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ChapterOne
Nyla
“The groom is missing. I’m so sorry.”
My wedding planner’s words had my entire world collapsing around me. My pulse rushed in my ears and I had to take several measured breaths before I could even think.
Lance would never do this to me, right? It had to be a misunderstanding. This was something that happened in movies, not to real people.
My horse let out a sad huff that matched the sobs I was holding back as my heart fractured to pieces.
All the planning, money, thought, and love that went into this wedding was for nothing.
Did he ever even love me?
I didn’t bother to respond, instead shoving past my bridesmaids and her to make my way to the aisle that I should have been walking down very differently. I needed to see this for myself. Otherwise, there was no way I’d believe it.
Part of me hoped he’d be there when I walked to the chapel, waiting at the end and this was just some sick prank someone was trying to pull.
“Wait,” Mackenzie, my maid of honor, called out to stop me but I was on a mission now. She was flitting nervously around me like her chicken soul-bonded was panicking along with her.
“He left this.” The wedding planner wouldn’t even look me in the eyes as she handed over a hastily scrawled note on the wedding venue stationary. She was keeping pace with us now and from the frantic tone of her voice I knew it wasn’t going to be good.
“Thanks,” I choked out as I opened the small slip of paper to read. It was a hastily scrawled sentence on venue stationary. Not a single hint of emotion behind it.
Tears started to blur my vision as the words burned themselves into my brain.
I’m so sorry, Nyla. I can’t do this.
He’d even signed it formally, so I had no doubts about where we stood at this very moment. My heart wanted to protest, say it was forged, but it was the same signature I’d become familiar with.
There was no denying it now.
My horse let out a soft, sad whinny that had my heart fracturing further. This was not how fated mates were supposed to work. We knew what we meant to each other from the very first meeting. His smile, his scent, all of it burned into my brain. We’d formed a bond, how could he do this now?
How did he not hurt as much as I did?
Knowing I had to go face the music, I continued toward the guests who were waiting to have a wedding. In fact, it should be starting any moment. Classical piano music filled the air, getting louder as I approached.
The small banquet hall had been transformed from mundane to magical thanks to the wedding planner and her team. It was exactly what I’d dreamed up, brought to life.
Everything was dusted in glitter and twinkle lights with pops of yellow to match the sunflowers in my hand.
Though right now, they were being held upside down and small yellow petals lined the floor like I was leaving breadcrumbs for Lance to find me.
In my heart, I knew he wasn’t coming.
Instead of a runaway bride, I had a runaway groom who likely hadn’t even bothered to look back.
“Fuck him, Nyla,” Mackenzie said as she put a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Don’t waste tears on him.”
I brushed my fingers over my cheek, not even realizing that I was crying. Two years I’d wasted on the bastard, twenty-four months of building a life, a home, a future. We’d talked about where we’d live, what we wanted out of our lives, hell, we’d even talked about growing old together and finding our own family.
And now, I was single.
Because there was no way I’d be taking his ass back. There was no excuse for this and I couldn’t imagine what our family and friends would be saying when I managed to get the words out.
My heart broke all over again at the thought of his mom and dad. They’d been like my own from the moment we met. His mom and I would spend hours baking and talking. And now he’d taken that from me, too.
