Standing in front of the mirror, I observed the white dress hugging my curves. It was a simple A-line dress that flowed past my ankles, sweeping accross the floor. My hair was styled in a braided bun, with few locks framing my face. The makeup artist had done a wonderful job in giving me a light glow instead of making my face look like a cake.

Perfect. Just how I had imagined my look on my wedding day. But there was just one issue; the hollowness in my eyes.

Moving away from the mirror, I picked up my phone and dialed a certain number. It rang for a few seconds and then was picked up by someone I knew, or I thought I knew.

"Dad," I said in as distant voice as possible. "Are you there yet?"

"Oh sweetheart, I totally forgot to tell you. We can't be there because Sam had a performance today. The plan changed last minute." he said, as if his excuse somehow made logic.

"It's my wedding day, Dad." I whispered, still not complaining.

"I know Scarlet. I wish I could be there." he replied but his words didn't sound sincere.

"It's okay. Bye," I said and cut the call, as few tears trailed down my cheeks.

After Mom's death, Dad married a woman who had a daughter few years younger than me. Although she was his step-daughter, Samantha soon became far more important to him than me and that's when I decided to move out of his town.

"Scarlet, everybody is waiting--- What happened?" Liam hurried towards me when he found me crying.

"Nothing." I rubbed my cheeks and faked a smile.

"It doesn't look like nothing. Did Evan say something?" he asked, kneeling in front of me. He was wearing a black tux, looking handsome as ever. If it was a big wedding, he would have definitely found some admirers during the function.

"No," I said. "Liam? Can I demand something from you?"

"Yes, I am all yours, babe." he chuckled and wiped my tears with his handkerchief.

"Can you walk me down the aisle?" I asked and his expression changed immediately.

"He isn't coming?" he asked and I shook my head in no, tears once again erupting from my eyes. "Yes, I will. Happily." he said and sat beside me to pull me into a hug.

"What will I do without you?" I asked, smiling at his conforting presence.

"You won't have to find out." he chuckled as he patted my back.

........

After my college friends Brida and Tara walked down the aisle one by one as my bridemaids, I wrapped my hand around Liam's arm and together, we walked down the aisle. It was a small ceremony, only few friends and family members were invited. And from my side, there were just Liam and two college friends of mine.

On the other end of the aisle, my husband-to-be was standing with a bored expression on his face, his eyes fixated on the watch on his wrist. Only when I reached him did he raise his head to look at me and for a small moment, his eyes widened. Subtly, he looked at me from head to toe but his expression remained unreadable.

The pastor officiated the wedding and everybody focused their attention on him, except Evan who looked lost in some thoughts. Although he did his best in masking everything, I saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. I know it must not be easy for him to marry someone while being in love with someone else's memory. I never fell in love, yet this marriage had made me emotionally unstable. It must be more difficult for him.

My eyes left his face and moved to Cara standing behind him. The smile on her face was worth it. Her eyes were sparkling and her smile was wide enough to actually split her face. She was wearing a pink fluffy frock that she had chosen herself.

Neither of us had prepared any vows so we skipped that part and moved forwards. At the end, the moment came which I was dreading from the start, when the officiant told Evan that he could kiss the bride.

Evan's eyes lowered to my lips and I licked them unknowingly. A tornado started running inside my stomach as I felt him lean close to me. Not able to look at his face, I closed my eyes and after a brief moment, I felt his lips on mine for a microsecond but it was enough to make my heart skip a beat, even though he looked completely unaffected.

Oh God! Can I back out now?

...........

After the ceremony, the driver took us to his house while Evan's mother took Cara with her, saying she would drop her next morning. I didn't feel good leaving her but Cara insisted that she wanted to spend the night at her grandma's house so I couldn't exactly do anything.

Once we entered the house, George and Kelly came rushing to us to welcome us in. Now I knew, they both were husband and wife and had been Parker's employees for as long as they remember.

My dress trailed behind as I passed them a smile and followed Evan to his room, his silence creeping me out. My heart was pounding inside my chest because I didn't know what to expect from him on our supposed wedding night.

This was the first time I had entered his room and the churning of my stomach increased. The room smelled like him, masculine and sharp, the scent creating goosebumps on my skin.

"Make yourself comfortable." he said and went into the bathroom. He had said we would share a room for the first few days because there will be many guests coming to congratulate us. All my luggage was already there, so were my clothes and pyjamas.

Once Evan went to the bathroon, I looked around myself. It was a fairly big room; a king-sized bed in the middle with a study desk at one side of the bed and a walk-in closet and dresser at the other.

One thing that caught my attention was the photo frame placed on the nightstand. I didn't have to guess who the female in the photo was, because her uncanny resemblance with Cara made it clear. Same dark blonde hair, same colored eyes, same innocence and beauty. She was easily one of the prettiest girls I have watched in real life. It must have been quite easy for Evan to fall for her if he was a man of looks and beauty.

I was still assessing that picture when the door of the bathroom opened and I turned around immediately, as if I had been caught doing something bad. When I finally saw him walking out of the door, my breath hitched.

He was definitely handsome, too handsome for someone with such a dry behavior. And this was accentuated by the half-sleeved T-shirt he was wearing, that clung to his muscular torso and highlighted his toned chest and abs. I was used to seeing him in three piece suits so this was certainly new for me.

This was going to be a long night, I told myself as our eyes locked for a brief moment.

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