"This is it!"

Emilia squeezed me so tightly that I thought she was trying to take me out on my wedding day.

"My little sister is getting ready for her big day...it almost brings me to tears."

"Our little sister, you mean?"

Lizzy brought along the familiar white box that mom's dress was in. My hair and makeup were already done; Margaret had braided my hair into a half-up crown, inserting gorgeous white flowers inside. My makeup was similar to the look I wore at the party, except it was done just a little bit heavier, which gave me slight discomfort since I didn't feel like myself with it on. They both helped me put the dress on, tying it a bit too tight for my liking. But it looked wonderful. The sleeves were long and light, not too puffy. The silhouette was plenty layered, though all the fabric didn't make it hard to walk around. And the neckline covered my collarbone well, with the fabric additionally covering part of my neck. What I loved most about it was the sparkle, however. Mom loved everything with a sparkle. Even the veil sparkled-for something so thin and light, it glittered as if it were made out of the stars from the night sky. The dress created such a magical feeling.

"Oh, how I wish mom were here," Lizzy sighed. "She would've loved to see you in this dress, Ember."

"She really would have. I just hate how those bandits had to take her away from us."

"...What would y'all do if y'all found out she was still alive?"

"What?"

"Sorry-that's such a random question. I just feel like she is still here sometimes."

"Hm. Like she's here in spirit?"

"Y-yeah, something like that. Or like that feeling when you two are away, yet somehow I know that y'all will always return."

"What are you saying, Ember? Are you saying that you believe that mom will return one day? Because if that's the case then-"

"I know, I know, I need to let that thought go. She's gone for good."

"I wasn't going to say that."

Emilia motioned for me to stand up, then gently took my hands in hers, looking toward me with softness.

"Look, whether she's alive or not, she will always be with us because we are her children. Not only is she in this home, but she's in us as well. And you know how much she cared for us, even during the times she was across the country for her shows. She never stopped coming back, just like how we'll never stop coming back to see you, Ember. Physically present or emotionally, she will always return to us one way or another. And who knows, somehow she could be alive after what she experienced. She may just have her reasons for not coming back."

"Maybe. I'm sorry for bringing this up."

"Ah, don't be sorry, sis. You know, we missed her terribly on our wedding days as well. Isn't that right, Lizzy?"

"Oh, I cried for more than one reason on my wedding day," she said with a small laugh. "It got so bad to the point that poor Edgar had to comfort me for quite some time."

"Well, that's what husbands are for, ain't it?"

"You're right. You know, Ember, you and Tommy are both incredibly lucky to have each other."

"Why? Because he's the only man who wanted to marry me?"

"No! Well-maybe a little bit-but I meant that I can tell that you two really love each other."

"....I-"

"Can a proud father at least catch a glimpse of his daughter before he walks her down the aisle?"

Dad's voice interrupted us, catching Lizzy by surprise. She let out a heavy sigh, eventually opening the door, though she clearly wanted him to wait a bit longer to see me.

"Don't cry, daddy. You might shed a tear or two once you see her."

His face immediately became stunned once he laid his eyes on me. I was his youngest. And, in a way, this "wedding" would prove to him that I was all grown up. He looked nice. His dark hair was slicked back, and his suit was one of the sharpest ones I've seen, with it being a deep black shade and not having a wrinkle in sight. But. As dressy as he looked, I could only see him as the person I've discovered him to be since Tommy and I investigated his office. A monster in disguise.

"Wow. Her dress really does fit you well, Ember."

"Thanks, dad."

I had to act as if everything was normal. I couldn't let him think that I was suspicious of him, so I had to put a big, fake smile on my face and continue on.

"I'm excited. Nervous, but excited."

" I can understand that feeling. I was nervous, too, when I married your mother. But after seeing her in that dress, it was as if the whole world stopped. And for just a mere moment, it was only me and her. Nobody else existed. I'm sure Tommy will feel the same way once he sees you."

He reached his hand out, signaling for me to take it and walk with him. I looked back at my sisters one more time before doing so. Why did I feel nervous? This wasn't a real wedding. Well-it was-somewhat-but Tommy and I aren't...we...well, you know what I mean, don't you? Things are complicated. Yes, we did kiss at the party, but we did so knowing that we couldn't have any strings attached. He has his own plan, and I have mine. This wedding appeared real to all the guests invited, sure, but at the end of the day, this wedding didn't feel real to Tommy and me. This was just part of a plan. We stopped along the way to grab the most elegant-looking flower bouquet I've ever seen; one with the most vibrant shade of red and orange roses.

