FALLING FOR MY BEST FRIEND'S DADDY

Katherine.

My eyes widen as I stand before the trench mirror, trailing my fingers down the intricate and delicate lace beading of my fitted mermaid wedding dress. The sleek, ivory gown hugs my curves perfectly, cinching at the waist and flaring out right at the knees.

I grin to myself, amazed by how spectacular I look in white. I run my hands down my hips, feeling like a princess from one of the Barbie movies. It's perfect.

“It's beautiful. You are beautiful,” my mom whispers from behind me. I catch her gaze in the mirror and flash her a smile without looking back. I notice the tears brimming in her eyes just before she excuses herself out of the room.

I glance at the door as she leaves, not daring to follow her because my makeup costs a thousand dollars, and going after her comes the certainty that it's going to be ruined. I glance at Aubrey, and she beams as my gaze meets hers. She comes up beside me, running her fingers through my soft, dark hair and looking into the mirror.

“I think mom is crying.”

“I know, but they are happy tears,” she mumbles, “You better not cry too. You have makeup on,” Aubrey adds sternly.

“Yes, ma'am.”

She brushes her fingers through my hair, grinning from ear to ear, “Willy’s not going to know what hit him today,” she says, looking at me in the mirror, “You look amazing.”

I smile at the nickname she still calls him by despite how disgusting it sounds. I turn to her, “You seriously need to stop calling him that. He hates it," I tell her again for the millionth time in the two years that I've been dating William.

Aubrey laughs as she rolls her eyes, “I know, and I say it just because of that. Maybe if he loved it, I'd stop,” she cocks her head.

I doubt it. I shake my head, looking in the mirror again. Aubrey does it for the irk of it all, and there's no way William will pretend even to like it. He's very direct with his feelings. If he likes it, you'll know, and if he doesn't, then he doesn't.

It's what I love about him the most.

Aubrey and I look in the mirror again, and a long silence goes by, “You're too much for him, Katherine. I hope he knows that you deserve the world,” she says.

“He is my world,” I face her with a smile, “I cannot imagine loving someone else.”

Aubrey doesn't smile. She's not a huge fan of Williams, but it doesn't make any sense because he's great, and it doesn't really matter. I love him enough for two. “Well, I do hope he makes a great husband.”

“I have no doubt about that,” I walk away from the mirror and sit on the couch, “How much longer do you think it will take before we leave?” I ask, still romancing the material of my dress below the knee.

“I don't know but it shouldn't take long,” Aubrey responds, sitting next to me on the couch.

“Have the boys gone to the church yet?”

She nods, “Yes, and the limo is on the way back for you,” she tells me, and I nod, feeling the anxiety settle in my stomach. Aubrey seems to notice it as she takes my hand, and my gaze cuts to hers, “Relax,” she mouths, and I wish I could eat that word.

Nobody ever told me getting married would be incredible and scary at the same time. It's not scary in the sense that I'm filled with doubt. I don't have doubts. I'm just anxious to get it all over with. I can't wait to be William's woman for life.

“Want an early present before the actual wedding?” Aubrey asks out of the blue, jerking me out of my thoughts.

I cock an eyebrow, “What is it?”

Aubrey digs into her bag and takes out a VIP card, handing it to me, “It's for my dad's hotel in Paris. For your wedding, he's giving you and your plus one an all-paid, week-long stay in the Presidential Suite, complete with a private butler, gourmet dining, and unlimited access to the hotel's luxurious amenities, including the spa, golf course, and oceanfront activities, whatever you decide to do, it's all on him!"

I gasp, “Oh my god! Oh my god, Aubrey! Paris! That's incredible!” I exclaim, clasping a hand to my lips.

Aubrey shrugs, offering it to me, “Congratulations!”

I grin and take it from her, staring at it with teary eyes.

“Don't you dare cry,” Aubrey says swiftly.

“I'm not. I'm just stunned. I didn't think he'd remember or anything,” I grin again, “Thank you,” I mutter, “Tell him thank you for me. I really appreciate it. Is he going to be at the wedding?”

“No. He has some work to do in Paris. He wanted to apologize on his behalf for that.”

