Chapter 15:
Waiting in the Storm

"May I have your attention please, everyone!"

The clear, warm voice of Amanda-Gavin's stepmother-rang out across the grand hall, cutting through the soft music and gentle chatter that had filled the room until now. Kathryna lifted her head slowly, her eyes still heavy with unshed tears, and looked toward the raised stage at the front of the room.

There she was. Olivia stood there, right beside the podium, her posture straight and elegant as always, but Kathryna could see everything that lay beneath the surface. There was a deep frown on her face, lines of sadness and confusion pulling at her features, and her eyes were glistening with tears that she was trying so hard to hold back. She looked beautiful, as she always did, but she looked broken too-broken in a way that made Kathryna's chest feel tight, even though she was the cause of it.

For just a second, Kathryna felt an ache in her heart that had nothing to do with her own pain. She wanted to walk over to Olivia, to ask her what was wrong, to tell her that she was sorry, that she never meant to cause her this hurt. But she didn't know how. She didn't know how to fix what had been broken, or how to explain that even though she loved Gavin, she never wanted to hurt the person she had once called her sister.

Then, the large screens that had been set up around the hall flickered to life, and bright, elegant words appeared across them, shining clearly for everyone to see:

"The Celebration of Love
Gavin & Olivia"

Kathryna felt her world tilt sideways. Engagement party. That was what this was. All the beauty, all the laughter, all the perfection around her-it was all for them. For Gavin and Olivia.

She stood there, her hands clenched tight into fists at her sides, and she tried so hard not to cry. She bit down on her lower lip, swallowing hard to hold back the sobs that wanted to escape, because she knew there was nothing she could do. No matter how much she felt, no matter how much she loved him, she had no power to change what was happening. The pain was already there, heavy and constant, like a stone sitting right in the middle of her chest, weighing her down every single day.

She had been so stupid, she thought to herself. So foolish and naive. She had convinced herself that Gavin would fight for her, that he would choose her, that no matter what happened, he would stand by her side. She had believed that their love was strong enough to overcome anything, that it was enough to make him choose her over everything else. She had thought that because they loved each other, nothing could separate them.

But she was wrong. So very wrong.

Before their love had even really begun, before it had even had the chance to grow and flourish, he had already given up. He had already walked away. And now, seeing this, seeing that everything she had hoped for was nothing but a dream that would never come true, she felt a wave of anger wash over her-anger at him, and at herself.

She hated him for making her feel so happy, for making her heart feel light and full of joy every time he was near. She hated him for holding her hand and looking at her with those warm brown golden eyes, and making her fall in love with him deeper and deeper with every passing day. She hated him for making her believe that they had a future, only to take it all away in one moment. And most of all, she hated him for being a coward-for running away, for leaving her alone, for breaking her heart and then pretending that nothing had happened.

"Gavin didn't make it," Amanda's voice continued, bringing Kathryna back to the present. "Maybe he had something far more important than attending his own engagement party."

Kathryna's mind began to race. If Gavin wasn't here... then where was he? Why wasn't he here? The question hung in the air, heavy and confusing, and she tried to listen to everything that was being said around her, but her thoughts were too loud, too chaotic.

Then, she felt it-a soft vibration against her thigh, coming from the pocket of her dress.

She reached inside, her hands trembling slightly, and pulled out her phone. A new message had arrived. And when she saw the name on the screen-Gavin-her heart skipped a beat, then began to race so fast she could feel it pounding in her ears.

She opened the message quickly, her eyes scanning every word, and as she read, the tears she had been holding back finally spilled over, but this time they were tears of confusion, of hope, and of something that felt like warmth coming back into her cold heart.

Text Message from Gavin

Hi Kath,

I know that you are mad at me right now-because who wouldn't be? I just broke the most beautiful, kind heart like yours. The girl that I love more than anything in this world. This afternoon, I looked back at everything, and I regret it. I regret every single second that I let you go, because I know now that I would lose you forever if I didn't do something. But they threatened me, Kath. They said that if I didn't leave you, they would do terrible things to you. I was so scared-so terrified-that I wouldn't be able to protect you. I thought I was doing the right thing, I thought I was keeping you safe... but I was wrong. I would never forgive myself if anything bad ever happened to you.

I love you. You are the girl I want to spend my whole life with. You are the girl I want to build a home and a family with. It doesn't matter who anyone else wants me to be with. It doesn't matter about money, or status, or what everyone expects. The only person I want is you. Not Olivia, not anyone else-only you. These past hours have made me realize that I can't live without you. You are my happiness, and I am ready to fight for that happiness. I am ready to fight for us.

And if you are reading this message... please come meet me at our favorite place. I hope you will come. I will wait for you there. I love you, baby face.