"Mr. Evans," Leo, our butler, called out. Like the other day, he looked flushed as he ran our direction. Why was he always running around so much?

"Such a lovely dress you have on," he smiled at me. "You look beautiful."

"Thank y-"

"Mr. Evans, there is a man stating that he has important business to discuss with you."

Dad gave Leo a slight scowl, obviously not wanting to be bothered.

"The man can wait."

"He said he can't-"

"Well, tell him that right now I am more worried about being present for my daughter's wedding, and all business that requires me to be available will have to wait until the day is over."

"He knows about the wedding, sir. But he still wouldn't bother leaving. He said that he's very displeased, and that he does not wish to continue business with you if-"

"Leo, please."

"I'm sorry, sir, but the last thing I would want is for this man to barge in and interrupt your daughter's ceremony because of business."

"What is this man's name?"

"Mr. Richardson, sir."

Dad cursed under his breath. Richardson...the name sounded familiar.

"Listen," I sighed. "We can postpone the wedding a bit. After all, we did rush into things-"

"We are not doing that. You will be getting married today. You've spent too much time getting ready just for this day to be postponed."

"But if you have to go deal with business, then go deal with it."

"Mm. I'm always dealing with business."

"I know, dad. Just go talk to him for a minute and come back. Your conversation shouldn't be too long, right?"

"No, it shouldn't."

He turned to Leo, sudden determination appearing on his face.

"I will only speak to this man for five minutes. After that, I will return here to walk my youngest down the aisle. I refuse to let business get in the way of her special day."

"Yes sir."

And with that, they left me. I was all alone in the hallway of the mansion, with the music from outside being the only sound echoing through the walls. You know, I'd be more upset with him if this were my actual wedding. But, since it wasn't, I only felt a little irritated. Still, though, the fact that it didn't take much to convince him to speak with Mr. Richardson on my wedding day proved what kind of man he was. He was the type of man our mother hated. And, unfortunately for me, more than five minutes had passed since he went off. I had no choice but to see what was going on. I headed in the direction that I saw dad and Leo leave in, then moved from there. Eventually, I heard voices shouting in one of our guest rooms, meaning that whatever dad was talking about had to be extremely serious.

"I still don't see why this couldn't wait until later, Jacob! Today is my daughter's wedding day for crying out loud!"

"I am aware of that. But Anthony, you must understand that with every hour that passes, we risk losing more. You need to be there in person to see all the damage that has been done. People are stealing our product. That's why I wanted to put those security measures in place, but you said-"

"I told you to wait because we need to be focusing our money somewhere else."

"Look, I'm all for expanding our product, Mr. Evans, but there won't be much product to expand if we continue to have these accidents. Our valued workers are getting seriously injured out here-some even killed."

"And you can't hire new ones?"

"Not right away, no, because I'm busy dealing with my own business."

"Oh, please. That restaurant of yours is barely a business."

"It's more of a business than the hot mess you're currently running."

"You believe so?"

"I truly do. And if you refuse to see it for yourself, then I have no other choice but to let you be that way. I'm-"

"Wait. Fine. Even a man as stubborn as I must face the consequences eventually. I'll visit one of our farms tonight."

"But isn't it your daughter's-"

"She'll be fine. She'll be busy with her husband. Hopefully, busy enough to give me a grandchild soon."

That. That statement right there. That statement made me furious.

"So that's all I am to you!?"

I didn't even think twice when I busted through the bedroom door, scaring both of them. Mr. Richardson wore clothing much like what dad wore on a regular basis-darkly-colored trousers, a white button-up, and a sharp vest-but he also had a notable wool fedora to complete his look. And-if I were being completely honest with you-he looked incredibly hairy as well. His dirty blonde hair was a bit of a mess, and his thick, bushy-looking beard and mustache didn't make him look any better. He looked worn out and exhausted. And who could blame him? Working with my dad could make any man lose his mind.

"I'm just some baby-making machine, huh!?"

"Ember! You were eavesdropping!"

