Chapter 5

Willow left his coat on the seat,she did not wait for him to jump off the car and open the door for her. She just wanted to get out of his presence.

She ran up the flight of stairs and into her small apartment,shutting the door behind her,she slid onto the floor in a heap.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and wet her pink cotton shirt. She cried like the day she lost her parents . It was uncontrollable and she screamed loudly banging her fists against the floor. She lived in a small block of flats and most apartments were empty. Willow knew her cries would not be heard no matter how loudly she screamed.

Minutes seemed like hours and now Willow's snow white cheeks and deep blue eyes were bloodshot red and puffy. There were so many emotions running through her mind,body and soul. She was confused about the unexpected marriage proposal she had received a few hours ago.

She felt as if her throat was closing up and knew she was having a panic attack. She fiddled in her pocket for a brown bag, breathing deep breaths into the bag and inhaling sharply,helped her calm down. She always carried a brown bag in her apron pocket, although her last attack was a few years ago.

Ever since her parents passed on, Willow would have panic attacks as soon as she felt overwhelmed.

Just before her eighteenth birthday,was her last attack. The councellor at the orphanage had said that she was finally almost healed from the childhood trauma of losing her parents.

Almost was not good enough for Willow,and she made sure she took precautions.

She felt that ten years of therapy had gone down the drain after tonight.

She wondered what wrong she has ever done to deserve such a punishment.

Some may call it a blessing in disguise,that Gregory Green was a God sent gift to give her a life of luxury but Willow thought it was just her bad luck. Marriage was not in her plans until she had completed her medical degree. She never felt the urge to find a boyfriend. She had no time for anything else other than working at the diner and university.

Many boys had asked her on dates but she always declined,not because she didn't fancy them,but because she had goals to reach. She had never expected to be the fiance' of the richest man in the city. It was only a matter of time before he came to claim her as his wife. Willow knew she had to find a way to get herself out of this mess. She didn't quite understand why he would choose her.

She looked at her ring on her finger,it was indeed very beautiful. The large diamond at the centre glimmered underneath the white light of her lounge. Around the band were tiny blue gems which matched her deep blue eyes. There was atleast twenty gems on the ring. It looked expensive and custome made.

"Although it was stunning,it was a curse on her finger. It was the root of her problem,if that ring was not on her finger ,she wouldn't have run off!" Willow thought.

Waking up from the soft white carpet, Willow walked to the kitchen sink and poured a generous amount of dish washing liquid on her finger. She lathered her hand and started to tug at the ring desperately. The harder she pulled ,the tighter it became.The pain started to become unbearable and after a few minutes of struggling,she finally gave up and rinsed her hand.

Another idea popped up into her head and she ran to her room. Packing a small bag of clothes and necessaties,she swung the bag over her shoulder and left, slamming the door behind her.

It was after midnight and she rushed off to the train station by foot. The fifteen minutes bus drive was a forty five minute walk. She broke out in a sprint hoping to knock of atleast ten minutes from the arrival time.

Slipping on a pair of black fluffy gloves she walked up to the ticket station counter.

"One ticket to Los Angeles please." Willow said politely, looking around at the empty subway.

The sleepy ticket officer nodded and punched in the details into the computer,lazily while yawning.

As Willow passed her the cash and took the ticket,she felt the ring tighten slightly.

She rubbed her finger through the glove.

"Everything alright miss?" The lady behind the counter asked.

"Yes, just a bit cold." Willow lied placing her hand in her pocket. She did not need that cursed ring to draw any attention.

She took the ticket and sat on the cold metal bench. Within a few minutes,the train stopped and Willow picked up her bag to make her way to the door.

The train conductor greeted her as she walked towards him.

Willow's finger started to throb and she stopped in mid step.

At first she didn't care what happened to her finger but now the intense pain made her think twice.

The conductor called out to Willow," Are you coming or not?"

Willow shook her head from left to right and watched the doors close.

The train sped off and the ring on her finger started to loosen once again.

Willow cursed under her breath. She looked at her watch. It was already two thirty in the morning. She had spent money on a train ticket she couldn't use. Paid for food she didn't eat and has a ring on her finger that she never asked for.

She felt like she was cursed. She took a cool walk back home,putting on her hoody and covering her face .

She did not want another incident like earlier that night.

Once again she was back at home. She threw the bag on the floor,ran a hot bath and soaked herself in the tub .

Once she was done she layed in bed looking at the ring on her finger.

She wondered if she should be like the rest of the girls and take advantage of this situation but she couldn't. She knew it wasn't right. She had a dream of making her late parents proud,on her strengths not on some rich guys forced proposal.

Soon willow drifted into a deep sleep.