Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Lauren
I ran. Down the stairs, step by step, so fast I nearly fell. But I couldn’t stop. I wasn’t allowed to stop. His anger echoed behind me like a haunting refrain, his voice burned itself into my consciousness. I ran until I threw the front door open and burst into the darkness of the early morning. The asphalt was wet, the sky gray. My shoes splashed through puddles, but I barely noticed. I rushed to my car, my hands trembling, my legs weak as jelly.
For a moment, I stood there, unable to breathe. Then, with shaking fingers, I fumbled through my bag, finally found the key, tore the car door open, climbed inside, and locked all the doors. My breathing came in ragged bursts. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I rested my forehead against the steering wheel. My whole body was shaking, as if the fear itself was echoing inside me.
I hardly dared to breathe.
Was I safe - or would he catch up to me?
A few days earlier:
“Do you know that feeling when your life seems like a safe harbor, and suddenly you realize it was only an illusion?”
“Yes, perfect. That line sounds good,” I murmured to myself and smiled while typing the words. My second novel would soon be published, and I had to finally reach the end. My protagonists deserved their happy ending after all the drama I had put them through. I believed in true love, in its power to overcome obstacles, in the way it grows when you keep believing in it. That was exactly the feeling I wanted to give my readers. To me, love was the key to everything.
I stared at the screen, wondering how to continue the next chapter, when my phone vibrated.
“Hey babe, I’m afraid I’ll be late again today. We have an important meeting. I’m sorry.”
I read the message from Liam, my fiancé. Our wedding was in two months. I was excited and had my hands full. Liam wasn’t much of a help. Most of the time he worked until late at night.
He was a site manager at a mid-sized construction company and the right hand of the head supervisor. His schedule was packed.
I looked at the message and then let my gaze wander through the apartment. How quiet it was without him, how empty everything felt. It was already the third time this week that he had canceled in the evening.
A faint sting went through my heart. I tried to understand him. He had a lot of responsibility, and I wanted to support him. We would make it together. I was sure of it.
With a cautious smile, I wrote back:
“It’s okay. Just take care of yourself.”
After sending the message, I went into the kitchen to make some tea. While the water was heating up, my thoughts drifted back to my novel.
Suddenly my phone rang again. I set the cup down and hurried to my office.
Maybe it was Liam, wanting to tell me something.
But when I looked at the display, it wasn’t his name lighting up. It was Christopher, my best friend since childhood, the one I had shared everything with.
A smile crossed my face. I picked up immediately.
“Hey, little one,” I heard him say, his voice clear and loud.
“Hey, Chris, what do I owe the honor?” I teased, sinking into my chair.
“I wanted to tell you that I’ll be there in three days. I finally booked the flight.”
My heart skipped a beat. After three years we would finally see each other again. I had missed him so much.
“How long will you stay?”
A noticeable sigh.
“I’m coming back for good. Canada doesn’t make me happy. I miss my friends, my family, everything here.”
Then I heard the grin in his voice. I had forgotten how his laugh sounded, how it could fill a room and my chest with a warmth I hadn’t felt in a long time.
“And who knows what else awaits me once I’m back.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll break a few hearts,” I replied.
“Oh, come on, Laurie. You know me. Women love me, and I love them. Until I find the one that fits, I guess I’ll have to keep searching, right?”
I laughed. These conversations were what I had missed.
“Seems like it. But that means you’ll be able to come to my wedding. I’m so excited. You can help me with the preparations.”
There was a short silence.
“I think I’ve changed my mind. Maybe I’ll stay in Canada after all,” he said with a grin. “Why isn’t your future husband helping you? It’s his wedding too, after all.”
I was the one sighing now. “You know, he’s really busy with his construction sites. My work is more flexible, so I took over the organization. And he helps where he can.”
As I said that last part, I realized bitterly that it wasn’t true. I did everything on my own because Liam had never been excited about the idea of having a wedding in the first place. I was the one who wanted a celebration and a big wedding dress. Ever since I was a little girl, I had dreamed of wearing a white princess gown.
“Hey, Bunny…” Before he could finish, I cut him off. “Don’t call me that. You know I hate it.”