"So what if I was, dad! You took longer than five minutes, by the way."

I threw the bouquet of roses hard into his chest, hoping it would hurt a little.

"This was your plan all along, wasn't it? To get me to marry as fast as possible so you could have grandchildren that you aren't going to pay attention to anyway."

"Ember!"

"Am I wrong? Be honest with me! Mom always spent more time with us, and you know it! And after she died you completely-"

"ENOUGH! You listen to me, child! I did everything as well as I could to raise you all. To protect you. All I want is to make sure that you and your sisters become respectable women of society, Ember! Getting married is a part of the deal, and so is having kids!"

"You don't control my life."

"Oh, here we go with this."

"You. Don't. And for so long I did everything I could to make sure I was a good enough daughter, even if that meant I had a bit of a rebellious side. You still aren't happy with me. You'll never be happy with me. The only time you're happy-or at least somewhat happy-is when you're discussing business. That's what you're best at, isn't it?"

"I don't know what's gotten into you all of a sudden. You act like having kids is the end of the world."

"Having children isn't the end of the world for me. But the thought of bringing a child into this...into a home where it isn't acceptable to be anything that isn't considered normal...it just doesn't give me a good feeling in my stomach. So I'm calling the wedding off. Sorry to ruin your plan once again, dad."

I stormed out, the anger in me automatically tuning out the sounds of dad's yelling. I couldn't believe his audacity. I pushed through the doors leading to the backyard, revealing myself to everyone. It was decorated quite nicely. The red and orange floral arrangements were a nice touch. Everyone was sitting on white chairs, and all I had to do was walk down an aisle that already had dozens of rose petals scattered among it. Everyone's eyes were on me the very moment I stepped through the doors. They stood up as soon as they laid their eyes on me. I recognized some people. My sisters. Dad's business partners. But more importantly-the person I was focused on the most was the man I was supposed to "marry." Tommy was looking at me the same way he was looking at me during the party. He was growing attached. Too bad I was, too.

"Isn't her dad supposed to be walking her down?" I heard someone whisper. "Where is he?"

That's when I remembered what I was supposed to do. I sped-walk down the aisle, not going with the sound of the music, then turned to face everyone directly.

"The wedding is off!"

Everyone gasped, but Tommy seemed to be the only one who wasn't surprised. Instead, he had a sly grin on his face.

"Starting trouble at our wedding, Ember?"

"Shut up."

"Ouch. You know, I was about to compliment you and say that you look beautiful."

"Thank you, but I sure don't feel like it right now. After talking to my dad I feel like a sack of bricks."

"What'd he do?"

"I'll explain later."

"You're not hurt, are you?"

"No. Not on the outside anyway. On the inside, I might be a little bruised."

"...I'm sorry, Ember."

"It's alright."

I gave his hand a gentle squeeze, reassuring him that I was fine. Now my sisters, on the other hand, needed more than just a squeeze on the hand.

"What happened!?"

"Are you okay, Ember? Was it him? Did Tommy do something?"

"No, no, it wasn't him...he's the perfect one for me, guys. I just realized that I need some more time. This whole getting married within a week thing wasn't for me. I hope y'all can understand."

"Oh, of course."

They gave me the sisterly hug-one that never got old. But eventually, I had to pull away and tell them that I needed some space. I just needed a moment to think. I avoided everyone else as I went straight back to my room, locking the door behind me so that nobody could try to follow. For a moment, I just sat down at my desk, letting my thoughts consume me. It wasn't until a few minutes later that I heard a soft knock at my door.

"Please leave me be," I sighed. "I need some time to myself right now."

"Ember, I'm sorry."

Dad. It was he at the door.

"I shouldn't have said those things about you...and you're right. I shouldn't have made you feel like you have to rush into things. Like you had to change yourself. But you have to understand how much I deeply care for you. I only want the very best for you. That's why I approved of this marriage in the first place. I knew you would be taken care of properly by marrying him. But I understand why you did what you did today. So I'm going to give you space, alright? I'm going away for a while. For business. I'll be back in a few days. And I hope by then you might forgive me. But I understand if you don't...I haven't exactly been the best father. I want to change things, Ember. You do hear me in there, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Good. I love you."

"...I....love you too, dad.

