Chapter Two

She stayed on the floor, feeling like it was the only place she belonged at that moment. The dirt and moisture on the ground soaked into her dress, staining it, but she didn't care. She knew she would burn that dress as soon as she got home, and with it, she would burn all the love she had for Joey.

After crying and sobbing for what felt like ten minutes, Madisyn finally looked up at her sister.

"That asshole... He didn't even have the guts to tell me to my face," she said between sobs, staring down at the dirt.

"He doesn't deserve you," her sister replied softly.

"What happened? I don't understand... He seemed happy yesterday, and now, all of a sudden, he says he doesn't love me." She covered her face with her hands, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. "Did he ever love me at all?" She lifted her eyes to meet her sister's, pleading for answers she couldn't find anywhere except, perhaps, deep within herself.

Her thoughts drifted to the guests, who were waiting for them, and to the entire ceremony that now had to be canceled. "Oh God, they're all waiting for us to get married..."

"Yes... but I'll take care of it. I'll tell them. You just need to go home and recover. Call me if you need anything."

"Alright." A hint of a smile flickered across Madisyn's face, but it quickly faded into sadness again. She was relieved; she probably didn't have the courage or strength to say aloud what had happened. "I'll go home."

She got into the car, and she didn't have to explain anything to the driver, who quickly turned the car on and sped away.

Madisyn managed a small smile at her sister through the window, then rested her head against the glass and shut her eyes. She had to start over, once again. But could she do it? Her head felt like it was about to explode from all the crying she'd done in the last hour, and her legs felt drained of energy. She forced herself to numb her emotions—it was an unconscious response from her body. The pain was so intense, it threatened to destroy her, so she shut down every feeling.

When she opened the door to her house, she hesitated for a moment, wondering if she might find him there. A small part of her still hoped he would be. But he wasn't. His things were scattered on the floor as if a storm had torn through the house. The most important items were gone, and the house looked like it had been ransacked by the most disorganized thieves.

But Madisyn didn't care about the mess. It took her a minute to understand Joey had been there and took all his things away just to disappear like a thief.

She headed to her room, and when she saw her bed, she collapsed onto it and closed her eyes. She had barely slept the night before, too excited about the wedding, so she had a lot of sleep to catch up on.

But as soon as she closed her eyes, images of Joey—now her ex-boyfriend—flooded her mind. She tried to shut them out, but every time she did, a new, sweeter memory surfaced. Along with those memories came an inner voice, weak but persistent, telling her she was silly and unworthy, that she would never be happy.

Their relationship had always been complicated. They met by chance; Joey needed a job, and Madisyn's father happened to be hiring. Joey dreamed of becoming a successful man and starting a career in the car industry. When he met her father, he saw his dream taking flight. They began working together in her father's company, and eventually, Joey met Madisyn. He noticed how much her father cared for her and how he often spoke about wanting her to marry a good man like Joey.

One day, Joey asked Madisyn out for coffee, and shortly after, his father gave him a raise. Joey quickly realized that the more he spent time with Madisyn, the closer he came to achieving his dream.

Within a month, he had played his cards well, and within two years, he secured one of the most important positions in the company. By coincidence, the day he got that position was also the day he proposed to Madisyn.

Now, lying in her bed, she couldn't sleep. She couldn't figure out what had gone wrong or why he had said he didn't love her. Had all those times he said he loved her and would die for her been lies? How could someone be so deceitful and cruel? She swallowed hard and shook her head, trying to keep the tears at bay. She knew that once she started crying again, she wouldn't be able to stop for hours.

Just as she was about to finally drift off to sleep, the doorbell rang, waking her.

"Riiiiiiing."

Who could that be? She didn't want to see anyone. No one knew she was there except her sister, who was busy informing the guests about the canceled wedding. So who could it be?

She didn't have the strength to get up, so she ignored it.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang again.

"Riiiiing. Riiiiing."

The sound was as unbearable as her thoughts. She scoffed, frustrated.

"Fine, fine! I'll open the door!" she muttered, dragging herself out of bed.