Sweet, Sweet, Nightmare.

DANIELLE'S P.O.V The waves, unlike the turmoil in my being, were calm and peaceful. They slowly rolled and crashed; their white caps cresting over and plunging back into the water, displaying the beauty of the sea from the shoreline. I buried my bare feet deeper into the sand on the shoreline which was wet from the sea water. I took in a deep breath of the fresh salty air and sighed. As I had hoped, walking along the beach had successfully cleared my head, calmed my nerves- somewhat, and reduced the tension which I still felt. After what I assumed were hours of enjoying the serenity of the beach, I decided to return to my hotel room. In my right hand were my sandals and my left hand held on to the shawl draped across my shoulders. The receptionist greeted me with a smile as I made my way into the lobby and I returned the gesture. On nearing the elevator, I realized its doors were closing and quickly wedged a foot between the doors to prevent it from completely getting shut.

DANIELLE'S P.O.V 30, 31, 32, 33,... I count from the car window as the trees pass by in a blur. It always baffles me, the way the trees seem to be the ones moving instead of the car. I'm no physicist so I'll register it as one of the numerous wonders of the world; although the internet records only seven wonders, I believe the world has more mind-blowing and inexplicable events and sites that should also be considered wonders of the world. I'm sited in the back seat of my dad's SUV. He sits across from me, typing away on his tablet while making and receiving seemingly endless phone calls, as usual. Work, work, work; all my dad ever does is work. It's so frustrating, sometimes I want to scream in his face; I want to tell him to just take a goddamned break, but he'll just remind me that he works so exhaustively because he wants to secure the funding of my baby girl lifestyle. I believe there is a thin line between the doting and loving man that is my father and

DANIELLE'S P.O.V"Good evening, everyone" Alfredo Valentino's powerful voice carries in the dimly lit room.Everyone turns towards the podium where Alfredo and my dad stand, microphones and champagne flutes occupying their hands."We thank every one of you for honoring our invite to join us in celebrating the partnership of our companies" dad says."They're about to announce your engagement" Sofia gushes excitedly.I glance across the room at Adrian who stands with Umar, his hands in his pockets as usual. As if sensing my gaze, he looks at me and our eyes lock. I smirk, subtly wave my left hand and watch in smug satisfaction as his facial muscles strain into a scowl."We appreciate that you took time out of your schedules to felicitate with us and we would like to use this opportunity to announce a further alliance of our families." Alfredo says."The forging of our families into an eternal bond through the marriage of our children, Danielle and Adrian" dad finishes.The entirety o

DANIELLE'S P.O.V Upbeat hip-hop blared from the sound system which was connected to a smart tv that hung on the wall in the center of my bedroom. Layla and Sofia choreographed the moves displayed on the tv screen, moving their bodies in tune with the beat of the music, while Sofia and Alisia flipped through magazines, in search of the best hairstyles everyone would wear tomorrow. It was the night of my bachelorette party. The night before the deal between both Adrian's family and mine will be sealed in holy matrimony. The thought of running away had crossed my mind severally during the day but dad's voice from the night of the dinner when he told me of his illness, rang in my head everytime I pondered on the thought, successfully keeping me from going through with the plan. It scared me that my first and last shot at marriage was a sham. I had always dreamt of a fairytale marriage for myself. A marriage that would be a result of a fairytale friendship that boomed into somethin

DANIELLE'S P.O.V"Welcome New York's latest couple, the newly wedded Mr and Mrs Adrian Valentino." the master of ceremony's voice reverberated. The applause and hooting that followed was deafening. The groomsmen, which consisted of Umar, Adrian's best friend; Michael Smith, Mason Walls, and George Burrell, his friends from college; and the bridesmaids which consisted of Layla, Janelle, Sofia, and Alisia; danced into the room while I looked around the reception hall as Adrian led me to the head table which we were designated to seat at, trying to see if I recognized some of the faces present. I saw some familiar faces from the times when I would visit Dad at work while I was a college student. They waved and smiled at me as I passed and I smiled back.Adrian held on to my hand as I sat and dropped it immediately my behind was firmly planted on the chair. He sat beside me awkwardly and looked around the hall. I had a feeling that he was avoiding me. He had been behaving awkwardly s