All Chapters of The Last Time I Said Yes: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The weight of yes.They say that being a daughter is a gift. A blessing. A crown of honor.But no one talks about the weight that crown bears. No one talks about how heavy it is to be an only child, to be a female, to be molded before you ever get a chance to stretch into who you really are.Since I was old enough to utter words, I've been taught to say yes.Yes to the rules.Yes to the dresses.Yes to the schools.Yes to the men I must impress.Yes, when all I wanted to say was no.To have no control over any part of my life. My schedule, my friends, what I eat. It's suffocating, but all I could say was… yes.It's funny. Standing here, behind these double oak doors, in a gown that sparkles like something out of a fairytale, I should feel lucky, I should feel proud… I should feel happy.But all I feel is hollow. Like I am watching someone else's life unfold and I'm just a guest.The people of the other side of this door thinks they're about to witness the happiness moment of my life.

For the first time since the ceremony, I felt warm.He worked in silence. His large fingers carefully applied the ointment to my purple bruise. It made me wince but I didn't pull away. He was surprisingly gentle and worked with incredible focus.I watched him. He had sharp cheekbones, a square jaw and a faint scar just below his right eye. He looked like a man who'd seen to much."You're very good at this," I whispered.He didn't look up. "I've had practice."I wanted to ask him what he meant by that but a knock on the door interrupted our moment.I froze and he did too.Another knock. Louder and harder."Sir, hotel security. Sorry to disturb you. We are looking for a guest. A young woman with brown hair in a white wedding dress."My breath hitched. I looked into Mikhail's eyes and clutched his arm with my shaky own. "Please." I mouthed.He nodded and walked to the door. I scrambled off the couch and darted towards the bedroom, crouching beside the bed. I heard the lock click and the

Alina PovThe streetlights started growing apart as we drew further and further away from the bustling city noise. The car drove up a hill and a small sign to the side wrote… welcome to Ashridge Hills.I smiled at the name instantly, I liked how it sounds.Not long later Mikhail pulled into a driveway of a modest bungalow with white walls and a small porch light that flickered. The door to his garage opened automatically and he drove inside, stepping out of the car immediately he turned it off.He didn't say anything but I followed him out. The door closed behind us as he led me pass the fence gate. His front yard was neat with just a couple of flower pots on the base of the steps to the porch. They looked neglected and wittered.This was not how I pictured his house to be like. It looked… homey.As soon as he opened the front door, a blur of golden fur jumped out from inside. A golden retriever with excited eyes, it hugged Mikhail at the waist and wiggled it's tail at an amazing spee

The car ride to the mall was quiet. Not the uncomfortable, heavy kind of silence but a peaceful one. I get the feeling he is not one for small talk and honestly, neither am I. His eyes were straight ahead, one hand on the wheel, the other one lazily gripped the gear shift. I leaned into the chair and stared at the world on the other side of the window.The car was quiet but my thoughts weren’t. I kept thinking about that baby room. I don’t buy his explanation but I also don’t have the right to ask him. Why do I even want to know?When we pulled into the mall’s parking lot, I perked up a little because it was a place I recognized.“There’s this place on the third floor, Marseilles, I know the owner. If she is there, she will treat me well. Her clothes always fit me perfectly.”Mikhail put the car in park, then turned to face me. “Yeah. No.”“What. Why?” I asked alarmed.“We’re not going to some high-end place where the shop girls might phone your mom the second they see your face. We a

My heart skipped a beat and my eyes darted between the two men. I don’t know why but I felt extremely nervous for him. This didn’t feel like a normal race.Mikhail crossed his arms and stared at the man with a bored expression.“And who the hell are you supposed to be?”The man smiled and jerked his thumb towards himself. “I’m the guy who is going to take you off your throne.”I heard someone stifle a laugh from the crowd and one of his posse stepped forward to Mikhail.“Sean is putting his ride on the line. If you win, she’s yours.”“But If I win…” Sean pointed at the car behind me. “I want your beast.”Mikhail stared at him, and without a single word he strolled to his car and popped the hood.Mikhail’s friend also followed to check out the opponent’s car. “That’s a 2JZ-GTE engine! Twin turbo,” he whistled. “A girl like this can push up to 1,000 horses with the right mods.”Mikhail just nodded. “She’s a pretty ride,” he said, closing the hood with a soft thud. “But she’s not worth i