Chapter 1

APRIL

David Lane has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Our parents, being best friends themselves, definitely encouraged our relationship. A wedding between us was almost too predictable, but I was happy about it. Always attentive, protective, and acting like a real-life Prince Charming, he was the absolute perfect husband material.

Did he have any flaws? Of course. The man was raised with the belief of saving himself for marriage.

It was always the same excuse: his religious parents held fast to the idea of a virgin wedding night, he couldn't let them down, and it was just no, no, and no. A total nightmare, but we held out—or at least, that's what I thought until today.

I was finishing getting ready in a small room at the chapel when I heard my fiancé's voice. I slowly walked closer and started hearing him moan. Moan?

As I stepped away from my makeshift dressing room, the cheerful voices of the guests grew louder, and so did my fiancé's moans.

While I debated whether or not to open the door, I prayed he was just taking care of himself and wasn't with someone else. But all my hopes were mercilessly crushed when I saw him with someone very close to us.

The sight before my eyes broke everything inside me: my heart, my dreams, and all my hopes for love. I had never felt a pain like this; it was completely gut-wrenching and inexplicable.

"April..." they both stared at me in absolute shock, caught red-handed.

"You lying bastards! How could you do this to me?" My screaming would surely alert the guests, but right now, I couldn't care less.

"April, calm down, I can explain." I looked at David like I had never truly known him. Cheating on me like this? For God's sake, I was his best friend as well as his fiancée; he could have trusted me.

"What is there to explain, David? It’s more than clear what's going on here." I pointed at both of them. He tried to reach out to me, but I slapped his hand away hard before turning on my heel and storming out.

As I walked away, the tears immediately started to fall, and there was no way to avoid the guests seeing me walk into the main hall.

I held my head high, gathered up my dress so I wouldn't trip, and marched straight for the exit.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Mrs. Lane and my mother rushed over to me.

"The wedding is off. I'm not marrying that cheating bastard." Even though my voice sounded steady, inside I was a waterfall of tears.

"April!" When I heard David shout my name, I knew it was time to run. I ran non-stop, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole, but I wasn't that lucky.

A few minutes after fleeing the chapel, I kicked off my shoes and cursed myself for picking a ballgown. It was beautiful, but utterly useless for running, and from now on, it would just be a reminder of why I can't trust men.

People were staring at me—some with pity, others looking at me like I was crazy. To be fair, I didn't feel very sane in that moment either.

I stopped to catch my breath, looking around, trying to figure out where the hell I was. I caught my reflection in a nearby storefront window and finally understood all the stares: I was a walking disaster. My makeup was completely ruined, with long streaks of mascara running down my cheeks. My hair was a mess; what had once been an elegant bun woven with flowers had turned into a terrifying scarecrow’s nest. Yep, I was ready to star in a horror movie.

How could the best day of my life turn into this? How could David betray me? He was supposed to love me. A sob escaped my lips, and I quickly covered my mouth with my hand. I couldn't cry. He didn't deserve my tears; no man did.

Taking one last look at myself, I swore this would be the last time I ever cried over anyone. I would let myself grieve today, but I would never fall for their empty promises of love again.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted David running just a few yards behind me, closely followed by our best man, Chad.

Spinning around, I bolted straight into the traffic, not even caring that the light was green.

As I dodged through the jungle of cars, I knew I could get run over, but I didn't care. I threw one last glance back at the guys chasing me, completely oblivious to the fact that I was stepping right into the path of a red car.