OUR BROKEN BEGINNINGS

CHAPTER ONE

My reflection stared back at me. The warmth of the sun flooded in through the 20-foot windows to my left. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I opened them and stared into the mirror again. I admired the details of my dress. The low V-neckline and the beautifully laced sleeves draped over my shoulders and stopped at my elbows. I twisted my back to see the laced train trailing behind my feet. The swirls of lace and pearls layered perfectly on top of the fabric. My coffee brown hair was pulled back into a perfectly messy updo with loose curls framing my face and neck. My eyeshadow glimmered in the light as I moved to make sure everything looked flawless.

Everything has to be flawless.

I pulled the front of my dress back and looked down at my shoes. They sparkled as the sunlight hit the rhinestones that were spread throughout the sheer material. I always dreamed that these would be the shoes I wore on my wedding day. I couldn't help but smile at the simplicity of such a small and irrelevant dream coming true.

The large wooden doors opened dramatically, and I didn't have to look up to know who had just walked in.

"Did you eat anything today?"

I finally pulled my eyes away from my shoes to look up at my mother as she walked over to me. Her dirty blonde hair, freshly dyed to hide the years weighing on her, flowed past her shoulders and stopped below her breasts. It covered the front of her light pink dress, which reached the floor to cover her feet. It was cinched in at the waist and showed a bit more of her cleavage than I would have volunteered to see.

I stared at her blankly, debating whether I should lie or tell her about the breakfast sandwich I had devoured early this morning on my way to pick up the pearl earrings that were now dangling on my ears.

I didn't feel like having her up my ass the rest of the night so I chose option A.

"No. Nothing since yesterday afternoon." I pulled the corners of my lips up to display a smile that would surely make her question whether or not I was telling the truth.

She simply nodded and walked to stand behind me in front of the mirror. She grabbed the veil laying on the chair and pinned it in my hair all in one swift move.

"You could've lost a bit more weight but, nonetheless, you look decent." My insides recoiled as the word decent bounced around in my head. It took everything in me not to turn around and slap her.

I probably would have if Charlotte hadn't strolled in through the already-opened doors wearing the blue dress we had spent weeks looking for.

It was well fitting with a low V-neckline, flowy at the bottom with a slit in the middle showing her shoes, and longer in the back.

She casually walked over to me and gave me a hug.

"You look absolutely beautiful. Want to marry me instead?"

I bit my lip to stifle a laugh. I let out a low chuckle and pulled away to look at the dress on her, now that she had the complete look.

"You too. Let's do it."

My mother let out a disapproving sigh, and Charlotte shifted her eyes from me to my mother seated in the corner.

She choked out my mother's name, lacing it with disgust. "Janette."

My mother didn't even bother looking at her. "Charlotte."

I had to swallow down the laughter wanting to escape, looping my arm through Charlotte's in the process. We walked smoothly and in unison with grace dripping off of us with each step to a set of chairs on the other end of the room.

We sat closely next to each other with our knees touching.

"I just want to remind you once more that this is crazy." She stared at me intensely as if daring me to look away. I didn't.