Chapter One

PROLOGUE 

Tessa’s POV

My phone rang, and a smile formed when I saw the caller—my fiancé, Kelvin. In just two days, we’d be married.

“Hi, babe,” he said. “How’s my beautiful bride doing?”

“I can’t believe we only have two days left. There’s still so much to do.” I said, unable to hide the slight panic in my voice. Our upcoming wedding was just as exciting as it was scary.

“Relax, you don’t have to worry about anything. Rebecca and I just picked up the rings—they’re perfect, I promise.” My smile vanished.

Rebecca. His ex.

Kelvin insisted they were just friends, and I tried to trust him. Still, knowing they picked out our wedding rings together made my chest tighten.

“I believe you.” I finally said. “I was thinking we should meet with the wedding coordinator to finalize everything.”

“We should do that—”

The call suddenly cut off.

I stared at my phone before trying his number again. It didn’t go through. Maybe it was just bad network.

I parked my car in front of a restaurant, the neon sign above the door reading 'The Silver Willow,' and hurried inside before the rain got heavier. Inside was thankfully warm.

I took a seat and picked up the menu, giving it a quick glance before deciding. A moment later, a waitress approached my table.

“I’m Lexa, and I’ll be your waitress for tonight. What can I get you?” she asked.

I was a waitress too, working at a family-owned diner, and it always felt a little strange when I wasn’t the one doing the serving.

“A hot chocolate and a buttered bagel, please.”

“One hot chocolate and a bagel coming right up,” she said with a smile before walking away.

She was back a few minutes later with my order. Strangely, she wasn’t all smiley anymore. She looked troubled, maybe even afraid, and her eyes kept darting around the restaurant. I wasn’t sure if it was my place to ask, but…

“Uhmm… are you alright?” I asked as she placed my order in front of me.

“Yes, of course,” she said, trying to force a smile. “I’m fine,” she said quickly. Then, lowering her voice, “There’s a man a few seats away. He asked to see you.”

I cocked a brow, confused, and turned to look.

For a moment, my heart stilled when I met a pair of stormy grey eyes.

“I don’t know him,” I said.

“Maybe he just wants your number…”

“I’m engaged. I’m getting married in two days.” I said, even though I knew I didn’t owe her any explanation.

She inhaled deeply before taking a seat opposite me. “When Mr. Wraith wants you...he gets you.”

A chill ran down my spine. Suddenly, I didn’t feel very hungry anymore. “How much is this?” I asked, pointing to the cup of chocolate and bagel I wouldn’t be eating.

“No need for that—the bill’s been handled.”

I turned—and there he was again. Wraith. Watching me. I could have sworn those eyes glowed.

I didn’t stick around to be sure. I ran into the night, soaked by rain by the time I reached my car. My heart pounded.

Who was the handsome stranger and why did I feel so unsettled by his presence?

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CHAPTER ONE: 

The day had finally come.

My wedding day.

I was in a white dress with thin straps and a skirt that brushed the floor. My hair was pulled into a low bun at the nape of my neck, with a few curls slipping free around my face.

I walked out of the dressing room, and Bree—my best friend—gasped.

“You look so fucking beautiful,” she said with wide eyes.

Bree was dressed in a pale teal-colored dress that highlighted her sleepy blue eyes. Her short black hair had been straightened and left down.

“You too,” I complimented.

I met Bree a few years ago at the diner where I worked. We clicked instantly and have been best friends ever since. She was my total opposite—wild, carefree, and even bitchy at times. But deep down, she was a good person, and the only one I could truly call a friend.

“You know, maybe I was wrong about Kelvin,” Bree says. “I mean, my gut has never failed me before, but maybe he is a good guy after all.”

“I know admitting you were wrong isn’t your thing, but you were only trying to look out for me, like any good friend would.”

The thing was, Bree never really liked Kelvin. For some reason, she just didn’t think we were meant to be. But she was wrong—Kelvin was a good guy.

When I told him I intended to wait until marriage to have sex, he agreed. Sure, he was a bit disappointed at first, but he respected my decision.

