“Hello, Elena.”“Hey, Mom,” I said, sitting up straight at once, alarm bells already ringing in my head. When I saw her name on my caller ID, I cleaned my eyes twice to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Mother never called me out of the blue like this unless something was terribly wrong, or if she needed me to run an errand for her. “How's father? Is everything fine at home? Do you need me to help you get anything?”“Calm down with the questions, my love,” she laughed, but I could detect a hint of nervousness in her tone. And did she just call me her love? What the hell was going on? “Your father's doing great, and everything is fine. I don't need you to get anything from me.”“Okay...” I said after a few minutes silence. “Then why — ”“I just wanted to know how you're faring. I know I don't normally call like this, but that's something that can be changed, right dear?”Who was she, and what had she done with my mother?“Mom you're scaring me,” I blurted out honestly. “There's no need

“Lord save me,” I whispered as I pulled up in front of Sarah's grande duplex apartment. I got out of the car in a heartbeat, and rushed straight in without even ringing the doorbell. I knew Sarah. I knew that whenever something huge happened, something bad, Sarah always hid away at home instead of confronting the situation head-on. I was right. She was lying haphazardly on the couch, sitting up the minute I came in, her eyes bloodshot red thanks to hours from crying.“Oh, Sarah,” I sighed as I took in the pink Hello Kitty pajamas she was wearing, and the melting bowl of ice-cream on the table. Of course she was watching A Walk To Remember. Part of me wholeheartedly understood and sympathized with her. The choice she made, at a sensitive time like this wasn't an easy one. It meant she was dead serious. She didn't just wake up to make such a huge decision like this. It took her months of mulling over it. It was heartbreaking of course, finally coming to terms with the fact that she coul

She looked into my eyes, her expression broken. “Richard,” she said. “I can't marry you. I can't. You've only seen me as a sister up until this point, and you've been in love with Sarah for such a long time. How can you be suddenly okay with this? Do you hate me that much? To make me your wife, when Sarah's the only woman your heart belongs to, do you?”I exhaled calmly, all my willpower suddenly evaporated. I was unsure on how to answer her. How to be honest. She had a strong point. Fuck, she was right. Even as I sat her with her, right now, my heart ached at the thought of Sarah and everything we'd gone through. Everything we'd built. All the love, attention, and devotion gone down the drain.“Elena,” I murmured, finding my voice at last. “I don't care. It's... It's an arranged marriage. Right from the start, that's what it is. So long as we're fond of each other, and we have that mutual respect, we'll be able to pull it off. To make it work. We've been best friends for long, haven'

I sat up straight as a quiet knock sounded on the door again, my heart clenching hard with anticipation...and panic. Otto and I looked up as the door opened quietly, and Mother walked in. My gaze swept over her, shocked, and she exhaled, hesitating for a moment before shaking her head. My shoulders deflated as treacherous relief washed over me. Sarah wasn't here yet.“I don't have the right words, Elena. I'm so sorry,” she said. She glanced at Otto and his girls before pressing her lips together for a moment. “I'm sorry your sister won't be here on this special day. Her day. I don't know what I did wrong, or what's gotten into her, but I sincerely hope she doesn't come to regret this in the near future.”“Me too, Mother. Me too,” I murmured, mentally drained. What would happen once she realized she had made a mistake? What if she went after Richard and asked for his forgiveness? His promise to me is nothing compared to the thousand of promises they must have made to each other through

“Heartiest congratulations to you, Sir,” one of the guys working at the supplement department in Delmonte Magazine said as he extended his hand for a handshake. I took it, wracking my brain as I tried to place the name. Hunter, I think? “When Estel and I got the invite, we instantly guessed it'd be something like this, but for some reason we felt it'll be Sarah and you. I always thought you two were seeing each other secretly or something, but it all makes sense now. You were simply being a gentleman. Creating a strong bond with your future sister-in-law.”My heart clenched painfully at the thought of Sarah being my sister-in-law. He was right, that was exactly what she was now. I exhaled, forcing a smile on my face. Elena tensed up beside me. I shrugged as I said, “The Williams and the Delmontes have always been more than just business associates. We're much closer than that.” I had nothing else to say to him.He nodded in agreement, his gaze moving over to Elena, and I cringed inwar