Chapter 1 What the hell are you doing here

"Look who's here!" I announced my arrival and stepped into what I assumed was the bride's room.

However my smile wavered away as soon as I saw the sight of the room and a weeping Lindsay, my dear friend, in the middle of it.

A worried frown occupied her face when she first looked toward the direction I walked in from, but soon recovered when she realized that it was me.

"Lindsay, what's wrong?" I asked as I rushed to her. Her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably.

"I'm so glad you came," Lindsay spoke through her wobbling lips. "I really needed you."

"Tell me what the matter is." I spoke impatiently. "And why is there no one here? And where is the wedding happening?"

"In the backyard." She wobbled. "Skylar, I don't want to get married."

I was not surprised.

When she called me a couple of weeks ago saying she was going to get married to someone, I was taken aback. It came out of nowhere, and I could decipher from the tone of her voice that she wasn't happy with it.

I was aware that Lindsay's father has a better say in her matters pertaining to her personal life than she does. Everything was a matter of business to him and Lindsay has warned me several years ago that she would have to marry somebody her father chooses for her. And worst of all, that she has very little choice in the matter, if not nothing.

"I begged my father not to do this, I told him I was in love with someone else. That's why he called for the wedding early." She said, wiping her eyes with her hands. "Skylar, I don't love him. He isn't the one for me. I love someone else."

"Lindsay," I said, trying to cool her down. "If you stay here any longer, people will come looking for you. So it's better if you call your father and explain it to him before things get out of hand."

"I'm not going out there." She said, removing my hands from her shoulders. "I'm not going to get married to someone I don't love."

"I'm not asking you to get married. I'm asking you to discuss it with-"

"I'm going to run away."

My jaw almost dropped on the floor when she said that. "What?"

"I don't have a choice." She said, "Please Skylar, you need to help me."

"I can't let you make a mistake you'll regret for life." I said, trying to shake some sense into her.

"I'm not going to regret it."

"You will." I said. "Do you think running away solves the problem? It's just a temporary escape!"

"Skylar, I'm already in love with someone else. Do you think my father will listen to the end of it?

He will force my hand in marriage and Parker will gladly take it."

I sighed and shook my head. This was classic Lindsay. Always running away from problems, always taking the easier route. It was one of the things I hated about her, but she was my friend, and she didn't need a harsh reality check right now.

"What do you think I've been doing for the past month? I begged Parker too, but he was too arrogant to even consider my feelings. He wants this business deal as much as I want."

"But there are so many guests here. So many close friends and business associates of both the families are here. It's going to be humiliating once things simmer down. I urge you to handle this with more dignity."

"I don't care." She said, "Maybe my father deserves the humiliation he's going to get after I run away."

Right then, we heard footsteps trailing towards us. Lindsay widened her eyes at me, panicking. "Skylar, they're coming for me."

I reeled in a deep breath, "You should-"

"Please help me run away." She said, "Please Skylar, it's my life."

"Lindsay!" Someone knocked on the door. Thank god I locked it when I entered.

"I have to go. I have a friend waiting for me outside. Please, help me, I need to go. I swear I'll handle this mess later."

The desperation that I found in her eyes was unmatched. I never saw her like this before. In the wake of it, I realized that I was perhaps underplaying the gravity of the situation. I was only slowly grasping onto the consequences of her staying behind. I could only imagine the kind of power her father yields, and judging by her present state, I was understanding where she was coming from. If her fear is indeed justified, what kind of friend would I be if I ruined her life when I could do something about it?

"Alright," I said, defeated. "I'll cover up for you."

A relieved smile broke on her lips, but she knew that time was running short. She had to hurry, and she couldn't afford a proper farewell. "Thank you so much, Skylar. I will never forget this."

I nodded and watched her leave through the windows. I didn't know how she was going to escape from all the security. The pounding on the door grew harder as I hurried to the windows.

I was taken aback as the door blasted open. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned around.

My breath hitched in my throat when I looked at the man before me. The same grey eyes, but this time, they grew darker than ever.

It almost felt like a dream.

Everything that happened seven years ago just came crashing into my mind like it just happened yesterday. Just one glance at him stirred those deep buried emotions to come back to the surface. I remained rooted in my place, unmoving.

"Ethan." I croaked, frozen.

It was seven years ago that I last saw the former love of my life. Ethan. He was my first love, of course. And also my only love.

"Skylar?" His otherwise warm eyes, that had always reminded me of how much he loved me, had turned intolerably dark. Visibly paled, he breathed out in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here?"