The Harrington Series Book#2: Naila's Misfortune

Prologue

In my opinion, there are two types of men in a woman's life.

The first guy is the prince charming happily ever after wedding ring guy. We all know this guy. We see him in fairy tales and delude ourselves into thinking he's the one we will all grow up to marry. This is the kind of guy you take home to your parents. He's the one you have a big wedding with. He's the one you get a house with a picket fence, babies and a dog with. Everyone loves that guy. But is he real or does he belong in a fairy tale?

The second guy is the bad boy who is trouble but makes you feel dangerous and alive as much as you know it won't end well but he's still addictive and fun. He's the kind of man everyone warns you about, but you have too many stars in your eyes to notice the obvious impending doom. He's the kind of guy you never take home. He is the kind of guy you will turn your back on your family for. He's the kind of man that scares your dad and leaves your mom speechless. He's the kind of guy you don't recover from and are doomed to follow to the fiery pits of hell.

I have met both of these men. I like Nickolas for the wild thrills he gave me but I love Cole for how he makes me slow down and fall in love. I love him for how he gets butterflies in my stomach. I love him for knowing what I want without me saying a word. I love him for making me feel connected to him without us having the least physical contact. All it takes is a simple look to sway me his way. It is that love growing within me that often makes me wonder if I'm right for him. I want the very best for him and eloping into a life without any possibility of happiness is stupid.

The truth is, as much as I love Cole Michael Harrington, I also fond him boring and uneventful.

He and I have been around each other for as long as I can remember. When we were kids, we were just friends often engaging in misdeeds. But we grow up and we noticed more about each other. I wish I can say that ours is one of those love at first sight perfect stories but it's not. Our story is messy, frustrating and confusing. This is the part I tell you it's not him, it's me. I know it's a cliche but it's true. I was always the problem.

Cole Michael is a guy who is tender, sweet and full of empathy. A book couldn't even summarize the things I love about him. He insists on giving me a choice and he never makes demands. Right now, I need him to demand that I go with him to the ends of the earth. I need him to hold my hand and take me anywhere he wants even if I protest! But Cole will never tell me what to do. He gives me too much freedom. He often bends to my will letting me call the shots even if it is detrimental to our relationship.

I wish he was more decisive.

I like a decisive man who knows how to call the shots and keep me in line. But I'm only comparing him wrong as it is. Nickolas Balotelli Bale.

But back to Cole, I am not ready to do what he wants. I am not ready to play his perfect beautiful bride; I am not anything like the reigning Mrs. Harrington. Anyone who has met Freya Nora Harrington knows she is too well put together to be real. Next to her I am a wild card everyone should avoid. In that "picture-perfect" family of achievers I would be the odd one out. After the incident in the conservatory, I no longer feel worthy of her son. I felt... dirty.

Who would want me now?

I don't even want me. I feel like a stranger in my own body; trapped and stuck in an unending nightmare. It's like I'm falling with no end in sight screaming but no one hears me.

I can't stop the tears from flowing down my cheeks. I'm watching Cole desperately pacing about in the lobby of Grand Central. The tall handsome man cake here thinking today is the day he gets the girl. He keeps glancing at his watch, probably wondering where his bride to be is. We are supposed to elope and tell our parents later. His father doesn't approve of me. He thinks I'm ill mannered and promiscuous. I don't fit into their perfect family. My refusal to join him is not just because of my personal feelings. It has to do with the very people we are hiding our secret wedding from. Wayne is opposed to my relationship with Nick and he is also opposed to Cole and me being together. His reason is he doesn't approve of Cole's family. Cole is ready to leave everything behind just to be with me. His father will never forgive him but that didn't stop him from showing up today.

After the incident at the conservatory and the pregnancy I have just found out about, I can't be with him. He has a pure and perfect heart. He deserves so much better than me.

I should explain my reasons for not eloping with him but I have decided against it. Being the kind and gracious man he is, he wouldn't let me go. I cannot burden him. It is unfair. Instead, I walked away, disappearing into the crowds of people. I have my own destination and Cole is not coming with me.

I will have to walk away from my Prince Charming and chose loneliness instead because of the dark cloud of shame hovering above my head.

There are two kinds of guys in a woman's life but neither belongs in mine.