His laughter grew louder, and I couldn’t help but laugh along. “I know, that’s why I do it. But what I was going to say is, I’ll help you however I can. I won’t let you down.”
This time his voice was serious, and instantly I felt calm. No matter how annoying Christopher could sometimes be, he was someone I could always count on. He had always been my anchor.
“Thanks, best friend. I’ve missed you terribly, and I’m really looking forward to seeing you again.”
“I know, little one. No one can resist Christopher. It’s this special energy I have,” he teased, and I rolled my eyes.
“Okay, enough bragging. Send me your flight details, I’ll pick you up at the airport.” “Got it, Laurie. I’ll send them right away.”
After we hung up, a warm anticipation spread through me. I had really missed Christopher. I still remembered the day he told me he was moving to Canada to do his master’s there. He had finished his studies, stayed for another year, and now—after three years—he was finally coming back.
I didn’t know how much time had passed. When I heard the key turning in the lock, I looked up from my screen and saw that it was already dark outside. I immediately left my office and went into the hallway to greet Liam.
He was placing his jacket on the sofa as I arrived. “Hey,” I smiled at him.
He didn’t look at me and only mumbled a quiet “Hey” in return. Then he went straight to the bathroom, leaving me standing there, confused.
That disinterested behavior had become more frequent lately, and it unsettled me. I knew he was under a lot of stress and often tired, but the way he turned away from me more and more didn’t feel right. Every time I brought it up, he reacted annoyed and accused me of not being understanding enough. So I decided not to start another argument and simply let it go.
After a few minutes he came out of the bathroom, and I waited for him in the bedroom—hoping we could at least exchange a few words.
He changed clothes and immediately lay down in bed. “Liam,” I asked softly.
“What is it, Lauren? I’m tired and just want to sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow, there are problems at the construction site.” His voice was tense.
For a moment I closed my eyes and tried to stay calm. The question had answered itself. As so often, he had forgotten.
Tomorrow we were supposed to visit the venue, and I had asked him to take the day off so we could finally go together. He hadn’t seen the place yet. Tomorrow was supposed to be the first time.
“It’s okay. Good night,” I whispered and turned to the side. I tried to sleep, but the disappointment was too heavy.
I couldn’t hold back my tears. Quietly, I got up because I didn’t want him to notice that I was crying. I stepped out onto the terrace and took a deep breath of the cool night air.
The tears I had been holding back now rolled slowly down my cheeks. I just didn’t understand why he didn’t share my excitement.
While I was full of anticipation, looking forward to every little step, he seemed completely indifferent to how far the wedding preparations had come.
And that hurt deeply. I couldn’t stop thinking about when Liam had started to change.
He used to be calmer, more attentive, curious about what occupied my mind. Now we barely talked. We hardly did anything together anymore. I couldn’t even remember our last real date.
When I had decided two years ago to quit my job and focus entirely on my career as a writer, he had initially supported me. But he was never truly convinced. He was the first to laugh at my decision.
The beginning hadn’t been easy. There were many financial uncertainties, and I had no idea if I would ever succeed with my books. But when my first novel sold well and the first positive reviews came in, he seemed to accept my choice. At least he pretended to.
Still, he had never actually read my book. He had never asked what I was working on. He simply wasn’t interested.
I wondered if this was just a phase. If things would get better again someday. Maybe it was just too much stress right now. Maybe after the wedding, when everything had settled down, we would find our way back to each other.
Slowly I wiped the tears from my face. I wanted to believe that it was just a stressful phase. I wanted to believe that after the wedding there would be peace again. That we would laugh and be close like before.
The night air was cool, but it felt good. I took a deep breath, let my gaze wander over the dark rooftops, and tried to clear my thoughts. For a moment, there was silence. Only the wind moved the leaves of the trees, and the distant hum of the road reached me.
Then my phone vibrated on the small terrace table. I reached for it automatically and unlocked the screen.
A message on Instagram. No name I recognized. No profile picture. No visible information. Just one short sentence.
No Info: You should know that you’re not the only one he wants to marry.
I stared at the message. My heart began to race. For a moment, everything around me went silent. So silent I could hear my own breathing.
A joke? A mistake? Or had what I had long feared deep down finally become reality?
I couldn’t take my eyes off the glowing screen.
