Chapter 1
On the day of Zariah Cantu's wedding, his sworn enemy Tilly Spencer crashed the scene.
She caused a total commotion and even knocked me to the floor.
Then she jabbed a finger at Zariah and let loose a tirade.
"You ruined my blind date, so now I'm going to wreck your wedding!" she shouted.
Zariah got all worked up by her shouting and yelled back, even louder. "Like you didn't ruin my date first!
"And you still owe me for stealing my clients!"
Right there at the wedding, the two of them went at it, yelling back and forth without holding back.
Blood was streaming down my forehead as I called out Zariah's name, but he didn't even glance my way.
As I watched the two of them red-faced and shouting at each other, my hands were icy and shaking.
I picked up the microphone that had rolled to my feet and finally broke up their fight.
"Zariah, I'm not marrying you," I said.
Zariah froze, totally caught off guard.
It took him a few seconds before he finally turned to look at me.
When he caught sight of the blood running down my forehead, he stumbled and rushed over.
"Alyvia, are you okay?" he asked.
I turned away, scanning the wrecked scene in front of me.
Only a handful of friends I actually knew were left, standing off in the corner.
I quietly balled my fists.
The wedding I'd been looking forward to for years was wrecked in the end.
"It's all my fault. I never should've let that crazy woman in!" Zariah blurted out.
He said, "Don't be mad. We'll redo the whole thing in a few days..."
"Who are you calling crazy? I'm just getting back at you!" Tilly snapped, her voice cutting through the air.
Tilly's sharp voice suddenly cut in from behind.
"Every time you throw a wedding, I'll crash it!" Tilly shouted, her voice ringing out.
Zariah sputtered, "You..."
Zariah's temper flared, and he spun around, ready to argue with her all over again.
But I clung to his sleeve, refusing to let go.
Gritting my teeth, I let all my emotions show in my voice.
"If you keep arguing with her, we're done," I said.
He deflated instantly, finally just telling the security guards to throw her out.
From outside, Tilly's bitter curses rang out. "As long as I'm around, I'll make your life hell!"
Zariah finally ignored her, bent down, and scooped me up in his arms.
"Alyvia, sorry you had to put up with all this," he said softly. "Let me take you to the hospital and get you checked out."
After the check-up, I fell into a deep sleep in the hospital room.
In the end, I woke up to the sound of an argument.
Zariah was standing by the door, locked in a heated argument over the phone.
"Tilly, if you dare crash my wedding again, you're dead meat!" Zariah shouted. "You still dare to provoke me? Just you wait!"
He hung up and was about to storm out, but I grabbed his wrist.
"If you go after her, she'll just hit back. It's always tit for tat with you two. You'll never break free from this mess," I said. "Let's just forget about today."
I honestly had no idea what I was feeling when I said that.
Being with Zariah for three years, I'd been put through hell by his never-ending feud with Tilly.
She'd even swap out the birthday present he got me for some ridiculous gag toy, just to get under my skin.
Even when he came to pick me up, he'd get into a fight with her over a parking spot, leaving me shivering in the cold for two hours.
I'd tried talking them down, put up with all their drama, and even tried to wrap my head around their ten-year grudge.
But in the end, even my wedding turned into a total disaster because of them.
Sometimes, when they fought, I could feel this strange vibe between them, like their feelings had gotten all twisted up.
That was why I was scared. I was afraid that after this round of payback, I'd be stuck in their mess for good.
Zariah sighed and rested his hand gently on mine.
"Whatever you say. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right here with you," he said softly.
After we left the hospital, Zariah never let go of my hand, speaking to me in that careful, soothing way, trying his best to comfort me.
But as soon as we reached our front door, I stopped in my tracks.
The front door was hanging open.
The moment I pushed it wider, the mess inside hit me like a slap in the face.
The wreckage all over the floor made me forget how to breathe.
My mom's framed memorial photo had been thrown down hard at the entryway, the black-and-white picture stamped with dirty footprints.
I dropped to my knees in the middle of all the shattered glass, reaching for the broken frame.
But my hand landed on a crumpled photo album first.
When I opened it up, every single photo inside had been shredded. There wasn't a single one left whole.
"Zariah, you'll never measure up to me!" On the last page, the words scrawled in marker burned into my eyes.
At the very end, someone had doodled a big, taunting grin.
Shredded bits of paper slipped through my fingers as my mind just short-circuited from the shock.
These photos were the only thing that made me feel close to my mom after she was gone.
It must've been Tilly again.