Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

PEYTON

I covered my mouth with both hands, but the sob that escaped me was still loud enough to make Holly flinch.

“Peyton…”

“I’m fine,” I whispered automatically.

The lie barely left my lips before another sob tore through my chest.

How could I possibly be fine when my life has fallen apart.

Holly climbed into the driver’s seat and immediately locked the doors.

“You need to get your mind off this.Where do you want to go?”

Home felt unbearable. The hotel was worse. And I couldn’t imagine returning to the venue where dozens of people were probably still waiting for me to walk down an aisle that no longer existed.

“Anywhere,” I whispered.

Holly started the car. For several minutes, neither of us spoke. My phone continued vibrating in my lap.

I didn’t need to check it to know what was happening. The wedding guests were probably calling to find out where I was. I switched my phone off.

“I don’t want to talk to anyone.”

“You don’t have to.” Holly reached over and squeezed my hand.

I stared down at our joined hands.

“Why did he do this?”

“Because he’s an asshole.”

“No.” I sniffed . “That’s not enough. He said he saw something.”

“Did he ever say what he saw?”

“No.” I shook my head.

“Then he’s being ridiculous.”

“But what if I actually did something?”

“Pey.”She looked at me sharply. “You didn’t.I’ve known you for years.”

Her voice softened.  “You love Logan. Everyone knows that.”

My fingers moved instinctively toward my engagement ring. Its stone caught the sunlight streaming through the window.

I stared at it for several seconds before pulling it off.

“I can’t look at this anymore.” I placed the ring in my palm.

It was supposed to symbolize forever. Instead, it suddenly felt like evidence of the biggest mistake I’d ever made.

“I should give it back. I don’t want anything that belongs to him.”

“Then put it somewhere safe and deal with it when you’re not falling apart.”

I nodded weakly. For the first time since leaving Logan’s house, I allowed myself to breathe. 

Then my stomach suddenly cramped. I winced and pressed a hand against my abdomen. Holly noticed immediately and studied me for a moment before turning her attention back to the road.

“You haven’t eaten since yesterday”

The truth was, my entire body felt strange. My head was pounding, my stomach felt unsettled, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept properly.

Maybe it was simply the shock. Maybe my body was reacting to everything that had happened.

All I wanted was to sleep and wake up to discover this had been some horrible nightmare.

“Can you take me to the hospital? I have a bad headache and I don’t feel so good,”

Holly nodded and took a you-turn. We arrived a few minutes later.

The hospital was quieter than I expected. She parked near the entrance, and I stepped out of the car with my arms wrapped around myself. The moment I entered the building, the smell of antiseptic hit me, making my already unsettled stomach turn.

We found an empty waiting area near the emergency department, and I sank into a chair.

Holly left to get some water and I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes, waiting to be called. For the first time all day, there was total silence.

Then a man’s voice broke through it.

“You look like a scene from a movie,”

My eyes opened.

A man stood a few feet away from me.

He was tall  and dressed in a charcoal suit that fit him perfectly, with one hand tucked casually into his trouser pocket. His dark hair was slightly ruffled , his presence looked commanding.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re wearing a wedding gown in a hospital.”

I looked down at myself. I had completely forgotten I was still wearing it.

“And?”

“And I’m guessing something went terribly wrong.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Are you always this nosy?”

“Only when someone looks like they’re about to cry on their wedding day.”

“I don’t need your concern.”I scoffed and turned away.

“Good. Because I wasn’t offering any.”

For the first time that day, something almost resembling a laugh escaped me. It disappeared as quickly as it came.

“There. You still remember how to smile.”

“I wouldn’t get excited.”

“I wasn’t.” 

“Why are you here?” I frowned.

“I’m here to  visit my grandmother,”

“You should go meet her then!” I said harshly.

“My bad. You looked like you need some cheering  but since you insist, I should leave,” he said. 

He started walking away but as I watched him go. Something about him bothered me.

Maybe it was because I needed something to take my mind off Logan.

“Wait!”

“What? You want me to stay?” He smirked.

“I just…”My voice cracked.

His expression changed as he saw how disoriented I was.

“Are you alright?”

“No.”The word came out before I could stop it.

He didn’t say anything. He simply walked back and sat in the chair beside mine.

I was so exhausted that I needed to pour out my emotions to someone and a stranger seemed like the best option right now since we’d never meet again.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“My fiancé canceled our wedding this morning through a text. Can you believe that? I  caught him with my maid of honor.”

That got a reaction. His jaw tightened and he went quiet for a moment.

“That’s brutal.”

“The worst part is that he kept saying I had done something. He said he’d seen something and couldn’t trust me anymore.”

The stranger’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Did he tell you what he saw?”

Before I could respond, Holly returned with a bottle of water.

She stopped when she saw the stranger sitting beside me.Her eyes moved between us.

“Holly! This is…”

I paused. I didn’t even know his name.

“Zayn.” He stood and held out his hand to Holly.

“Zayn Blackwill.”

Holly’s eyes widened. She stared at him as though he’d just announced he owned the hospital.

“Wait. The Zayn Blackwill?”

“I’m afraid so.”He gave her a polite nod.

“Who is Zayn Blackwill?”I frowned.

Holly’s mouth dropped open and looked at me incredulously.

“You don’t know who he is?Peyton, he’s the CEO of Blackwill Industries. The tech startup and top firms in the country”

I looked at him again.He didn’t look particularly impressed by the introduction.

“Nice to meet you,” I said awkwardly.

“Likewise.”

His phone suddenly rang and he glanced at the screen.

“I have to go.” He took one step away before stopping.

“Don’t let what happened today convince you that you’re difficult to love.”

My throat tightened. I wasn’t expecting that.

“And for what it’s worth,” He glanced briefly at the wedding ring still sitting in my palm.

“You  deserve someone who chooses you while standing at the altar.”

I watched him walk away and disappear through the hospital doors.

Holly slowly sat beside me.

“Okay  why is a billionaire CEO just sat here talking to you like you’ve known each other for years.”

“I don’t know.”I shrugged.

But for some reason, my eyes remained fixed on the doors he’d walked through.

I had met Zayn Blackwill for less than fifteen minutes. Yet his final words kept replaying in my head.

I looked down at my wedding ring.

For the first time that morning, I didn’t feel like crying. I felt angry.  Logan had made his choice and so did Demi, but I still had a life to live.

And in that moment, a flicker of hope danced in my heart.