“The nerve of that jerk!” Talia screamed as she stormed into my office, slamming the door hard behind her. I dropped my pen and swiftly stuffed the journal I'd been scribbling plot points for my next book into my handbag. Dragging my eyes up, I exhaled softly, mentally preparing myself for what I was sure was to be another one of Talia's tireless rants.I wondered who it would be about this time.After a couple of months, I woke up this morning with a vague idea of what my next book would be about. And as I wrote that idea down, I was pleased to find out that my writer's block was now completely gone, everything seamlessly falling into place. I knew the exact direction I wanted my next book to go and was pumped to figure out a lot more as I wrote, but with my best friend here, there was no way that would be be happening soon.“Not the best of mornings, I presume, babe?” I chuckled in greeting. There was only one person who could rile her up like this, and I had no doubt that whatever

An hour later, at exactly three o'clock, I received Richard's text informing me of his arrival. I was done with plotting, drawing up character arcs for my book, and had been waiting eagerly. The second I got the notification, I stood up and took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself to see him again. My chest was suddenly on fire, goosebumps spreading all over my body. Good goosebumps. I didn't head outside immediately, waiting back for a few minutes. Grabbing my purse, I locked my office and headed toward the entrance, sighting him from far off as he leaned against his car, fiddling with his phone. He'd brought his Lexus today. With each step I took, my heart raced faster and faster, the sound growing louder and louder, drowning me in it.How could a man look...so out of this world? So fucking perfect?Every time I saw him felt like the first.I pause for a minute, and inhale deeply, taking him in. I'd memorized his soft features like the back of my hand. That silky blonde hair,

“I'm not sure I'll take Sarah's advice to invite the Krashingdowns to the wedding ceremony,” Mom said. “Their daughter, Eloise, has been Sarah's nemesis right from when they were little. It gets even worse because Eloise works in the same hospital with Sarah, and I'm sure she tries her best to outshine your sister. Not that she's ever successful. Sarah is that surgeon everyone trusts and wants to handle their cases. She's a star.”I gasped, looking up from the book I was reading. “Eloise now works at Elysium Healthcare?” I asked, surprised. How could that be? Eloise and I were pretty close. She was a sweet soul, and one of my best friends, and there was never a time I remember her disliking or even talking about Sarah. Yes, they weren't the best of friends, but Eloise kept to her lane. I wouldn't be surprised if Sarah had been feeding Mother lies about Eloise because she felt insecure. Eloise was also a hot-shot surgeon who knew her work quite well, and if she'd moved to Elysium Healt

“Oh, come on now, Sarah,” I sighed, tightening my grip on the phone. “You promised that we'd attend the event together. How do you think your sister would feel? She was counting on you coming with me. This is the fourth time this month you're cancelling on me at the last minute. I would appreciate it if you give me an adequate notice before hand. Honestly, this sucks.”The phone rustled as she sighed. “I'm so sorry, Richy. I really wanted to be there tonight, you know that. I wanted to support Elena and be there with you, but we just got an emergency right now and I can't get away. I'm supposed to be in the theater by now, but I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't be worried. I know you hate it when I leave you handing.”“I'm tired of the same excuses every time, Sarah. I'm trying to be caring and supportive as I can be, but you keep taking it for granted. I can't keep being the only one who's got to compromise. It's annoying.”“No one knows that better than me, love,” she sai

My palms turned sweaty as I parked my car in front of the Williams mansion. It was Sarah and Elena's birthday today, and while I was happy to see Elena and celebrate with her, I couldn't say the same about Sarah. Things had not been the same between us for a while, and I was tired of ignoring it. I couldn't keep up with the pretense anymore.With barely three weeks to our wedding, every issue we'd ever had seemed amplified. Perhaps I'd lost interest, call it cold feet, but it felt bigger than that. There was a part of me that kept wondering if the only reason she and I even started dating was the knowledge that we'd end up eventually, through our arranged marriage.But the catch was... would we have? The woman my parents had chosen was Elena. If I hadn't...if that night hadn't happened, would I have been married to Elena now?I ran a hand through my hair and drew a shaky breath. It didn't matter now, did it? There was no going back in time to change anything, and loss of interest or n