“With this? Apology accepted,” I stare at the VIP card, “William is going to freak out when he sees this. Do you know we first picked your dad's hotel for our honeymoon?”

“Really?”

“Hmm. Hmmm, but it was too expensive so we had to pick the second best but this. It's a dream come true, Aubrey.”

She frowns a little, and I already know why, “Too expensive? If you had booked it, my dad would have given you a discount, you know. You're family, stop acting like a stranger.”

I roll my eyes. She doesn't understand, “I know,” I mutter.

It's exactly why I didn't pick it. Honeymoons are supposed to be expensive, and getting a discount just felt wrong. Even if Aubrey is like a sister to me, I never want to feel like I'm taking advantage of her father's wealth because of our friendship.

Her phone blares, and she grabs it, getting to her feet to receive the call. “I'll be right back,” she says just as she leaves the room.

After Aubrey leaves, the anxiety returns, and I decide to take a stroll to clear my mood. “Where are you off to?” my mom asks as I step out of the room, my hands holding my wedding dress up.

“I just wanna take a little walk. I'm anxious,” I confess.

“Okay. Want me to walk with you?”

“No, I'm good. I'll be right back,” I reply as I head down the corridor, taking my first left. There is a particular view from the balcony that I like, and it's just right at the end of this corridor—

“F-fuck!” The soft moan echoes through the corridor, causing me to halt in my steps as I swirl my head in the direction of the restroom where the sound came from. “Oh! S-sh-shit!” The moan fills the hall, growing more and more intense by the minute.

Oh my gosh! I grin from ear to ear, biting on my lower lips as another moan resonates through the hallway, making me equally aroused. Sounds like someone is having a better morning than the bride-to-be. I feel a little envious of her, whoever she is but it passes.

I’m pretty sure I'll be moaning like crazy at the end of tonight as well, and after hearing this I honestly can’t wait. I laugh quietly, raising my wedding dress higher as I proceed to leave.

I should head back to the suite before the limo arrives or Aubrey comes to find me and scold me for being gone for so long. I’m sure she is going to make a fuss about me wandering around in my wedding dress too.

I barely manage to take two steps before my feet involuntarily stop dead in their track at the sound that comes next. The familiar grunt echoes through the hall, and my heart stops. What the hell? I glance at the restroom, my heart thrumming erratically in my chest as dread fastens itself in the pit of my stomach.

I know that sound—that voice. It’s unmistakable. It sounds exactly like him, like William, but—It can’t be or it shouldn’t be, and yet I’m certain it’s him. A lump swells at the back of my throat as I stare at the door dreadfully, feeling sick to my stomach. It can't be. It can't. Can it?

I take a step toward the door and quickly stop. What am I doing? It can’t be him. What am I even thinking? I step back, clutching my dress tightly. Aubrey said the boys have gone to the church, so he can't be here, and yet my gaze lingers on the door.

I try to turn away and leave but my feet refuse to. I know what I heard, and I can't pretend like I didn't hear it. No matter how much I want to. I can’t relax until I know for sure, and yet there’s a part of me telling me to walk away, but I can’t. Thinking about it makes me feel sick to my stomach.

I move to the door, each step slow and full of doubt as I reach for the doorknob. My heart begins to race as I grip the cold handle and the chill seeps into my palm as I twist. There’s a silent prayer on my lips as I push the door open.

PLEASE, BE A RANDOM STRANGER.

Katherine The door swings open and my entire world flips upside down at the sight that meets my eyes. My heart drops to the ground, and completely shatters into a million pieces. I can already feel the tears clouding my vision. My mouth drops open but not a sound escapes my lips, all the sounds die inside of me.

My lungs suddenly feel like they've been drained of air, and my legs turn to jelly beneath me. I collapse against the wall, my palm slapping against the surface to brace myself and prevent a complete collapse to the ground.

My body feels like it's failing me, and I struggle to stay upright, but my legs won't cooperate. I slide down the wall, my hand still pressed against it for support, as I struggle to catch my breath and process what's happening.

William, my fiancé, is slamming his cock into some chick who is shamelessly bent over the wash hand basin. The act ends the second I walk in, and they break apart, facing the wall as they try to conduct themselves without even looking back to see who walked in.

