After running away from home seven years ago to escape a loveless arranged marriage, Kyra Wilder has finally mastered up the courage to be back in her small town of Ruthwell in Washington DC. She’s ready for a second chance with her parents and the people who used to be her friends back in high school and most of all, she’s ready to tell her parents that she’s about to become a bride.
But the small town she lived in hasn’t changed all that much in the past seven years and no one seems to have forgotten her betrayal, or seems anywhere near ready to forgive her for her past mistakes. Everywhere she goes, she’s met with hostility and anger and it’s thinning out her chances of redemption ever second. Now, how does she tell her parents and her friends that not only has she moved on in her life, further than anyone had ever anticipated, but she’s happy and successful in what she does? And amid all the truths and revelations, how does she tell everyone that she isn’t marrying a man, but the woman of her dreams?

The Bride GL

Getting to New York was a chore indeed. 


My two friends had covered for me until I was out of the church building, and then Ms. Stonewall, my dance teacher, had driven me to the bus terminus and provided me some of her savings to use in times of need. 


‘Use it well, Kyra. I trust you and I believe in you.’ 


‘But…this is a lot, Lydia!’ I had looked at the card in astonishment. ‘How do I ever return this favor?’ 


‘Oh, don’t worry, I will get it back with interest.’ She had grinned at me. “When I see you perform on some of the biggest stages in the world. That would be my biggest reward.’ 


She had no idea how much her words had encouraged me to move forward. She wasn’t just my teacher or my mentor…she was my idol. And one day, I planned to make her proud. And preparations for that day, started right now. 


Chapter 9: The First Time We Met