Chapter 3

IT has been six months since the breakup and six months since that dreadful dinner,the last time I saw Noemie and Matt. Time has passed but the pain was still fresh, I carried it like scars on my heart everyday.

Through the months, it has always been rough, but I buried myself in work, taking new projects and tasks to drown the memories. It worked most of the time, especially mornings. But at night, with nothing to do, everything comes crashing back. Rhonda always made sure to spend time with me and entertain me, Brian too.

I often wondered if I would ever truly move on. If there would come a day when the thought of them wouldn’t twist my stomach or bring a lump to my throat. Part of me hated them for what they did, but another part hated myself for not seeing it sooner, for believing in a love that wasn’t real.

I returned home that evening. I spent my time with Rhonda after work at one of her restaurants. I noticed that I had a lot of mails so I decided to go through them all and deal with the important ones.

I saw an invitation, tucked neatly between bills and advertisements. The envelope was elegant, cream-colored with gold embossed letters. My name stared back at me in a cursive script that was all too familiar. My heart sank. I knew before I even opened it what it was.

With trembling hands, I slid the invitation out, my breath catching in my throat as I read the words:

Matthew and Noemie cordially invite you to their wedding...

The rest of the sentence blurred as tears filled my eyes. My chest tightened, a nauseating mix of heartbreak and anger swirling inside me. It wasn’t just the invitation—it was everything. They had used everything I had planned for my wedding with Matt. The same color palette, the same venue, except for the date.

They used it all, I could picture the flower arrangement, the menu I had painstakingly chosen to avoid any issue. The music I chose that would be the best for the moment. It wasn’t just a wedding; it was the dream I had once poured my heart into, now hijacked by the two people who had destroyed me.

I threw the invitation away, not caring where it landed in my apartment. I wanted to scream and cry. Just then, the door to the apartment opened, I looked up from where I was sitting on the floor to see Rhonda. She walked towards me and knelt pulling me into a hug.

"They used everything I planned, Ro. Nothing changed." I cried into her shoulder. "Shh, it's okay. It's fine." She whispered.

"How could they do this to me, nothing changed. It was all I planned for my wedding."

Rhonda pulled me up and moved to my couch. We both sat and she quietly hugged me as I cried. I was thankful for that. The stress from work and the recent news got me exhausted and I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was in my bed. I stood and walked into the bathroom to wash my face, staring at my reflection in the mirror, my eyes were red and my hair all over the place. I washed my face and tamed my hair, packing it into a loose bun.

I stepped out of the room, walking to the sitting room. Rhonda and Brian were both sitted chatting. Rhonda was the first to see me walk in.

"Baby girl, how are you feeling?" She asked, her tone full of concern.

I took my seat and she gave me a glass of water. I downed the whole content.

"What are you going to do now?" Brian asked. "Nothing, I wish them good luck." I replied. "Nope." Rhonda sat.

"What do you mean?" I asked her confused.

"If you don't go. You are passing the message that the whole thing is still painful. Which it is, but they don't have to know. So you are going for the wedding." She said taking a slice of pizza.

"So I go there, alone and looking lonely." I said.

"Who said anything about you going alone?" She asked, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Even Brian looked at her confused.

"So I am going with someone, who is that?" I asked confused. Even Brian listened waiting for her to clear the confusion. "Well, we go to a club, or bar. Find a guy who is super duper hotter than Matthew and get him to act as your plus one, or better still your boyfriend." She said smiling.

"No way I am getting a random guy to act as my boyfriend. What if he is a stalker, or worst a criminal." I said rejecting the idea.

"Chill, when we find a guy, we will find out everything about him, his ID." She replied

I stared at Rhonda thinking about this crazy idea of hers. Just then, my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID to see that it was uncle Robert. I picked the call.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" He asked

Taking a deep breath. "I'm doing....okay,uncle."I replied.

" I am sure you have seen the invitation. Dear, I know what Noemie did as your cousin is not right and unforgivable. If you don't make it to the wedding, it's totally understandable and I will not hold it against you. "He said.