Gx

Kath wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand, her fingers shaking slightly as she slipped the phone back into her pocket. For a moment, all the pain and confusion and sadness felt like it was lifting, replaced by a bright, shining hope that made her feel like she could fly.

He loves me, she thought, her heart swelling so much it felt like it might burst. He really loves me. And he's willing to fight for me. He didn't give up on us.

She didn't hesitate for even a second. Even though she knew that what they were doing was selfish-even though she knew that loving him meant hurting someone else, and that someone else was Olivia, her best friend who had done nothing but be kind to her-she couldn't help how she felt. She loved Gavin with every part of her being, and right now, all she could think about was him, and the future they could have together.

She ran. She ran as fast as her feet could carry her, pushing through the crowd, out of the grand hall and into the cool evening air. She knew exactly where she was going-their special place, the park where they had spent so many happy moments together, the place where they had first talked about their future. It was under the big old tree, the one they had named as their own.

When she arrived, she stopped and looked around, and her breath caught in her throat. The whole place was transformed. Thousands of soft, glowing fairy lights were strung up all around the trees and branches, casting a warm, magical light over everything. The leaves and branches seemed to shine with a gentle, golden glow, and when she looked down at the ground, she saw beautiful rose petals scattered everywhere, arranged to spell out both their names: GAVIN + KATHRYNA.

It was perfect. It was exactly what she had always dreamed of. For just a few minutes, she stood there, staring at the beautiful scene around her, and she smiled-a real, bright, happy smile that reached all the way to her eyes. She felt so loved, so special, like she was the most important person in the world. It felt like this night was going to be the best night of her life, like all the pain was finally over and all their dreams were coming true.

She sat down on the soft grass, her eyes still wandering over the glowing lights and the pretty petals, waiting for him. She told herself that he would be there any second, that he would come running to her, that he would hold her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

But time passed. One hour turned into two, then three, then four. The beautiful evening turned into night, and then the sky grew dark and heavy. Slowly, the weather began to change. The soft breeze turned into cold wind, and then the first drops of rain began to fall. At first, it was just a light drizzle, but soon it grew heavier and heavier, until it was pouring down hard. Loud, sharp thunderstorms rumbled in the distance, followed by bright flashes of lightning that lit up the dark sky.

Kathryna shivered, but she didn't move. She told herself that he would come, that he would find a way to get through, that he would keep his promise. She reached into her bag and took out her phone, pressing his name again and again to call him, but every time she did, the call just kept ringing and ringing, and finally, it went straight to voicemail. His phone was off.

Tiredness began to settle into her bones, mixing with the cold of the rain and the heavy sadness that was starting to creep back into her heart. She kept telling herself to wait, to hold on to the hope she felt, to believe that he would come and save her from all this pain. She thought about how he had said he would fight for her, how he had said she was everything to him. She clung to those words like they were a lifeline, holding on tight because she wanted so badly to believe them.

But hours passed, and then more hours passed. The rain fell harder and harder, soaking her clothes, her hair, her skin, but she didn't move from her spot. She sat there, waiting and waiting, telling herself that he would be there any moment, that he would come running through the rain to find her.

But he didn't come.

He didn't show up.

He never came.

All the hope that had filled her heart just moments before began to fade, slowly at first, then faster and faster, until it was completely gone, replaced by a pain so deep and so sharp that it felt like her heart was being torn into pieces all over again.

The beautiful lights around her seemed to dim, and the rose petals on the ground looked dark and lifeless in the pouring rain. The storm raged on around her, loud and angry, just like the storm inside her chest. Every minute that passed without him coming felt like a thousand years. She had believed him. She had trusted him with all her heart, and he had left her here alone, in the cold and the rain, with nothing but broken promises and shattered dreams.

She sat there in the dark, getting wetter and colder by the second, and tears mixed with the rain on her face. All the faith she had had in him, all the hope she had felt, everything that had made her feel happy and loved-all of it was gone. He had made her believe that he would choose her, that he would fight for her, but in the end, he had done nothing. He had let her wait and wait, and then he had left her there, all alone, with nothing but the pain and the cold.

She felt stupid. She felt foolish for believing him, for letting herself hope. She thought that maybe he had changed his mind, or maybe he had been too scared to come, or maybe he had realized that he couldn't do it after all. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter anymore. The fact was, he had promised her everything, and then he had left her waiting in the storm, with nothing but heartbreak.

The night went on, but Kathryna didn't move. She couldn't move. She was stuck between the memory of that short moment of hope, when she had felt like her life was finally going to be perfect, and the painful reality that he had never come. And that pain was so heavy, so real, that it felt like it would break her completely.