PROLOGUE

A folded piece of paper with a badge on top is sitting on the edge of my bed. The one that I personally find beautiful in the auction room is the badge that was the reason for our first fight. My fingers tremble as I grab the badge and the letter.

I hid my lips with my shaking hand when I realized it was the badge. I let go of it in my hand and fell off the blanket that was wrapped over me. I opened it with trembling fingers. The way each letter was written caught my attention. And by the time I knew for sure that it was him, I found myself sobbing uncontrollably. I began reading his letter.

My stupid negie,

I love you more than happy endings

I love you more than life itself. I’ll be right here, loving you until the end.

Your prince

SEBASTIAN,

The priest then blesses the couple, joins their hand together, and asks, "Do you take Prince Cynfael Augustus Hearst Clemente as your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

I pulled off my mask from my mouth, as well as the needles that had been lodged in my body.

"I do." The best man gives the bride’s ring to the priest, who blesses it and hands it to the groom to place on the bride’s finger. Then, the maid of honor gives the groom’s ring to the priest, who blesses it and hands it to the bride to place on the groom’s finger. "I take this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

Even though I was out of breath from weariness, I ran and ran until my body was giving up. I came to a halt for a moment, clutching my chest in the intense anguish I was feeling, feeling misery knowing he would soon abandon me.

He murmured the words "I can't breathe..." into my ear. "I can't say..." The sound of his crying and suffering rang over the road, making this moment even more agonizing than it already was. "I can't say I do without you."

Those letters made my chest ache even more. Wouldn’t this occur if we chose one another? Is she correct when she said, "Perhaps my fate was to meet you but not be with you?"