Prologue
I walked nervously down the long aisle. I could feel the admiring and expectant glances on me. All the guests had come in large numbers, including people I had only seen once in my life. Just to see Josh and I say "I do".
The thought alone made my heart beat faster. However, the closer I got to the altar, the more I felt strangely uneasy. My gaze also caught Josh, who was already standing at the front and smiling warmly at me. This smile, which had always given me inner peace, did not have the same effect today. On the contrary. It made me feel even more uneasy.
Almost as if the smile was telling me to turn around. But somehow I managed to keep my composure and stand next to Josh. As soon as I stood next to him, I felt a certain familiarity between us, but something different. Something that had already been there yesterday. Doubt. Doubt about whether this was right or wrong.
A lump formed in my throat and I looked around. My eyes seemed to search for something of their own accord. My heart stopped when I saw two almost black eyes that were staring at me so intensely that I almost lost my balance. I felt hot and my skin felt like it was on fire. Slowly, everyone around me disappeared, including Josh, until only the young man remained. He stood up smoothly and as much as I wanted to take my eyes off him, I couldn't.
He moved closer to me. Really close, until he took Josh's place. I blinked and just looked into his eyes, which practically drew my gaze to them like a magnet. As much as I didn't want to look into his wild eyes anymore, I couldn't.
"Don't run away from your destiny, July. It won't do you any good. He isn't meant for you," the young man in front of me breathed in a deep, yet melodic and velvety voice that gave me goosebumps. Then everything went black.
I woke up with a start and looked around my dark room. Just a dream. It was all just a dream, I told myself. But it didn't help. The doubts haunted me anyway until I finally fell asleep again.