Chapter 1

Emily stood in front of her dad, fuming with rage.

"You can't just marry off like that. I'm not some kind of property that you can just give away," Emily spat out, staring deeply into her dad's eyes.

Mr. Smith stood there and watched Emily's outburst. He wasn't budging. His mind was resolute.

"Emily I'm sorry, but your mother and I have made this decision," he said in a firm yet calm voice. 

"For God's sake, Dad! I have goals to achieve. I have dreams of my own. I have a boyfriend, Andrew, who I plan to spend the rest of my life with," Emily yelled, her voice breaking as tears pricked at the corner of her eyes.

Mr. Smith sighed heavily as Mrs. Smith stood and rubbed his shoulder in encouragement.

"Stop being so selfish, Emily. The company is on the verge of death; in a few months, there won't be anything left of it," Mrs. Smith stated heavily.

"You've been given the privilege to be the bride of a wealthy entrepreneur, and yet you stand here being so ungrateful," she added, fury flashing in her eyes. 

Emily unfolded her arms and held onto her head in confusion. She had always been a docile daughter, but this was just too much for her. She couldn't sacrifice her happiness for the sake of the family.

"Wealthy?! Wealthy?!! If he wasn't bankrupt, you would have let Lily get married to the billionaire. From what I heard, it was Lily who the billionaire chose to be his son's bride," she yelled in aggression. 

"But she always gets her way, doesn't she? I'm not even sure if I'm part of this family anymore," she added, shrugging her shoulders. 

"Emily, that is no way to talk to your mother!" Mr. Smith exclaimed. 

"I'm sorry, Dad, but I can't do it. I won't do it," Emily screamed as she stormed out of the room. 

****

"Andrew, please pick up," Emily said to herself, pacing back and forth in her bedroom while staring at her phone. 

"Hey, babe. What's up?" Andrew said over the phone.

"You have to help me, Andrew; you just have to help me," she pleaded, her voice trembling.

"Emily, calm down and relax. What's the problem?" He replied with concern in his tone.

"I've been arranged to marry Alexander Roberts, the billionaire's son," she stated, still pacing nervously.

"What! How did this happen?" Andrew exclaimed. 

"It doesn't matter; I'll explain later."

"So what do we do?" Andrew asked, his concern deepening. 

"Andrew, I need to elope. And you have to help me." 

"Are you serious? But where do we go?" 

"I don't know, Mexico, maybe England. Anywhere but here," Emily replied, placing her hand on her forehead in frustration. 

Emily stared at her bedroom door as she heard the sound of footsteps drawing nearer. 

"Meet me at the train station by 5 p.m.," she whispered into the phone.

"OK, I'll meet you there," Andrew replied as Emily ended the call.

"Hey Emi, can I come in?" Mr. Smith asked after two knocks.

"Yeah, sure." 

"I just wanted to let you know that the wedding ceremony is commencing tomorrow," he uttered, sticking his head through the door before letting in his full body. 

Emily was in shock at how quickly the wedding took place, but it didn't matter as she wouldn't be present for any of that. 

"Dad, how could you do this to me?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes. 

Mr. Smith took a deep breath, guilt evident in his expression.

"Emi, sometimes we make sacrifices for the ones we love," he stated as he sat on the bed to look at her more closely. 

"Your mother would agree with me if she were here," he added, giving her a soft yet sad smile.

"That's where you're wrong; mom wouldn't agree with any of this. Sometimes I wonder if you even recollect the memories we shared together," Emily blurted out, shifting her attention from the window to her dad.

Mr. Smith withdrew, getting off the bed and making his way towards the door.

"You wouldn't understand," he uttered before exiting the room. 

Emily waited until it was quiet. She slightly opened her door and looked right and left to be certain no one was coming. She grabbed her backpack, put in a few of her things, gently opened the bedroom window, and sneaked out through it.

Emily ran as fast as she could, with mixed feelings of fear and excitement. 

Emily arrived at the train station and found a quiet spot to sit as she waited for Andrew. 

The minutes ticked by, and she tried to push away the thought of what would happen if Andrew didn't show up. She couldn't come to terms with the reality of being forced into a loveless marriage.

Emily sat on the bench at the train station. Her heart was filled with disappointment. She had been so sure that Andrew was coming, but as the day grew darker, it became clear that he wasn't going to show up. 

She tried calling his phone, but it was no longer reachable. Emily covered her face with her palms in confusion and sadness. For the first time in a long time, she felt completely alone.

She sat there, resting her head on her legs, feeling lost, frustrated, and confused. She lifted her head at the sound she heard, and she realized it had begun to rain. Thrown back to the memory of her and Andrew, she burst into tears, and she screamed in grief.

She couldn't help but cry; her heart was shattered. Andrew, the only one who understood her and was supposed to build a new life with her, was nowhere to be found. And tomorrow she was going to marry the despised, ruthless billionaire's son. 

The thought of getting married to someone she didn't love for the rest of her life sent a shiver down her spine.

"Why did things have to go this way?" she thought to herself.

Emily sat there, as the rain poured down lightly, huddled and sobbing, with no one to share her pain, no one to comfort her.

"I wish you were here, Mom," she whispered, feeling lonely and helpless. 

"I thought Andrew loved me, but it seemed it was all a lie," she murmured as she cried out. 

Not knowing what to do or where to go, she sat there and let the rain wash away her tears.