Chapter 1

September 28, 3.48 pm.

A dispute had apparently arisen between two individuals that led to a physical altercation.

"You son of a b*tch! Do you believe you can get away from me?" He further threatened that he was capable of ending the other's life with a single forceful kick. As he made these verbal threats, he also resorted to physical violence, throwing a closed fist directly into the face of the other man, who was pinned under him and unable to defend or protect himself at that moment. Without warning, the individual drew a concealed firearm and discharged it in the direction of the other person situated below. The unprovoked nature of the act likely resulted in shock as such violent behaviour in close proximity.

~ Three hours earlier that day,

It's a nice time to relax and enjoy the last of the summer's warmth before the cooler weather of September arrives. Ideal for spending time with families and friends... and the best time of year for apple picking. Should I add more apple desserts to my menu? If so then what would be ideal for the next few weeks? Apple rum spice cake and French apple tart were two recipes that came to my mind so I looked them up on the phone.

As I was looking for desserts on my phone, my friend Lizzy stepped into the cafe where I was waiting for her. "I thought we were meeting at your store, Elise." She said this as she sat across from me. "Why did you change the meeting place at the last minute?"

"I didn't," I responded as I placed the coffee cup back on the table. "The groom did it." "Aren't you supposed to be here at noon?" I looked at the clock and said, "It's almost 1 o'clock."

"I got stuck in traffic," she explained, taking off her cap. "Do you have any idea how long I was stuck in traffic getting here?" "And, I'm not one of your employees so don't use that tone with me." "How about your groom?” She enquired, looking around. “He's nowhere to be found. Is he also stuck in traffic?” And made fun of me.

"He said he has some errands to run, so it's just the two of us for now," I said as I sat back in my seat.

"Why didn't you tell me that earlier then?" she complained. “I wouldn't have come here after sitting in traffic for so long if I knew he wasn't going to be here.”

"Slow down. I never said he wouldn't arrive. He will, but not at this time. He said he'll join us after he's finished."

The server served an iced Americano and then disappeared while we were talking. I smiled at her as I slid it towards her. "Why don't you have a sip?"

"Then how long will this errand take?" she asked, taking a sip of her cup.

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I didn't ask him."

"I don't understand why you want to marry him," she said. She started listing things like, "You don't like him. You don't approach him or speak to him-"

"Because that's what my parents want," I interrupted her. "And I don't want to let them down." "Moreover, it's not like I'm giving him the cold shoulder." "Do you know how hard it is for me to even make him meet you?"

My friend took a long breath and looked at me, concerned. "You can't live your life for your parents' happiness, Elise. This is about your future."

"I know that," I answered, "but it's no longer just about me. I must consider my family's reputation and honour." I took a breather before proceeding. "And who knows, maybe I'll learn to love him eventually."

"But what about your happiness?" she questioned, lowering her tone.

I shrugged once more. "I'm not sure. I don't give it much thought. I've got my bakery and my desserts to keep me going." "On the contrary, he's stable and rich. That is what my parents said to me.” And let out a laugh.

My friend frowned. "Elise, you deserve more than just settling for a loveless marriage. You should marry someone you genuinely like. Life is too short to settle for someone you hardly know. You deserve to be truly happy, to be with someone who loves you and respects you.”

"I appreciate your concern, but let's change the topic," I suggested, feeling uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. And we sipped the remains of the coffee quietly.

As we sat in silence, I couldn't help but think about what my friend had said. Was I really okay with a loveless marriage? Was my happiness not as important as my family's reputation? I shook my head, pushing those thoughts aside. I made my decision, and I had to stick to it.

My phone began to ring, pulling me out of my thoughts. I took it from my pocket and looked at the screen. The groom had sent a new message. "Ugh, what now?" As I opened the text, I thought to myself. He texted me saying he won't be able to make it. I exhaled deeply and set my phone on the table.

"Is that him?" Asked my friend. She must have noticed the change in my expression. I just nodded in response.

"He said he can't make it," I told her, trying to keep my disappointment out of my voice.

With a huff, she rose from her seat. "I guess it's time for me to go," she said, grabbing her purse.

I nodded again, not really knowing what else to say. My eyes drifted back down to my phone, half expecting it to ring again with a different message.

"What are you waiting for now?" Emily asked with an edge to her voice.

"Nothing, I guess," I said, shrugging.

She stared at me as I stood up from the table and asked, "Where are you going from here?”

I was a little surprised by the question as I hadn't mentioned any plans. "Um," I paused for a second to scan my phone for any notifications that would provide an easy excuse. "Perhaps to my store," I said, thinking I could do some baking.