I'm dying. My heart is kicking and screaming inside of me.

“I thought I told you to lock the door,” William shamelessly mutters to the chick as she adjusts her dress.

“I forgot,” she replies, and they simultaneously swirl their heads to me.

“Holy shit!” One of them exclaims, and I'm not sure who. It didn't sound like William. I'm not sure what he sounds like anymore or if I even wanna know what he sounds like. His expression morphs from shock to horror, dangling from one to the other like a fucking pendulum.

"Kat," Williams calls out, his voice laced with panic and remorse, as he frantically zips up his pants. I can't bear to look at him. Seeing him kills me, and so I fix my gaze on the floor to avoid the betrayal in his eyes. I press my back against the tile walls so hard like I could slip through to the other side, and escape this embarrassment.

There's nothing more that I want right now than to escape this place or to sink into the ground and disappear because why the fuck am I here. There's a weight in my chest, and it threatens to rip it way through my entire body. Oh! God.

The tears stings. No. It burns. It burns through me as it rolls down my cheek. It is heavy. Everything feels heavy like there's a rock suddenly crushing me from above. I still can't stand on my own feet, much less run, which is what I really wanna do right now. I wanna run, and not look back because it fucking hurts.

When I finally raise my gaze again, it is to the woman beside him, and my lips part at the shock as I immediately recognize her from last night. She's one of the attendants at the suite, and I remember her attending to us last night. I gasp but no sound escapes my lips.

William cheated on me with an attendant he met just last night? Unbelievable. My heart plummets, and a thousand knives stab at my chest as the revelation burns through me. The thing about situations like this is it makes you question everything.

Was this his first time cheating on me? It certainly doesn't feel like it if he could boldly cheat on me with a woman he met last night then it definitely couldn't be his first time. Our eyes meet, and she glances away, her face etched with shame.

Tears prick at my eyes, and a sob chokes my throat. My vision blurs, and the room spins. I feel like I'm drowning in a sea of despair, and all I want is for these legs to fucking move. The tears keep coming, and I try to hold them back but I'm failing terribly.

This can't be happening to me, not on my wedding day. Today was supposed to be the happiest of my life and now it has turned into a freaking nightmare.

I force myself to look at Williams, and another wave of tears streams down my face. His puppy eyes that once used to make me smile now do nothing but aggravate my pain. I'm unmoved. My heart is shattered, and my trust is broken.

"Kat," Williams takes a step towards me now, his voice cracking, but I press myself against the wall, not wanting him to come any closer. I don't know what I'd do if he did. I don't want him anywhere near me. I don't even want to talk to him so I shake my head, shutting my eyes, and praying that he takes the hint and stays the fuck away from me. I can't speak.

Tears are rolling down my cheeks in torrents now. I'm crumbling, my heart is dying inside me, and the air feels unbreathable. Everything feels like a cruel joke. No. I feel like a freaking joke. William has made a joke of me, and I try not to think of the embarrassment that awaits me outside this door.

The tears won't stop, and I'm desperate to make them stop. I'm tired of crying right in front of him in my wedding dress. I clutch my wedding dress tightly wishing I could rip it off my body. I feel trapped, unable to move or escape. My wedding dress suddenly feels too tight, suffocating me. I'm trembling, my legs are frozen, and my body is numb.

I dart a glance at Williams, and somehow I find myself still hoping for an explanation, an apology, some kind of remorse, anything that could make it all disappear. I doubt there is but I just want him to do something but he does nothing. He just stands there, like a statue of regret, the worst kind. I loathe him. I absolutely loathe him.

My chest hurts, my heart is breaking all over again. I feel pathetic, helpless, and lost, and just standing there before them isn't helping. I wanted to leave, but my legs still wouldn't move. I try to pull myself together but it feels like the most impossible task in the world.

“Kat,” William whispers again, and I wanna slap my name right out of his mouth. The helplessness is killing me. Damn it! I feel so pathetic, and my chest aches terribly. I'm almost sure it is going to implode inside of me. Why am I still here? I Suddenly, and out of the blue Aubrey's voice echoes down the corridor, growing louder with each step. “Kat!” she calls out, 'Kat!'

