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“Sweetheart. It’s time.” My father walks towards me with his head down.
“Don’t ever sweetheart me again. I am doing this for Mom, but I will never forgive you. Ever. No father would ever sell their daughter to pay off their debts, especially to someone like Colton. You’re only walking me down the aisle to keep up appearances. I hope this is killing you as much as it’s killing me.”
I take in a deep breath to help clear away the tears I know will fall. I want this day over with. The quicker I can say I do, the quicker I can be out of the spotlight.
“Shall we?” My dad holds out his arm for me, and I link mine with his grudgingly.
I never thought I’d feel this distaste towards my father. He was always my hero as a child. The whole situation leaves a bad taste in my mouth and a lump in my throat.
I take in a few deep breaths to try to calm myself down. If I close my eyes and imagine this is a part of my dream wedding, maybe, just maybe, I’ll get through today.
I hear the harps begin to play as we enter the large gazebo that was built especially for today. I don’t see or hear another thing. I concentrate on the end of the aisle, on the woman who is marrying us, and everything else fades away to nothing. I don’t want to see people looking at me like I’m a beautiful bride. I feel dirty. Used. I don’t even like myself.
I think about all the times I spent with Clark. The loving touches. The kind words. The lavish gifts he supplied me with. Those were times I loved and cherished. Those were times when I felt loved and cared for. Like I was the moon and stars. I was untouchable.
I’m running as fast as I can through City Park. Clark is chasing me playfully, almost catching up to me. I look over my shoulder just as he crashes into my back and wraps his arms around my waist, lifting me off the ground to stop me falling face first.
“I will always catch you, babe.”
Today is my seventeenth birthday, and I told everyone I didn’t want a fuss. I just wanted a quiet day. Well, this was Clark’s perfect idea of what I would like. A picnic, a walk in the park on a beautiful spring day, ice cream, and cake. All my favorite things.
I turn in his arms breathlessly and wrap my arms around his neck.
“And you never break those promises, right? My knight in shining armor.”
“Never. You and me against the world, remember?”
I smile at his words because I do remember. Only now we’re not children. We’re growing up quickly. Clark recently walked away from his family and is concentrating on his publishing company. At nineteen years old, he’s fantastic, ambitious, determined to succeed. He’s the most amazing person I know. Taking over from his grandfather was the perfect job for him.
“You said you were going to feed me.” I reach up and press my lips to the side of his mouth, because I know if I don’t move, I’ll do or say something I’ll probably regret.
“I am. I have the perfect feast for you. Let’s go.”
“You may kiss the bride,” registers in my head, and I’m thrown back into reality.
I can’t even remember saying my vows. It was all made better by the thought of Clark and me together. A time when I thought the worst that could happen to me was failing my exams. Now the whole world is weighing down on my shoulders, and all I have is memories and broken dreams.
Colton wraps his hands around the side of my neck tightly. I can see the evil glare in his eyes, the smirk on his face, but most of all, I feel the power his hands hold over me. He’s loving every moment of this.
“Smile, babe.”
He bends me backward and latches onto my mouth. Bile rises up my throat, my stomach is churning, and goosebumps prickle up my arms. I hear the cheers and claps surrounding us, the click and flash of cameras, but I let the man I’ve just married guide me to do whatever he wants me to do like a puppet dangled on a string. I have no control over what’s going to happen today, tomorrow, or for the rest of my life.
I’ll never be my own person again.
Chapter 6
Clark
I’ve sat in my office at home and drunk my way through a bottle of whiskey, and now I’m starting on the tequila. The whiskey has stopped me from feeling anything other than the heat slipping down my throat and burning my stomach. Hopefully, adding the tequila will knock me out. I’ll take any feeling other than the pain slicing through my heart.
“How long has he been like this?” I hear my brother ask somewhere in the distance.
“Long enough. I left him to it with the first bottle. I didn’t think it would do him any harm passing out and forgetting what day today is, but he can’t carry on drinking his liquor cabinet dry. He’s going to kill himself with alcohol poisoning.”
I roll my eyes at Nancy. She never was one to sit by and watch us self-destruct. As Jared said, she is a wise woman. However, I don’t think anything is getting through to me today. I don’t want to think about Kally and Colton getting married. Him touching her. Consummating their fake love. It’s all one big mind fuck. He may as well kill her because he’ll make her life a living hell.
“Are you going to share that bottle?”