"No no, change of plans!" She exclaimed, reaching out and holding my hand to prevent me from going. "It's been way too long since we've gotten together. Let's go do some shopping. I need your help picking out a new outfit for the wedding anyway."

I hesitated, still having other things I needed to do. But she gave me her best puppy dog eyes, which I've never been able to ignore. “Alright, you've convinced me," I agreed with a smile. "Shopping it is.” “But I get final say on any outfits you try on since you're my bridesmaid."

As we made our way down the street, we passed by an apple orchard. The trees were filled with ripe, juicy apples, the air was thick with their wonderful aroma. and I couldn't stop thinking about the apple pastries I had been looking for earlier. Perhaps it was a sign.

"Let's go apple picking before shopping." I blurted out impulsively to my friend.

She raised her brows slightly in surprise as she stared at me. "Apples?" she inquired.

"I was thinking about adding some apple desserts to my menu earlier today," I remarked cautiously. “Something along the lines of an apple pie or crisp. But we don't have to go if you don't want to.”

She paused for a moment, considering, before breaking into a warm smile. "No, let's go. An apple picking activity sounds perfect right now."

I felt a sense of joy and freedom as we made our way into the orchard. The sun was smiling down on us, and the breeze carried the sweet scent of apples. We chuckled as we picked the sweetest apples and filled our baskets with them. It was a blissful moment that I had forgotten I was capable of experiencing.

Our buckets were full after we finished harvesting apples from the tree. "I think that's enough apples for now," I said. We brought our hefty apple baskets to my store and headed to the shopping mall after dropping the baskets off at my store.

As we walked through the crowded mall, my thoughts kept returning to my earlier talk with my friend, Lizzy. She was correct; I had earned the right to be happy and loved. But how could I turn down the man my parents had selected for me? I was stuck in a difficult situation that I couldn't seem to solve.

After shopping, We decided to treat ourselves to some cold drinks before walking to the parking lot. I abruptly came to a halt as we proceeded toward the exit with our drinks in hand.

"Hey, what's going on?" she inquired, perplexed.

"Don't you hear that?" I said to my friend, feeling a sense of unease. There was a strange noise coming from somewhere nearby, but I couldn't quite make it out.

"Oh come on, not this again," my friend groaned. "We're not in high school anymore for you to pull these silly pranks. I know you like trying to scare me but it's not going to work.”

“No, I swear I heard it," I insisted.

My friend sighed in annoyance. "You always do this. Now stop it already and let's keep walking," they said firmly. "It's late and I want to get home, so no more of your ghost stories-”

Just then we heard a commotion in the distance, the echo of someone yelling angrily. We looked toward the source of the noise, curious. That's when we saw it - a group of three or four men surrounding another man on the ground. They were kicking and hitting him violently while he curled up, trying in vain to protect himself.

When I looked around, it was just me, my friend, and those guys. We seemed to be all alone out there. My friend and I looked at each other in shock, unsure of what to do. This was definitely not the way we thought our shopping trip would end.

"You son of a b*tch! Do you believe you can get away from me?" he yelled loudly. He kicked the man below without hesitation and took a pistol from his waistband. He fired down at the other man without a second thought.

I stood there stunned, unable to look away from the scene unfolding before me. Everything happened so fast. One moment they were arguing, and the next there was a gunshot. Lizzy who was standing next to me grabbed my arm tightly. "Elise, let's get out of here before they see us," she whispered with urgency in her voice. But I remained frozen in place, still processing what I had just witnessed.

Lizzy shook me by the shoulders and said my name repeatedly, trying to snap me out of it. "Elise, we need to leave right now!" she insisted. Finally, her words got through to me and I was able to move. She wasted no time dragging me away from there as quickly as possible.

We hurried around the corner, not looking back. I couldn't stop hearing the gunshot in my mind. After we got to a safer location, Lizzy and I were still processing what had happened.

"I can't believe what we just saw," Lizzy exclaimed, stunned. "He just shot him like it was nothing." She looked at me, still stunned, and asked, "Elise?”

I took a deep breath as the memories replayed in my mind. "Maxton Alarcon,"

Lizzy furrowed her brow, perplexed. “What?"

"I-I saw Maxton Alarcon," I murmured, looking at her. "The man my parents arranged the marriage with."

"Did they shoot Maxton?" she inquired, concerned.

"No," I said, shaking my head. “Maxton Alarcon is the one who shot that man.”

Realisation dawned on Lizzy's face as she grasped what I was telling her.

The man I'm about to marry in a few days shot a man without hesitation or regret. A killer. Am I going to marry a murderer? It was replaying in my head over and over.