The sound of her approach gives me the push I need to compose myself. I clutch my wedding dress tightly, raising it as I step into the corridor.

I have to get as far away as possible before I completely fall apart. I can't afford to break down here—I can't. Not before this idiot.

“Katherine !” Aubrey exclaims with a frown as her eyes fall on me the second I step out, “I thought you went to get some air. What were you doing in the restroom? Fuck! I hope you haven't ruined your…” Her voice trails off as she notices my red, puffy eyes. Her expression softens, and she cocks an eyebrow. 'Kat, have you been crying?'"

“Kat,” William rushes out of the restroom after me just then, and I glance back at him.

“William?” Aubrey raises a quizzical brow, “What are you—” another half sentence as the attendant slips out of the restroom just then, hurrying down the other end of the corridor. Aubrey turns to me, and glances back at William, and the realization hits her.

It was easy to figure out when you see your best friend crying in the corridor and find her husband-to-be and another woman, stepping out of a restroom. There’s only one explanation.

The tears are threatening to slip out again, and holding them back is becoming an increasingly difficult task, which is why I don't waste a minute longer there. I dash down the corridor as quickly as I can and return to my suite.

I run like my life depends on it, despite how difficult it is to run in these heels. It is nothing compared to how I feel right now. I keep my head down as I run, holding myself together even though I'm completely falling apart.

I barge into the suite and my mom turns to me, immediately. It's too late to hide. “Katherine, what took you so—” she stops, and from the concern in her gaze she must have noticed my puffy eyes too. “What happened? Why have you been crying?” she asks, staring at me.

I don't answer. Not because I don't want to. It's more like I can’t. If I so much as try to explain what I just witnessed to her, I know for a fact I would break down, and I can't afford that right now, especially in front of her. I need to get out of here. I need to be alone.

I slip my dress down my shoulder, slipping it down my body, and my mom's gaze widens with shock. “What are you doing, Kat? Why are you taking off your wedding dress?”

I ignore her again as I slip out of my dress, and change into a simple dress, grabbing my suitcase, and swinging my purse over my shoulder. My mom grabs me by the arm as I grab the suitcase.

“What's going on?” Her voice is stern, “What's going on?”

I bite my lips so hard I can almost taste blood, keeping my eyes wide open to keep the tears from slipping out. Once I start crying again, I'm afraid I might never stop.

“I have to go, Mom,” I croak, yanking my hand from her grip, and hurrying to the door.

She blocks me off again, grabbing a hold of my arm. “Kat, talk to me. What are you doing? What's going on with you?”

I suck in a breath, tears are stuck in my throat and I cannot speak. I do not dare, otherwise I'll break down. I shake my head and try to get by her but she doesn't move, and I can feel the tear poking my lips now.

My eyes sting.

“She caught Williams with another woman in the restroom,” Aubrey says from behind my mother, and my eyes shoot to her. Her eyes are equally red, almost as red as mine.

My mother swirls her head to her slowly, releasing my arm as she does, “What? What did you just say?” Her voice shrinks towards the end of the question, and it bites into my chest. I feel a huge chunk of my heart die at how broken she sounds.

Aubrey doesn't repeat the revelation. My mom turns to me, “Is that true?” There are tears brimming in her eyes now, and they bring out mine. It takes everything in me not to burst into tears and throw myself into her arms which is everything I feel at this moment.

But the last thing I want is to be a mess right now, or even talk about it. I wanna escape. I wanna run and not look back. I cannot do this right now. I need to go. I sniff hard, and brush past my mom and Aubrey, dragging my bag as I hurry out of the suite.

“Kat!” Aubrey and my mom echo behind me but I don't stop. I cannot.

“Wait, Kat,” Aubrey calls, running after me, and I pick up the pace. The minute I step out of the hotel, William is outside with her, and seeing them again just kills me.

I turn away instantly, heading in the opposite direction. My heart is heavy in my chest.

“Katherine, can we talk?” he says, following me.

I hurry down the sidewalk, defying the heaviness in my legs. I can feel him walking behind me, almost catching up. He does. He grips my shoulder, forcing me to a halt, and I feel the rage burn through my stomach.

I want to kill him.