Chapter 2

Nolan:

She walked away from the ledge with the same fire in her eyes that she had when she stood on it. I had my arms crossed over my chest as I looked at her.

My bride.

She was the same woman that I wanted nothing to do with. She did not even know how I looked like. She didn't know who I was. I doubt that she would have been playing this game if she did.

I didn’t stop her. I didn't really care to do so. I had other things to take care of. She could deal with her anger, her rage, and whatever emotion she was feeling on her own terms as long as it was away from me.

I rolled my eyes and reached for another cigarette, letting the smoke burn through the silence she left behind. I stared into space for a moment, allowing myself to digest the moment of peace, but of course that was short lived.

“You just let her go?” a voice hissed from behind me. “Of people, you just let her go. She could have left, you could have been free.”

Mira.

Of course.

I should have known that you would see this. She would have heard what was going on anyway.

I turned to face her, watching as she was raging. She was ready to attend the wedding as a guest. I told her not to, but she insisted. She was proving a point, but I figured that she was also provoking herself more than others.

She stepped closer, arms folded over her chest like a shield she didn’t need. Her heels clicked against the wood of the bridge as if she owned it. Owned me. I raised an amused eyebrow at her as I smirked, watching her reaction.

“You could’ve ended it,” she pressed. “You could’ve let her jump and been free. You would have been free of all this commitment. She would be the one to run away. You would not be carrying anything.”

I took another drag. Didn’t look at her.

“You know, I did tell you not to attend the wedding. You shouldn't be here as a guest.” I said trying to change the subject. This was not something that I wanted to speak about.

“Why? Because you wanted to live this moment with her. You wanted me to allow you that moment of peace. I was not going to allow her to enjoy you. I am here because you are her mine. You're marrying her…”

“She’s not the problem,” I said flatly. “I don't need to be worried about her. She's the last person that I need to be concerned with. And she is the last person that you need to be thinking about.”

“No? Then what is? You said it yourself; you didn’t want this arranged crap. You don't care about something like this. You're not the man who commits to a marriage. Especially not like this one. You hate her family. You hate…”

“I made a deal. It is not one that I intend to break.” My voice was sharp now, like a blade drawn too quickly. “And I think that you know that I don’t break my word because my girlfriend is jealous. Whether or not you want to accept it, Mira does not really change the reality of how things are. I am not stepping back from this because I won’t start breaking promises now.”

Her mouth parted, ready to throw something else at me, words, fury, desperation, but I moved fast. I was done hearing her voice and I knew that it was the only way to stop her.

I cupped her cheeks with both hands and kissed her.

Not soft.

Not gentle.

Just enough to shut her up.

She kissed me back almost instantly. Though I knew that she wanted to pull away, she did not. She never did.

“I said don’t worry, I'm going to make this right one way or the other.” I muttered against her lips. “I don’t lie to you. But this is something that I need to do.”

Her hands clenched around my jacket. “Then why does it feel like you’re already leaving? Why does it feel like I'm not going to be seeing you?”

I stepped back, flicked the half-burnt cigarette into the river, and straightened my shoulders. I fixed my jacket as I looked towards her. She frowned at me, processing my words. A small smirk played on my lips once again.

“Because I am.”

She blinked.

“Where are you going?” She asked, frowning in confusion.

I gave her a dry smirk and adjusted my cuffs.

“To my wedding,” I said coolly. “As you may recall, I’m the groom.”