A bride's broken dreams

re's

ger seat next to Anna, as they drove out of

d forget about her problems even though she felt out of place when they first stepped into

t from the thought of the huge step she was about to take - abandoning her dreams, leaving Miami for Seattle to assist wit

r you'll keep imagining the moment you bo

gles my stomach. My eyes popped widely as I reca

for dinner, I blurted.

na exclaimed

red a slot alread

mistake. I can't see h

, followed by Anna's voice,

l this

et this opportunity sli

so stupid, I

use I've given him an impr

l in the street at the verge of abandoning he

king out the city li

mine and squeezed it,

easy but don't deprive yourself from love and happiness

I asked, turning

he has never been this close with women. The que

, although it wasn't serious and I broke up with the last when I caught him

on might be infatuated, maybe I thought, he's good loo

d to meet Anna'

t. She turned off the car en

Claire," she said, with

dable, her perfectly sculpted features

sked, though I alre

a replied, her w

suspected a thing. Not even Kendrick. In fact,

g feeling in my chest. Intere

steering wheel Claire, you don't get it,

He could have asked any of those women

oblem," I replied

se he thinks I'm

like the others. What happen

d on mine. You won't let him

quicken

? I'm not like you, Anna

overthinking this. It's not about faking forever. It's a

asked, with a low sof

want to be part of this world. The wealth, the security, the power. Ke

new just ho

I blurted , my voice

ne sharp again. That's why y

little wh

e'll fall in love with you, and by the time

be a turning point for me if truly he has interest but Can i really do this? Can I really

s apart?" I asked, w

u're smart about it

his feeling of being trapped between two worlds-one I di

s the most important thing. He invited you to dinner because he w

wanted to deceive anyone, especially not someone like Kendr

oached me to. And it worked. Kendrick had noticed

t higher than I

f I can do this

lready done it once. And you'll do it again. Just remember, Claire, the facade is what's

n. It was a dangerous game, one that could ruin everything if it went wrong. But the

on the car

y, her voice carrying an edge of finalit

ghts were a tangled mess

step out of the car, A

m light. "Don't forget that dinner with Kendrick is next week. Y

the cool night air hit my skin. The weigh

taring after it, wondering just how far she

ent building, my phone buzzed in

orward to

as I read the text, my heart

spine, it was mrs Harold's words that echoed " appearance ca