Chapter 1

"How could I be so stupid Anna," tears slowly trailed down my face as I told my best friend what had happened to me. Just like most bad decisions by women, mine was all because of a guy, a stupid guy!

"It is not your fault, you did it for love," my best friend replied. This while trying to comfort me as I sat there by one of the empty chairs in the diner which she worked for as a waitress.

Love my foot!

I should have known his love was cheap and not packed up my whole life for him.

The jerk's name is Oliver Jasons. He had been my high school crush and someone I thought of as the love of my life.

I should have never run away from home and from my dear father just for him!

For you see, I grew up in a small town in the countryside of life and a place far away from civilization. My childhood home was a little cottage on a big farm, with horses, cows and all that.

I was told that my mother died after giving birth to me. So I only grew up with my father raising me as a single father.

But although he tried to be a good parent, my father was also very protective, a bit too much sometimes. He was always acting paranoid, never ever letting me leave the farm, even to go to the market! I was not allowed a phone or anything to do with the outside world.

This made me want to rebel at times especially when I became a teenager. We even ended up getting into arguments, usually of me wanting to be allowed to attend the public school nearby. I was tired of being homeschooled all my life and never being allowed to go out or make friends.

I was lonely too. I wanted a normal life and could not understand why he was like this.

Still, my father would not budge. That is until a new family moved next door and they had a son, a very good-looking son about my age. His family befriended my father and he loosened up a bit, allowing me to also finally stop being homeschooled and attend school too.

Every day I looked forward to going there because I knew my crush, Oliver J would be there.

Just like any typical teenage crush, he became my world. He filled my thoughts and made me swoon every time he smiled. After making new friends who were girls, they taught me how to dress properly as a girl instead of wearing whatever was comfortable as my father had taught me.

Now having a fashion sense, wearing more skirts, and having learned how to put on makeup, I started to become one of the hottest girls in school and it made Oliver finally notice me.

I was over the moon when he asked me to be his girlfriend. But then the final year of high school came. We graduated and he had to tell me the bad news that he was moving away and had been accepted by a university in the big city. I had applied and also been accepted at the same University, wanting us to go together.

But my father refused for me to go because it was far away and was forcing me to study at the community college instead.

As we said our goodbyes, I remember how we both carved our names on a huge tree that we used to hang out at. With him hugging and kissing me while promising that I was the only one for him and we would not break up. He even gifted me a promise ring, making me promise that I would wait for him and how I was his future wife.

Then he was gone.

And I was left with my infuriating father who seemed to not want to let me go.

So I instead worked hard, doing lots of part-time jobs while studying and being a good daughter.

However although we called and texted each other, it was not enough for me. I was already missing my boyfriend too much and wanted to be where he was in person. 

So soon I started saving up money. Once it was enough, I went ahead and started putting my plan of running away to be with the love of my life, into motion.  I belonged with him, instead of being trapped here in some small town under the watchful eyes of my paranoid and overprotective father.

Being that I had lived with my father for so long, it was still not an easy decision knowing what I was about to do. Leaving him to go and try out life on my own. Still, I was motivated by the thought of love, the promise ring on my finger, and getting to be reunited again with Oliver.

When Oliver called me that same night on the phone, I did not tell him that I was coming. I wanted it to be a surprise. 

After sneaking away in the night while my father slept, I had hitched a ride with Anna my best friend who had visited her family and lived back in the city.

As soon as I had arrived, the first thing I had done was to start searching for Oliver's current address. Which had been easy considering all I had to do, was look up the university he was attending, the same one which had also once accepted me.

I was planning on transferring all my credits from my previous college to finally attend there too. But first I needed to raise the money for tuition. However, I was sure Oliver would help me sort out everything.

After finally getting his address, I had arrived there, dressed in my best dress, eager to finally be reunited with my boyfriend...only to end up leaving in tears.

Even now as I thought about the fresh memory of what had just happened this morning, more tears trailed down my face.

First had been the look of shock flashing on his face when he had opened the door and seen me. While I flashed him a smile filled with delight, his face only had dread,

He had not even let me enter the house after that. Instead, he had grabbed my hand dragging me away to the hidden corner of the house.

"What's wrong," I had asked, wondering why he was not happy to see me. I had always imagined that when we would meet again, that he would hold me close and kiss me senselessly.

"Look Selena, you should not be here." He had first started, looking agitated,

"But why...Ollie." My voice had lowly and desperately whispered as I started realizing my mistake by coming here.

"I am engaged and have a fiancé. "Hearing him say those words to me, it had felt as if a pin was being nailed to my heart.

"But you said that you would only marry me, that I was the only one for you and had to wait for you too!" my voice had cracked as I told him that.

"That was long ago, I have moved on and so should you," his reply continued to shatter me more.

But then all that sadness was suddenly replaced by anger and fury.

"Long ago? You made me that promise, only just THREE months ago! And how the hell did you just arrive at a university and end up getting engaged in only those short freaking MONTHS huh?" I ended up angrily screaming at him.

"You even did this while we are still dating too! Did you forget that you called me just last night and in the past few months, telling me that you love me?" I continued, angry at how he had made me believe that we were still in a relationship.  Acting as if he really valued me as his girlfriend, when he was here busy cheating on me!

He had not even lasted three months before he moved on to the next female he could find here and even given her a better ring.

It hurt so much, how he had so easily replaced me like this while continuing to play with my heart.

"I feel so dumb and stupid for following you here," I had finished venting my anger, removing his cheap old ring from my finger and throwing it at his face. Then turning around to walk away, leaving him right there behind, in my past for good!

But still, it was not easy, and the reason why the tears were still trailing down my face as I sat here in this charming diner.

Oliver had promised me the world, and I had fallen for it. I had made him my world when I meant nothing to him. Love sucks!