Cassian kept blowing up my phone. I ignored every single one.
Oh Cassian, the wedding’s all set–just missing the bride.
What really confused me was who the hell paid off my three million dollar debt.
I didn’t have friends here, and Dad sure as shit wouldn’t help me.
The plane from Bali touched down at JFK.
The second he got off, Cassian was calling me.
He tried over and over, getting nothing but voicemail.
Cassian rolled his eyes, figuring I was just throwing another tantrum.
When he finally got home that night, all the wedding decorations were gone from our bedroom door.
All our photos had been ripped to shreds and tossed in the trash.
He opened the closet–most of my clothes were missing.
That’s when he finally started to panic.
He grabbed his phone and started texting frantically.
“Aurora, where the hell are you? What kind of game is this?”
“Aurora, quit being such a drama queen. I just got back and I’m exhausted.”
“Keep this shit up and I swear I’ll cancel the whole wedding.”
Even now, he thought that would scare me.
He was so sure he had me wrapped around his finger.
Thought I’d come crawling back like some pathetic puppy, just like always.
In his twisted mind, I’d be standing there waiting no matter how badly he treated me.
Chapter 5
I glanced at his desperate messages and blocked his number.
That’s when someone knocked on my hospital room door.
A man in an expensive suit stepped inside.
“Ms. Parvis? My boss would like to meet with you.”
I was confused but followed him anyway–what did I have to lose?
Still in my hospital gown, I was taken to some fancy hotel near the hospital.
When I walked through the door, a familiar figure was standing there.
I couldn’t believe it.
“Mom?”
She turned around slowly–looked almost exactly like my memories. Only a few more lines around her eyes, but she was clearly living well.
When she and Dad divorced, I was sixteen.
She swore she’d come back for me once she “got on her feet.”
That was over ten years ago.
Seeing how thin I was, how pale my lips were, her eyes immediately filled with tears. She rushed over and wrapped me in her arms.
“Oh my god, sweetie, how did you… what happened to you? These years must have been hell. Don’t worry–Mommy’s here now. I’m taking you away from all this. We’re leaving the fucking New York.”
I stood there stiffly, my arms hanging at my sides.
I’d forgotten what love really felt like.
“Mom… can you do me a favor?”
She gently brushed the tangles out of my hair.
“Anything, sweetheart. Whatever you need, it’s done.”
The wedding day arrived.
23:51 0
Ten Years Afr
Chapter 5
Cassian was waiting in what should have been my bridal suite.
The arrogant bastard was 100% sure I’d show up.
“Cassian…”
Melody appeared behind him, her eyes red from crying.
“Cassian, can we take one last walk by the Hudson? After today, I swear I won’t bother you anymore.”
Cassian looked conflicted, checking his Rolex–three hours until the ceremony.
“Fine. But we need to be quick.”
Melody used every trick in the book to keep Cassian away from the venue.
But at the last possible moment, he made it back.
He was still so confident that when he opened that door, I’d be standing there in my wedding dress, ready to say “I do.”
Chapter 6
Chapter 6
