Discovering Me *Discontinued*

Chapter 1

Ava stared up at the ceiling, unblinking, as negative, self-depricating thoughts raced through her head like cars on a racetrack. One thought led to another and then to another, only for the first thought to pop up again after a few more questions. She wanted to cry, more than anything else, but Ava just didn't have the energy to anymore. All she wanted to do was lay in bed without being disturbed as the same memory played through her head like a broken record.

Smiling to herself, Ava looked at her reflection in awe, not believing that she was the same person as the one in the mirror. The person in the mirror looked like an angel, her bangs pulled back into a curly ponytail, while the rest of her hair rested on her back in soft waves. Her wedding dress was pure white and covered in sparkles and sequins. Ava's makeup was soft and natural, and it made her blue-grey eyes stand out.

"Oh Meredith, you did such a wonderful job," Ava exclaimed happily, clutching her bouquet tightly in her hands as she turned to look at Meredith. The woman smiled back at her softly, pride and joy sparkling in her brown eyes, which caused Ava to smile even wider.

Meredith was her step-mother, her actual mother having abandoned Ava and her father when Ava was only a month old, but to Ava, Meredith was in every way except blood, Ava's mother.

"I'm glad you love it sweetheart, and I must say, I'm so proud of you, finding love at such a young age," Meredith said with a wink and she observed her adopted daughter.

"Thank you, Mom, it really does mean a lot," Ava said as she hugged her mother tightly, making sure not to mess up her makeup and hair as she did so, "Now enough with all of this mushy stuff, the wedding will be starting soon," Ava exclaimed with laugh as she stepped away from Meredith.

The second those words left her mouth, her father, a muscular man with hair and eyes that matched Ava's own, burst through the door, his eyes filled with anger, "Ryan won't be coming to the wedding."

"What?" Ava asked with a small, shocked laugh as she furrowed her eyebrows at her father, "What do you mean he won't be coming?" Ava could already hear the tears in her voice as she struggled to stop them from falling. Her fiancé wouldn't be coming to the wedding; the man she fell in love with.

The anger faded from Johnathan's eyes, Ava's father, as he gave her a tight hug, "Oh bunny, I'm so sorry," his voice showed his sorrow, but that didn't matter to Ava. All that mattered was that the love of her life, Ryan, had left her the day of their wedding.

As Ava fell to her knees, her mother and father falling to theirs and hugging her tightly, Ava zoned out, staring at nothing as realization began to sink in. Then, the tears began to fall, and for the first time that she could remember, Ava began to sob.

Ava had never cried before that day, her father and Meredith having always treated her well and making sure she got everything she wanted. Ava was a happy person in general, but ever since Ryan had stood her up on her wedding day, she hasn't smiled once.

"Ava, dear, dinner is ready," Meredith whispered as she poked her head inside of the room Ava was staying in. Numbly, Ava turned her head to look at her mother with dull eyes, and without a word, Ava slowly got out of the bed, finding it hard to move her body as she stood.

Ava noticed that Meredith was smiling at her hopefully, and she couldn't help but feel even worse. Ava's parents were letting her stay at their house until she got up on her feet again, since she had originally lived in Ryan's apartment, and when she stopped by to grab all of her stuff, she found her belongings soaking wet on the curb with Ryan nowhere in sight. Ryan was already gone and had taken all of his things with him, and left no trace that he was there.