Page 1 of SEAL'S Secret Vows

Chapter one

Nora

The wind whips my hair into my face, the once-bouncy curls sticking to my still-wet lip gloss. I can taste the hairspray. If I wasn’t already nauseous from today’s decisions, it would send my stomach rolling.

The sidewalk is uneven, and I feel unsteady in my heels as I race down the street as fast as I can. I don’t have a destination in mind—just anywhere that’s not the lavish venue where I’m supposed to be sayingI do.

I leave the camera flashes behind, and duck into a nearby alley. I need to catch my breath.

I take brief comfort in having the opportunity to lean on something as my back rests on the wall. I look around, anxiety coursing through my veins, hoping no one follows me.

As I catch my breath, I wipe my sweaty palms on the poofy wedding dress.

“What have you done, Nora?” I whisper harshly to myself. As I try to pace, I realize one of my heels is broken.Damn! Nora.You love these shoes.I sit on the floor dejected, staring at the broken silver high heel. It has a gorgeous bowknot embellished with French crystal sequins. I had chosen the shoes myself. In fact, I think they might have been the only thing from the whole wedding I picked out.

Looking at them makes me realize I should have been more decisive and said no to this marriage from the get-go. But…

On the verge of tears, I reach for my phone, fingers trembling, thinking of who to turn to. I see three missed calls from Ethan.

He must be furious. I can picture his face, twisted in anger, as he holds the phone to his ear. My stomach churns.

I’m a coward,I think,I should walk back in there and tell him why I can’t marry him.But then there’s noise outside the alley, close enough to make my breath catch, and I don’t exhale again until the people pass, uninterested in me.

In my hands, the phone starts buzzing again. I let it go to voicemail. I know I owe him an explanation, but I don’t think I can talk to him right now.

A text comes through. Heart in my throat, I read it through blurry eyes.

What the hell?!

Then another, sent immediately:

GET BACK HERE.

After a moment, I type out a message, my fingers shaking.

I’m sorry.

I know I should say more. I should tell him I didn’t want to hurt him, that I wanted him to be happy. I should explain myself so that he knows I want him to be with someone who’s completely sure and believes in his dream. I’m not the person he needs or wants me to be.

But just like I couldn’t face him at the altar, I can’t face him now. Instead, I just type it out again:

Ethan, I’m so sorry.

I hit send, my heart pounding in my chest. Almost immediately, he sends a reply.

Do you have any idea how humiliating that was? I thought you loved me. I thought we had a future together!

I feel tears pool in my eyes again. The messages keep coming in, and I read them all even as I start crying.

You’re selfish!

You’ve ruined everything.

I should have known you’d do this you selfish BITCH.

You’ve made a huge mistake.

You’ll regret this.

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