" I don't know, Uncle Robert. "I simply said.

" I understand. Take care of yourself, darling and come for dinner one of these days."He replied and we ended the call.

Rhonda stared at me as if asking if I was in for her idea.

"Let's find a mystery man for me." I said.

"Yes, let's show them baby." She cherred hugging me.

Brian simply smiled as he also hugged me. "You are brave and ready." He simply said.

Finding a mystery man was harder than we thought. Rhonda and I have been up and about everyday after work and even on the weekends, making sure to avoid bars that might have creeps frequenting the place.

Tonight was another bar to try. I was dressed and waiting for Rhonda, I decided to call her.

"Where are you?" I asked walking into my kitchen. "I can't come with you today, I am so sorry."She said. "What? Why? What's wrong?" I asked.

"My aunt is around and my mum asked me to go see her." She replied. "I don't think I want to do this alone, Ro." I said. "No, you have to go. What if today might be your lucky day, and we only have a week and few days to the wedding." She said.

"Maybe I should not go for the wedding." I muttered. "Don't you dare run away, or I am dragging you down to that wedding with or without a much hotter guy" She threatened.

"I will bring you treats." She promised. "Okay, fine. I will kepp you updated." I replied.

The bar we were meant to go to is a new one in town called Eclipse. Elysia got into her car and drove off to her direction using the guidance of GPS.

About twenty minutes later, she arrived at the bar and was surprised to see the sophisticated atmosphere. It even had a parking valet.

I walked in and took a seat by the bar. "Hi, what can I get for you?" The bartender asked with a small professional smile.

"Something nice, but not alcoholic. This is my first time here." I told him. "Something for the first timer coming right up." He smiled and got busy.

I stared around and was admiring the interior of the whole place. The bartender guy dropped a glass of a pink drink with a slice of strawberry on the rim. I took a sip and enjoyed it.

The sweet and tangy taste of the drink was refreshing, and I took another sip, letting the ambiance of the bar soothe me. The place was lively but not chaotic, with low music playing in the background and groups of people chatting and laughing. It was unlike the noisy, crowded bars Rhonda and I had visited before.

I felt a bit out of place sitting alone, but I kept reminding myself why I was here. Find someone charming and confident, someone who could make Matthew feel small. The thought alone brought a bitter smile to my lips.

“Enjoying your drink?” a smooth voice interrupted my thoughts.

I looked up to see a man standing beside me. He was tall, dressed impeccably in a simple outfit of shirt and trousers but his aura screamed sophistication. His piercing gray eyes locked onto mine, and his chiseled jawline could have been sculpted by the gods.

“It’s good,” I replied cautiously, glancing at the bartender, who seemed to be watching the interaction closely.

“I’m glad. I don’t usually see people order something non-alcoholic here,” he said, a hint of amusement in his tone. “First time?”

"That obvious?" I asked with a small laugh, trying not to seem nervous. "A little, and the non-alcoholic drink gives it away." He replied taking a seat beside me.

"I'm Rhysand." He said. A unique name for such a different man.

"And I am Elysia." I replied shaking his outstretched hand.

Rhysand kept me company and we chatted, I was quite surprised at how comfortable I felt around him. "So why are you here?"Rhysand asked after spending almost thirty minutes with me.

I stared at him surprised. "How?" I managed to ask. "Hmm, intuition? Just a guess but I am right." He replied.

Somehow, I ended up telling him all that had happened to me in the past six months and Rhonda's idea to find a guy for the wedding that is in a week.

"Am I handsome enough?" Rhysand asked. "Yes." I found myself saying.

"So, am I hired." He grinned. "Are you serious?" I asked. "Of course, I can't let such a beautiful woman go alone to her ex-fiancé's wedding." He said.

When I left the bar, it was almost 9pm. Rhysand and I already exchanged numbers and decided to chat to share anything we need to know about each other if we are meant to be a couple.

I got home, still not believing that I found such a man. Now I can't wait for the wedding to come.