Kelvin and I had been dating for eight months, and when he proposed a month ago, I said yes.

My mother stepped in, and her eyes immediately filled with tears. She walked up to me, trying hard not to let them fall.

Mom was still recovering, and though she looked healthier than she had a few months ago, she was still sickly thin. The dress that was supposed to be fitted hung loosely on her.

“My baby is going to be a wife,” she whispered, then drew me into a tight hug. I didn’t miss the slight tremble in her hands. “Can I have a moment alone with my daughter?” she asked Bree, who nodded and walked away.

“Mom, are you alright?”

“I’m fine—I’m more than fine. I can’t believe I get to witness this day. I… I don’t think I deserve it…”

I cut her off. “Mom, stop. You’re here and that’s all that matters.”

“No, that’s not all that matters. I’ve been a bad mother to you. Tell me, what kind of mother abandons her own child? You had a tough childhood, and it was all because of me… and the addiction.” She could no longer hold back her tears, and I blinked fast, trying to keep mine from falling too.

We didn’t like talking about her addiction. In fact, we’d settled on calling it an ‘illness’ instead of what it really was.

She wiped her tears and took my hands in hers. “I promise you,” she said. “I’ll never go back to the drugs. I should’ve made this decision a long time ago and stuck to it. Maybe it’s too late, but it’s better late than never. I’ll be here for you every step of the way and this time, I’m not going to break my word, you hear me? I won’t. I won’t make promises I can’t keep. I won’t run when things get hard.”

“I believe you,” I whispered.

And it took everything in me to say those words—because she’d made these promises before; she had promised to stay at home with me, she had promised to stop bringing strange men into our home, and she had promised to stop taking those drugs that always made her act crazy, only to turn her back on her own words time and time again.

But this time, it was different. She was putting in the effort. It had been a year since she gave up the drugs and the men. A year since I got my mother back. And this time, she wasn’t going anywhere.

“You are the only thing I care about, Tessy baby, only you and nothing else.”

I hugged her once again.

She was all I had too, the only family I had left.

“I have something for you,” she said, then brought forth a small box. Her hands were shaking so badly, I feared she might drop it, so I quickly took it from her.

Opening the box, I found a necklace. Nothing fancy, nothing too beautiful, but the fact that this was the only gift I’d ever received from my mother made it more precious than fine gold.

I quickly put it on, not caring about the fact it didn’t fit the look.

“It’s beautiful on you, more beautiful than it would have ever looked on me,” she said.

“Thank you, Mom. It is beautiful indeed.”

“I’ll send Bree back in. The wedding will be starting in a few minutes.”

I sat in front of the mirror. I was going to be a wife. It was finally dawning on me the responsibilities that awaited me as a wife. I had been so focused on the wedding that I didn’t stop to think about what happens after it.

Suddenly, there was no rush of anticipation; the thought didn’t make my heart race.

‘I love Kelvin,’ I said out loud because I needed to hear it. ‘I will marry him, and our love will grow stronger through the years. We’ll be a happy family. This is more than I could ever ask for,’ I told myself again.

Then I remember those stormy grey eyes.

I had dreamt about him last night, dreamt about walking across the restaurant to find out what he wanted from me.

The church bells rang. It was time.

On a day like this, I missed the father I never knew.

If he were alive, he’d be walking me down the aisle, a huge smile on his face, tears in his eyes. He’d be whispering to me how proud he was of the woman I’d become. But I couldn’t afford to dwell on that thought, not right now.

With each step I took down the aisle, a growing sense of unease settled over me. Around me, the murmurs and whispers grew louder.

I glanced up toward where Kelvin was supposed to be standing, but he wasn’t there.

I paused mid-step, and just then, Bree approached me.

“What’s going on? Where’s Kelvin?” I asked.

She didn’t answer right away, simply led me out of the church.

“He’s not here yet,” she said, but the tight frown on her face told me everything.

“Why isn’t he here already Bree?”

“I don’t know. But he should be here soon." She assured.

But her words did nothing to ease the panic now rising in my chest.