I stayed silent as I heard the sound of his footsteps fade away. Ugh. How I hated him. But he was also my dad. He was a horrible man who lied to our family...but he was still my dad. And I still loved him. Somehow. I wanted to cry as I took my hair down. I've never felt so conflicted in my life. Who knew that my wedding day would be full of tears like these? I wasn't expecting to cry at all, let alone cry out of sadness. I didn't know what to think anymore. A few minutes later, I heard another knock. I didn't feel like opening my mouth to talk again, so I just stayed silent.

"Ember?"

"Tommy," I said, accidentally letting out a sob. Well, there goes not wanting to talk anymore, I guess. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

"Hold on."

He jiggled the doorknob for a moment, giving it a few hard twists. Then, after about a minute or two, he came through the door as if it were never even locked.

"Wh-"

"I'm a gang leader, Ember. You think I don't know how to pick a lock?"

He swiftly shut the door behind him and came over to me, kneeling a little so he could meet me at eye level. I hadn't even noticed how nice he looked. His hair was fluffy as usual, but in a nicer way. He wore a sharp suit and tie, one with a velvety touch and a soft white boutonniere to add to its look. I sighed as I took it, twiddling it through my fingers.

"I still love my dad. As much as it pains me to say it."

"I never expected you to stop loving him, Ember. At the end of the day, he's been the only parent around for years. And as lovely as your mother seems, I know that you have a special kind of fondness with him."

"Ugh. And I hate that."

"Don't hate it. It's what makes you human."

"I still want to take him down."

"Then let's take him down."

He used his thumb to wipe a tear from my cheek, trying desperately to see if there was anything else he could do. I've never seen him have such a soft look in his eyes.

"This wasn't supposed to be a real wedding anyway," he chuckled. "You know it's all for show."

"Mhm. You know, he initially told me to change. To become more ladylike. Then, just a few minutes ago, he apologized for ever trying to change me. But...do you think that if I become more ladylike, that-"

"No."

"You didn't let me finish what I was trying to say."

"I don't care. Never stop being your regular self, got it? Never stop under any circumstances. Don't let anyone dim that light of yours."

"I promise."

"Good. I'm glad. Now, please cheer up. I hate seeing you like this."

"What, in a wedding dress? I know, it's a crazy thought, ain't it?"

"What? No, I meant you being all sad. Ember, you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes upon, alright? That dress looks incredible on you."

"...Oh."

"Oh?"

"I mean-thank you-I just assumed that-"

"What? You think just because we're pretending means that I shouldn't compliment you?"

"Tommy, let's be honest with ourselves here. After that kiss in the kitchen, it's hard to differentiate between what's pretend and what's real. It's-"

"Confusing. Yeah. Listen, though. I've met plenty of women throughout my life. But none, and I mean it when I say that none, have ever compared to you, Ember."

"You're speaking as if you're in love with me or something."

"Well, maybe I am."

"Tommy-"

"I know we're pretending. And I know by the end of this we're going our separate ways. But that won't change the way I feel about you. I don't think anything ever will change the way I feel about you."

Just then, we heard a knock. The person behind the door was knocking so hard that I thought they were going to break the door down.

"Ember? Tommy? We need to go."

"Come on in, Brose."

Brose ushered on in, ignoring the fact that Tommy and I looked like we were about to kiss again. Maybe I should've kissed him. But if I did, I only would've grown more attached to him...and I couldn't afford to do that. Not in the situation we were in. There was no time for romance. Not while we were in the middle of catching my dad, anyway.

"Ember. Your dad is leaving for business."

"Oh-right. I'm sorry, he told me that a few minutes ago, and I let it completely slip my mind. But we should follow him. He may not be headed towards the biggest farm, but if he is, then that'll be a good thing. Has he left the mansion yet?"

"Not yet. But we need to hurry on if we're going to follow him."

"Alright. I'll get out of this dress."

"Great. Let's get the ball rolling. You look beautiful by the way."

"Thank you."

Brose gave Tommy a look-one that seemed like he could read Tommy's mind-before stepping out of the room.

"I'll see you in a little bit," Tommy eventually coughed out. "Try your best to change clothes as quickly as possible. We don't know how much time we have until he leaves."

"You got it. Oh, and Tommy?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't fall in love with me, okay? It's not worth all the trouble."

"...If that's what you want."