Chapter 1

Lisa

“What do you mean you’re getting married?!” I screamed, pushing myself up from the chair so fast it scraped loudly against the floor. My whole body trembled, with anger, disbelief and heartbreak, everything mixed together in a way that made it hard to breathe.

It’s barely been a year since Dad passed away. A year of mourning, of trying to hold myself together, of pretending I was fine when I wasn’t. And now Mom was sitting at the dinner table in our small apartment, casually dropping the bomb that she was planning to remarry. As if Dad had been… replaceable.

“Can you calm down?” she snapped, dropping her fork onto her plate. The sound echoed like a slap. “You’re not a child anymore, Lisa. Stop acting like one.”

My vision blurred with tears, I refused to let fall. “Are you crazy?” I slammed my fist on the dining table, the plates clattering. “You can’t just replace Dad like that! You can’t…” My voice cracked. “You can’t pretend like he never existed.”

But that was Mom. She always did things her way. No warning, no discussion. Just decisions made on impulse.

She crossed her arms, unfazed by my shaking voice or the tears threatening to spill. “I am getting married to him whether you like it or not.”

Him. She wouldn’t even say his name, as if keeping it vague made it hurt less.

I couldn’t stand being in the same room with her. I pushed my chair away and started walking toward the door. Everything felt too tight…the apartment, the air, my own chest.

“And Lisa…” Mom’s voice stopped me. I turned slowly, afraid of what would come next.

She looked straight at me, her expression cold and resolved. “We’re moving to New York.”

Then something caught my eye. My gaze drifted toward the hallway.

I froze. Dad's photo was gone.

The framed picture that had sat beside the bookshelf for years. The picture of Dad smiling with one arm around me after my middle school graduation.

The picture he loved more than any other.

“Where's Dad's picture?”

Mom stiffened. Then she looked away.

“It's time to let go and move on. There's no need for it to be laying around.”

My chest tightened so hard it hurt.

That photograph had been the last thing Dad touched before he died.

I remembered sitting beside him while he carefully repaired the frame after I accidentally cracked one of the corners during my sophomore year.

I had felt terrible but Dad had only laughed.

“See?” he said after finishing. “Good as new, Princess.”

He always called me princess. And now his picture was gone, packed away and forgotten in some box. Like he had never existed.

Something inside me snapped. She wasn't just moving us, she was erasing him.

Piece by piece.

“I can't believe you!”

The tears finally spilled down my face.

“I hate you!”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Her face hardened, but I didn’t wait for a reply. I grabbed my jacket and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door so hard the walls probably shook.

I walked blindly down the street, my chest was hurting, my head spinning. How could she do this?

Dad literally worked himself to death for us and now she was replacing him after only one year. The thought made me sick.

Not only was she betraying Dad, but she was ruining my entire life. Taking me away from my friends. From everything I built here.

My best friend Olivia and I promised we would go to the same college here in Buckingham. Most of my high school classmates were already studying there. It was the plan. Our plan.

And now Mom expected me to leave it all behind.

I pulled out my phone and called Olivia.

She answered immediately.

“Olive…” My voice shook. “Mom just told me she’s getting married and the worst part? She wants us to leave for New York.”

“What?!” Olivia gasped.

“What does she expect me to do? Just leave my life behind? Leave you? Leave everything?”

“Don’t worry,” she said immediately. “I’m on my way. I’m coming to pick you up. Where exactly are you?”

“I’m near the old coffee shop.”

“I’ll be there in a minute. Just wait.”

I ended the call and sat down on a nearby bench .

I loved this place.

Every corner held a memory. The old coffee shop across the street, the bookstore three blocks away, the little park at the end of the road.

I lowered my head.

Minutes later, Olivia’s car pulled up in front of me. She leaned across the passenger seat and pushed the door open.

“Get in, girl. The others are waiting for us at Club Ziggy.”

I slid into the car without a word.

The drive felt short or maybe my thoughts were just too loud to notice.

When we arrived at Club Ziggy, the music was already pulsing through the walls. Some of our classmates were inside, gathered around our usual table.

“Hey, Lisa!” Rosa said as we approached. “Olive called us and said you needed to hang out. Hope everything’s good?”

I forced a smile. “Everything’s great. Just that I might not be attending college here in Buckingham anymore.” My tone turned bitter. “Apparently, my mom has other plans.”

“What?” Rosa nearly choked on her drink.

The all stared at me

“Wait,” Priscilla said. “As in permanently?”

I nodded.

“Apparently, my opinion doesn’t matter.”

“That’s insane,” Rosa muttered.

“I think the guy might be very rich,” Priscilla said slowly.

I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah I’m sure.”

A mischievous grin spread across her face. “Then take him.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Take him.”

“Priscilla—”

“No, seriously,” she interrupted. “Why don’t you steal him from her?”

The entire table burst out laughing.

“Are you crazy?” Olivia asked.

Priscilla ignored her.

“You have everything you need. The looks, the body, the charm. Just flirt a little.”

Rosa immediately joined in. “Oh my God.” Her eyes widened. “That would be epic.”

“Thank you!” Priscilla pointed at her.

“You two are ridiculous,” Olivia said.