray. To make matters worse, most of them looked more suited to attend a board meeting than a marriage registration.

"How am I supposed to wear office clothes today?" she muttered while moving several hangers aside. "Gosh, Sienna, you seriously need to go shopping as soon as possible."

Still, she continued searching through her closet, hoping to find something special hidden among the endless collection of business attire. To her surprise, her wish seemed to come true almost immediately.

"Huh?"

Her hand paused.

"Since when did I have this?"