My first instinct was to tell Andrew how cliché that line was. My second was to yell at him for nearly giving me a heart attack. I did neither. “What are you doing here?” I asked instead. “I could ask you the same question,” Andrew said, suddenly serious. “What are you doing out here, at night,
Andrew buzzed himself in, and the gates opened for us. We drove up the long gravel driveway to the front steps. “Wow, Andrew,” I whispered in hushed awe, “it’s magnificent.” “Just now noticing?” he teased, a little laugh to his voice. “I didn’t really have time to see it in all its grandeur th
I heard Andrew’s footsteps echoing down the hall. I scrambled off the floor and back onto the couch, while trying to wipe my cheeks and eyes. I knew that my mascara had run, but I hoped that he would figure that it was from the rain. “One nice, warm towel, fresh out of the dryer,” Andrew announced
I smiled softly. There really was no arguing with that assertion. “Very well. I accept your proposal,” I said. “Thank you.” Andrew smiled back at me. “Good. I know that it must be hard to accept help right now—” “It’s not that. Well, it’s not only that. It can just be hard to believe sometim
I was almost too lost in the splendor to notice the two people already seated at the table. Almost. “What are you doing here?” Lisa demanded, throwing down her fork and knife. “You swore that you would stay away from my father!” I almost flinched at the tone in Lisa’s voice. Then I remembered An
Bob hoped that Lisa couldn’t hear his erratic heartbeat. He stroked her hair and tried to soothe her, but his mind raced. He had to put a stop to Crystal’s sudden good fortune, somehow. “You can’t let her get away with this,” he told Lisa firmly. “You have to regain control of the situation.” Li
By the time we closed, we had made a small fortune in deposits alone. I couldn’t wait to tell Andrew, but first, I had to call and update Lily. “Hello? Crystal?” Lily answered the video chat. “Hi, Lily!” “Well, someone sure seems excited. Should I take to mean that things went well today?” “
That night, I fell asleep without any problems. I was exhausted from the busy day we had at the bridal shop, and I was so content with our success that I relaxed enough to fall asleep immediately. My dream, however, made me wish I had never fallen asleep at all. I dreamt that I stood alone in the
That night, long after the last of the guests had left for their rooms, Andrew and I returned to the presidential suite to find that the staff had decorated it in preparation for our stay. All the décor, right down to the bed sheets, had been switched out for matching red and gold pieces. The light
Andrew’s eyes met mine as I approached the altar. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. He looked so handsome in his classic black tuxedo that I could hardly wait for after the reception to be with him. As I took my place across from Andrew, I handed my bouquet to Lily. The priestess bega
One month later, I stood in a suite at a private beachside resort, admiring my wedding dress. It hugged my curves in all the right places while still gently brushing against the ground like a low-hanging cloud. Crystals glistened in the room’s fluorescent lights, and the train flowed behind me effor
“Let’s continue this in the bedroom,” I said, breathless. Andrew nodded his agreement. I pulled Andrew to his feet as he stuck the ring box back in his pocket. Then I dragged him back to the bedroom, leading him by the tie. Not that he needed to be dragged; he would have followed me anywhere by th
Andrew texted me and said his flight was delayed by a few errands he had to run, so I waited. And waited. I waited for an entire day, and even began to worry that Andrew had changed his mind. Then I heard a knock at my door. I leapt off the couch and rushed to answer it. Stopping just short of the
Noah left the next day. I took him to the airport, we exchanged a hug and a brief farewell, and then I watched him walk through the gate. That was the last time I ever saw him. With a heavy heart, I returned to an empty apartment. All our furniture and my belongings—what little I still had—were the
Sensing the urgency in Noah’s voice, I leaned in closer. “What is it?” I asked, trying to suppress the anticipation in my voice. Noah’s grip on my hands tightened. “I’m going to study financial law in the human world.” I froze. My heart thumped hard against my ribs, so hard that I thought th
The nightmares did not stop. In fact, they got worse. By the end of that week, I was having at least one every night, and it was showing in behavior during the day. I could scarcely stay awake. At my new branch of Ever After Weddings, I had to sneak off into the breakroom whenever there were no cu
I dreamt of the Lunar Festival. Noah and I walked hand-in-hand through the stalls, enjoying the sparkling lights and the company of our new pack mates. Yet something was off. I could feel a chill in the air, a foreboding that I could not quite shake off. “We should get out of here,” I said, tryi