“You know I kissed you, you brute.”
He laughed. “Me? A brute?” He pinned my
wrists above my head, pulling me close. “Who
told you to drink so much? What if I hadn’t been
<
“It’s Chloe’s bar. I was safe…” He cut me off
with another kiss.
“No more drinking,” he’d said. “Unless I’m with
you.”
Someone bumped my shoulder, jarring me back
to the present. He was gone.
“Sarah?” Chloe asked. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just…remembering.”
“It’s been years. You need to move on.”
I clinked my glass against hers. “I have.”
Chloe didn’t say anything, but she’d seen me
crying in my sleep the night before.
“So…what do you want for your birthday?” she
asked. “My treat.”
<
I looked down. “I don’t have a birthday. I was
hatched from an egg.”
- 18.
My dad called. He’d mellowed with age, his
voice surprisingly gentle.
“Sarah, what’s going on with you and Mark?
You’re not answering his calls, you’re cancelling
the wedding…it’s next week!”
“Ashley told you, right? The wedding’s off.”
“Off? We’ve sent out invitations, booked the
venue…you can’t just cancel!”
“Easy fix. Change the bride’s name to Ashley.
He only proposed to get close to her,
remember?”
Dad’s voice sharpened. “Mark! What is going on
here?” I hadn’t realized Mark was with him.
<
“Sir, it’s…complicated. I intended to marry
Sarah, but…we had some issues.”
Ashley’s voice cut in. “It’s my fault. Mark’s my
- ex. He never got over me. And now…I’m
divorced.”
“This is ridiculous! How could you do this to
Sarah?!”
Mark’s voice was firm now. “I’m sorry, sir. I can
compensate Sarah in other ways. I hope you
can…understand.”
I felt a surge of relief.
“Do what you want!” Dad yelled. “I won’t be
there!”
“Dad,” Ashley said, “about that villa you own…”
“Don’t call me Dad! You’re not my daughter! I
only have one daughter, and that’s Sarah!” I
<
0000
624
heard a crash. So much for mellowing with age.
He was angry. For me. I was touched. My stepmom’s gambling addiction had strained their relationship. And Ashley wasn’t even her biological child.
“I put Sarah’s name on the deed four years ago,” Dad continued. “So neither of you can
have it!”
“Dad, please don’t be mad,” Ashley pleaded. “They’re meant to be together.”
His voice softened. “Sarah, honey, where are you? I’ll come get you.”
“I’m fine, Dad. Don’t worry.”
I hung up. Soon, the wedding invitations were
re–printed with Ashley’s name. Nosy relatives
texted, wanting to know what happened. I
replied to all of them: “Don’t ask. It’s true
- 1.
-1
11
<
love.” I don’t know what my dad told them, but
they all boycotted the wedding.
- 19.
I holed up at Chloe’s, painting. One day, she
came home from work. “Have you talked to
Mark?”
“No.”
“Well, he’s been at the bar every night, getting
wasted. Worse than after he proposed to you.”
“He’s probably celebrating,” I said.
“I don’t think so. I heard him calling your name.”
Chloe checked Mark’s Quora answer. He’d
added an update. “My fiancée saw my answer
and called off the wedding. Said she wanted me
to be with her sister. At first, I felt guilty, then
relieved, excited. I could finally be with Ashley.
<
But now…it’s different. She doesn’t seem like
the same Ashley I remember. She keeps
badmouthing Sarah, and it…it just makes me
think about how good Sarah was to me…I don’t
understand. Shouldn’t I be happy?”
The comments were brutal. “Your fiancée
dodged a bullet.” “So this is what happens
when fiction becomes reality? Never trust a
man.” “You always want what you can’t have.”
“Got your first love, and now she’s just…rice?”
I didn’t care. I couldn’t understand Mark’s
thought process and didn’t want to. I just
wanted him to leave me alone. Then, I got a call
from an unknown number.
“Sarah? It’s me. Can we meet?”
“We have nothing to talk about, Mark.”
“Can we at least talk on the phone? I’m…
confused. I thought I’d be happy marrying
Г
“I’m not a therapist, Mark. Find someone else to
analyze your feelings.”
