LOGINThat night, long after the last of the guests had left for their rooms, Andrew and I returned to the presidential suite to find that the staff had decorated it in preparation for our stay. All the décor, right down to the bed sheets, had been switched out for matching red and gold pieces. The light
Andrew’s eyes met mine as I approached the altar. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. He looked so handsome in his classic black tuxedo that I could hardly wait for after the reception to be with him. As I took my place across from Andrew, I handed my bouquet to Lily. The priestess bega
One month later, I stood in a suite at a private beachside resort, admiring my wedding dress. It hugged my curves in all the right places while still gently brushing against the ground like a low-hanging cloud. Crystals glistened in the room’s fluorescent lights, and the train flowed behind me effor
“Let’s continue this in the bedroom,” I said, breathless. Andrew nodded his agreement. I pulled Andrew to his feet as he stuck the ring box back in his pocket. Then I dragged him back to the bedroom, leading him by the tie. Not that he needed to be dragged; he would have followed me anywhere by th
Andrew texted me and said his flight was delayed by a few errands he had to run, so I waited. And waited. I waited for an entire day, and even began to worry that Andrew had changed his mind. Then I heard a knock at my door. I leapt off the couch and rushed to answer it. Stopping just short of the
Noah left the next day. I took him to the airport, we exchanged a hug and a brief farewell, and then I watched him walk through the gate. That was the last time I ever saw him. With a heavy heart, I returned to an empty apartment. All our furniture and my belongings—what little I still had—were the
I waited a couple days for Lisa to cool off. Then I gathered my courage and called her one morning. “Hello?” Lisa answered groggily. “Hi, Lisa. It’s me, Crystal.” I could hear her tone turn bitter. “What do you want?” “I wanted to talk to you about some last-minute wedding details—” “Lik
Terri looked between Andrew and me before nodding. She might not have known exactly what we were doing, but she could tell when there was about to be an uncomfortable conversation that she didn’t want to be a part of. “Of course,” she replied. “I’ll be back in your office if you need me.” She di
I went straight to the mansion after lunch. I did not even bother to stop by my apartment to drop off the flowers. In the back of my mind, I knew that I should not bring them into Andrew’s home, but I was so furious at Andrew that I did not care. As I entered the mansion, Parker eyed the roses i
Lisa slammed the door closed to her black Porsche. She threw her purse into the passenger seat and wiped the tears away from the corners of her eyes. She tried to breathe slowly in and out through her nostrils, just as her father had taught her, but it wasn’t helping to calm her at all. How dare t







