Prologue

"Someone once said that death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside of us while we live." - One Tree Hill

~~~~~~~

One moment.

That's all it takes for your life to change completely.

One

Single

Moment

That's all it takes,

To fall in love

To fall out of love

To lose your soul

To die

I stand in front of the freshly made grave.

In front of the person who meant everything to me.

It has been one month since the funeral but the disbelief and shock still haven't worn off.

The feeling of complete and utter loneliness consumes me.

I am completely alone.

"Why did you leave me mom?" I stutter.

The tears start flowing again.

Why did this happen?

Why now, just when we'd started to be happy again?

My mother's final words echo in my head;

"I want you to go back Scarlett. Go back home to your father. I want you to forgive him. You can't keep running away from your life like this."

My hands curl into fists.

Forgive him?

She wants me to forgive the man that killed her?

I would go back to that godforsaken place and fulfill my mother's dying wish but I was never going to forgive my father.

I wasn't going to forgive any of them

How could I forgive the people who had driven me away from my home?

The honk of a car horn distracts me. I turn around and see a familiar black Porsche waiting.

I pick

up my suitcase and slowly started walking towards the car.

When I had left three years ago I had hoped that I'd never have to see this day. I had prayed every night that I would never have to go back.

But I guess my luck had run out. Somewhere in my heart I knew I'd eventually have to go back and face everything.

My heart is aching. I've never experienced such pain before.

Almost involuntarily my fist travels up to my chest and clenches over the place where my heart is supposed to be beating.

I'm surprised that I still remember the significance of the action. A long time ago someone who had meant a lot to me had told me that the movement symbolized a heart hurting.

I take a deep breath and brace myself.

I was walking towards the people who had made my life a living hell.

I was walking towards the place that had ruined me.