*DISCLAIMER: if you've read RFC please don't spoil anything about Harper's past for new readers*

~Prologue~

Do you believe in true love?

In the idea of there being someone out there who'll love you unconditionally and see past all your flaws? Is there that certain someone who makes your heart flutter, your breath hitch and your stomach tie in knots? And do you think that there's someone somewhere that you're destined to spend your life with until the very end?

Even if you don't, I used to believe this with all my heart and the thought alone excited me to no end.

Then I grew up.

I'm no longer that naive sixteen-year-old girl who was so innocent and wide-eyed. I'm no longer stupid and foolish enough to hold my standards of love to such unrealistic ideals. I'm no longer infatuated with that teenage fantasy.

Don't get me wrong, I still believe in love to a certain extent but all those books you read and movies you watch skew your views on what it should really be like. Most of them portray love to be constantly keeping tabs on one another and being overly jealous and possessive to the point where one party almost treats the other like a glorified object. Let me be the first to tell you, that is not love. That's an unhealthy obsession and you should definitely get therapy.

Keep in mind, you should probably take everything I say with a pinch of salt; I'm told I can be rather cynical when it comes to love.

Growing up, I was never surrounded by flourishing relationships. My parents cheated on each other every other week; my childhood best friend's parents were divorced; and even the lady who lived next door to me used to complain about her 'good for nothing husband' every chance she got.

Being young, I never let any of that bother me and still clung onto the idea of the 'perfect relationship' which was honestly all a sugar-coated fantasy where couples never fought and heartbreak was unheard of. I even thought I'd marry my year sixteen-year-old boyfriend but oh I was so very wrong.

Anyway, I doubt you're here to listen to me rant. You're here to find out about my story so I'll shut up and get on with it but before I do I need to tell you something.

I never did get to live out that ludicrously flawless fantasy I dreamt of as a child but I'm glad that's how my life worked out; it would've been boring otherwise. I'm not perfect and my story isn't either but that's what makes it mine. All those little bumps and hiccups are what made my story perfect for me.

My fairytale didn't need a glass slipper or a poisoned apple. All it needed was that catalyst to set everything in motion. Even if the reaction didn't go anywhere near as smoothly as predicted, it still happened and, much like the reacted chemicals, my life was forever changed.

For better or for worse.

~*~*~

I painted on my picture perfect smile as the blinding flash of the camera went off once again.

"And that's a wrap," my photographer for the day, Maddison, called with an exhausted smile on her face as she grabbed a water bottle from one of her assistants. "Good job, as always, Harper."

I smiled at the compliment. Maddison and I went way back. She had been a photographer for as long as I'd been a full-time model and we'd worked up the ranks together. I didn't get to see her often, seeing as I was always travelling, but whenever we did shoots together it felt like no time had passed since we last spoke.

"Excited for tonight?" Maddison asked once I was changed and we were walking through the large winding paths of the studio together.

I shrugged, shouldering my duffel bag in the process. "I guess."

She scoffed dramatically, playfully shoving me as she did. "Oh come on, Harper," she groaned. "It's not every day that you turn twenty-one. Lighten up a bit." The pout on her lips just made me laugh as we finally reached the outside of the building, my car and driver waiting for me on the curb.

"It's just a birthday, Maddie, they happen every year," I told her, handing my duffel to my driver, Dianna. She was a lovely woman in her mid-thirties who was gracious enough to invite me to her wedding almost three years ago, only a few months after we met.

She rolled her eyes, checking something on her phone, her eyes widening. "Shit, we only have about an hour to get ready before we've got to meet everyone. I better run, see you, Harps," she called, sprinting off in the direction of the car park, making me laugh as I slipped into the back of my car.

"She's right, you know, Harper," Dianna said once we reached a red light. "It's your twenty-first birthday today and you're working; you need to loosen up. Enjoy yourself, I mean, you can legally drink now," she winked, her attention going back to the road as the light changed to green.

I snorted at the gesture. "D, I'm British. I've been drinking 'legally' since I was eighteen but then, don't forget, I've never been one to follow the rules."

I was currently in the United States, more specifically, New York. I travelled a lot but ended up in this city more than most. My job just seemed to always pull me back here, so much so that last year I finally caved and bought an apartment. I was extremely hesitant at first, not wanting to have a permanent home but it was getting ridiculous practically living in the same hotel suite every time I visited.

After a fifteen minute drive — I was very lucky that it didn't take longer, traffic here was atrocious — we reached my apartment complex and I bid Dianna farewell.

I had a lightning-fast shower and got changed in record time, knowing Maddison would have murdered me if I didn't put effort into looking nice tonight.

Just as I was swiping a final bit of mascara on my eyelashes, I got a text from Maddie, telling me that she was waiting in the lobby and to 'hurry the hell up so she didn't miss out on the hottie spotting she had planned for the night'.

I rolled my eyes fondly at the message, grabbing my purse and taking one final look in the mirror before I left. I nodded in approval as I glanced at what I saw.

The sapphire blue mini-dress I was wearing along with my subtle shimmery eyeshadow brought out the blue of my eyes, making them pop and my matching heels and silver clutch tied the whole outfit together nicely.

I pulled at a loose tendril of auburn hair that had fallen out of place in the careful structure I'd created in the form of subtle beach waves, making sure all was perfect before I left.

Satisfied with my appearance, I made my way down to the lobby to see Maddison sitting on a plush looking chair, her eyes concentrated on her phone.

Maddison had always been a stunner even if she chose not to believe it, saying she'd much rather be behind the camera than in front of it which I totally understood. It wasn't always nice being the centre of everyone's attention, forever under constant scrutiny.

Maddison was Indian and had luscious hair which she liked to dye light brown. It was pin straight down her back and she'd opted to wear contacts instead of her usual black-rimmed glasses, removing some attention from her mahogany brown eyes. "Hey, Maddie," I said, tapping her on the shoulder. "Ready to go?"

She jumped at the contact, her phone tumbling out of her hands. "Gosh, Harper, give a girl some warning next time. You scared me shitless," she complained, snatching her phone from the ground and heading outside, mumbling colourful words under her breath.

I laughed wholeheartedly as I followed her out, a smile on my face. She hailed a taxi, still looking rather annoyed but I could see the amusement hidden in her eyes as we got inside, ready for the night ahead.

~*~*~