For Real? ✅

PROLOGUE

Leah Sanders was wearing a white dress.

It was her wedding dress, interlaced with swirls, highlighted by silver glitter and pearly white flowers. Her veil covered her strawberry blond hair, placed in position by a wreath of the same pearly flowers.
She barely had any makeup and even lesser jewellery, but that made her look even more breathtaking.

Leah glanced at the mirror. She looked cheerful, confident and much mature than she felt. It was something about the way her head was held high, her chin lifted, her eyes shining.

Today, she was everything she had always wanted to be.

Of course, she was marrying Adam White, the love of her life. It was him, who had truly changed her for the better.

"It's getting late, Leah." Tess walked in, a stunning bridesmaid herself. Her dark hair was up in an elegant bun and secured by a crystal pin. She wore a long dress of lavender like all her other bridesmaids had planned to.

Leah nodded and walked along with Tess, her heart hammering at the fact that she was getting married.
Today.

It had all happened so quickly, she hadn't had time to process all that had happened in the past few weeks.

"All the best!" Tess whispered, leaving Leah with her father. It was now time to walk down the aisle.

Leah held her father's hand and walked forward. Her eyes searched desperately for him, to find him already looking at her.

Adam White stood at the altar, in a solemn black tuxedo, his honey-blond hair styled, his smile wide.

He stared at Leah, drinking in every bit of her, not wanting to forget anything, her bright green eyes, her soft features, her long eyelashes. With her gentle walk, she looked ethereal, like the very Goddess of heavens had walked upon the earth.

And he was marrying her. Adam was surely a lucky guy.

Leah blushed under Adam's intense stare, as she stepped upon the altar. Adam stood opposite her, looking more handsome than ever.

"You look like an angel." He said in awe, and Leah smiled her best smile at him. The crowd watched them, a perfect couple in love.

Who wouldn't want a fairy tale love story as such?

"I can't believe that it all happened so soon," Leah whispered to him.

"I know. Can't believe it's happening for real." Adam replied while gazing lovingly at her.

Leah looked at Adam, into his deep eyes, thinking of his words.

For Real.

Real...

Leah suddenly felt overwhelmed by the weight of everything. Her eyes filled with tears, falling on her cheeks and down her jaw. She gasped for air, the wedding dress tightening around her chest, entrapping her.

This was not happening.

She had to escape before it became worse. Adam's gaze pierced her, asking her to stay put, but no, she could not.

The crowd stared at her, silent like voiceless corpses. The hall started spinning around her, and hundreds of voices echoed at her, blaming her for what she was doing.

Leah closed her eyes, desperate to escape, wishing for the familiar black void she once dreaded.

Instead, she woke up.

Leah screamed at the sight of the dark hospital room, the horrifying dream still appearing vividly in front of her eyes.

Tess barged in, bringing the nurses along with her. She ran up to Leah, and she knew, exactly what had happened.

"It's never happening, Tess! It can never happen!" Leah cried, her heart constricting at the pain of what she'd felt.

At what she'd done.

"He can never be mine, Tess, even though I love him..."

Tess engulfed Leah in a hug, and tears slowly leaked from her eyes as well.

It pained her to see her best friend this way.
Leah deserved not one bit of it.

"I can never be with him, never have a life with him, never grow old with him. I can never do any of the things that anyone else in love can."

"Leah..." Tess said slowly. She drew back and studied Leah, who was as pale as a sheet, with dark circles under her eyes, her hair in a mess.

She appeared as though she had aged by a hundred years, after facing every struggle life had to hurl at her.

Tess thought of the innocent-eyed, carefree and delicate girl she had once been, and the stark contrast hit her deep.

"And the worst thing of all, I'll never stop loving him. Never stop thinking about him." She sighed, and her breath got caught in her throat.
She coughed roughly, before speaking again, "I can never be the same again."

"Leah, calm down. It's alright." Tess spoke, but Leah didn't seem to hear her.

"And it is all my fault! I didn't see where it was going. I wish I wasn't so naive. So clueless. So stupid..." Leah's breathing became ragged.

The nurses secured the IV line, and Tess knew that the sedative was about to hit her.

But before that, Leah spoke again, her voice now different, cold and unforgiving.

"I wish I'd never fallen in love with him."