Flawless Liar

Chapter One

 I held the soft white material between my index finger and thumb. The material was perfect and lightweight; the dress fell perfectly, resembling a white waterfall cascading to the carpeted floor of the dress shop. All I could do was stare at myself in the mirror with a brilliant smile across my face. Something about a wedding dress just makes a bride look like a completely different person. My wedding was in a few short weeks and everything was falling together perfectly, the venue was set, the caterer was ready, the flowers were picked out and the dress was now finished along with everything else.

"You look beautiful Alana!" The owner of the dress shop had become a good friend, helping me find my dress and remaining patient with me. I had tried on so many different dresses, but as soon as I saw this one, I knew it was the one.

"Thank you so much!" I was going to be marrying the man of my dreams in a few weeks and that's everything that mattered in this moment. Being a bride felt amazing and the feeling was almost too good to be true. I could imagine myself walking down the aisle, surrounded by the beauty of Castle Hill's Garden Walk and our families, I could see my fiancé Jay Hartwright standing at the altar dressed in his suit smiling back at me and I could see our future shining brightly ahead. It was going to be everything I had ever imagined, my complete happiness all held in one man.

"Hey Mom, its Alana. The dress fit perfectly. Everything is perfect for the wedding and the fitting didn't take very long at all, I'm actually going to be home an hour earlier than I told Jay. I picked up some wine to celebrate everything being finished for the wedding. I'll talk to you later, bye Mom. Love you." I hung up my phone ending the voicemail and pulled into the driveway. Once I had gotten out of my car and to the front door I had discovered it was locked, I sighed and fumbled with my keys to unlock the door. Rain clouds were slowly making their way over the crest of the mountains and the sky was darkening; a storm was brewing. I could hear the muffled sound of rock music playing upstairs, I smiled at the familiar sound. 

Jay was an aspiring artist, he had formed a band with his friends in high school and they had been playing small gigs and garages ever since. When someone asked Jay what he loved most about me he would always tell them, "What I love most about Alana is that she supports my aspirations and has never doubted me. She will always be my #1 fan." My days were always filled with the sound of guitar rifts and musical tunes; I didn't want it any other way. My mind didn't think twice as I set my purse on the table and made my way up the stairs to find Jay. The door was cracked and I slowly pushed it open trying not to interrupt him, when he noticed me in the doorway his eyes lit up with happiness as he glanced down he noticed the bottle of wine in my hand.

"Alana, you're home early! Are we celebrating?" My head nodded in confirmation.

Jay took two wine glasses from the cabinet and unscrewed the cork of the wine bottle as I told him about the dress. We celebrated and called it an early night.

Actually, that's what should've happened because it didn't.

Instead, I opened the door slowly and found the stereo blaring and Jay in bed with my best friend Janelle. My grasp on the wine bottle released and the bottle shattered against the ground in tune with my heart. Their heads twisted around in shock and terror at the sound of the broken glass. It was as though I had become paralyzed, my mouth couldn't move to make out words, my legs were cemented in place and my hands were stuck in the air as though I was still pushing the door open. My body was cycling through so many different emotions at one time it was like a computer trying to open too many programs at once and as a result there was a lag in response. Time stood still in those few seconds, it froze completely.

"Alana.." Jay said my name, but it wasn't the way I remembered him saying it. He looked confused and shocked. I could tell that there were just as many emotions swarming in him as there were flowing through my own veins.