MasukThat 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
Heat rose into my cheeks. Of course, Lisa started that rumor. Bob probably encouraged her to do it, too. “How did she…was she just waiting for us at the staircase—” I stopped abruptly as I got a news alert on my phone. I dove for the device. As soon as I got my hands to quit shaking, I found
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, acutely aware of one of the braver security guards edging his way towards us, “but we need to get out of here, now.” Andrew’s eyes darted about the crowd, then he nodded. He leapt to his feet, grabbed my hand, and shoved his way through the gathered mass before the secu
I sighed. “All right. What else?” “Just…be safe.” I smiled slightly at his concern. “I will be.” * * At work the next day, I expected that the human terrorist attack to be the center of conversation. However, as I entered the bridal shop, Jeffrey close behind me, what caught
Andrew and I awoke to a knock at my apartment door an hour before my alarm was set to go off. I groaned and disentangled myself from the sheets and Andrew’s limbs. “Who could that be this early?” Andrew asked, partly annoyed and partly concerned. “I don’t know.” I threw on my robe and walked t







