The stage was set for a wedding set for a king and his soon-to-be queen. The setting was an opulent estate in the northwestern corner of a magical country. Villa Botanica sat on the edge of the tropical Coral Sea, keeping guard of Pioneer Bay – the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. 

Using the groom’s name and the groom’s money had a spectacular way of opening the doors to Australia’s most exclusive estate. Somehow Rachel had been able to secure the venue, and the organizers had been lovely. The wedding was one day away and not a soul had caught wind of what was about to occur. The world’s most eligible bachelor was mere hours away from shattering millions of hearts around the world. 

Dressed in a flowing coral summer dress, Mila walked aimlessly around the grounds. Tears brim her ember orbs, threatening to spill at any given moment. Her heart, cracking with each step, hurt. The day was sunny and warm, yet a chill rocked her body. Wrapping numb arms around herself, she continued to get lost in her thoughts. The guilt she carried for nearly a year now had left its mark. Incredible make-up covered frightening dark circles and bags around her eyes. The scale bitterly reminded her of the weight loss. 

She’d tried on numerous occasions to dissuade Justin, but he’d stuck to his guns. Nausea greeted her every time she spoke to Lynn about something wedding-related. Poor Lynn, her heart was so set on this wedding. Hell, Mila’s heart was set on this wedding. Somewhere along the way, she’d come to embrace the idea and long for it. But, guilt ate away any joy she could feel. 

She couldn’t bring herself to enjoy herself in paradise. A garden that held a surprise at every corner. She’d already passed a tinkling pond, hard-carved statues, and every waterview of the aqua Coral Sea left her stunned. Her mind could not wrap around the fact that she would be marrying her best friend in Australian in about 2 hours. 

The venue organizers had assured them that no one would find out of the wedding, and Justin was paying an unimaginable sum to keep them quiet. The sprawling five acres of Villa Botanica housed a private beach and lush rainforests. Yesterday, Lynn and Sadie had been at the forefront of the wedding excitement. They’d insisted on Justin and Mila taking ‘engagement’ photographs on the grounds, and seeing the end results had broken Mila’s last reserve. She’d broken down in the privacy of her bedroom and cried. And she cried all afternoon. 

And she packed her clothes. She’d been prepared to walk out of her suite and call the wedding off. She couldn’t go through with it, but then Justin had walked in. He never noticed her packed luggage. He simply grabbed her hand and pulled her away from her sorrows. To where? To a romantic dinner date on the main pier, extending into the Coral Sea. A lone table for two had been set. 

And just like that, she admitted to herself that she was in love. Sitting across from this beautiful man as the sun slowly disappeared beneath the water’s edge. The oranges, reds, and yellows of the last flickering sunrays danced across both of their sun-kissed faces. The water’s crystalline hue reflected in his aqua eyes, sparkling and twinkling. The red wine colored his pouty lips with a soft rosy hue. 

“Can you believe we’ll marry tomorrow?” he’d softly spoken as they moved from the table and walked further down the small pier. The lights from the estate lit the water’s surface. 

“No, this is so wrong,” Mila replied, pulling her hand from his grasp and dropping it to her side. 

“Mila, I really wish you wouldn’t be this way. Is it really so bad to marry me?” the sadness in his voice had almost made her change her mind. 

“That’s just it, Cowboy. Any woman would be the luckiest to marry you, but not like this. Not as a favor. Not as a lie. Not as a ‘friend-helping-a-friend’. And certainly not without love,” Mila replied, her eyes begging for him to understand and call it off. It would hurt so much less if he would be the one to call it off. 

“Mila, babygirl, you know my thoughts on marriage. And you should know that there would is no one else in existence that I would be doing this for or with. We’re not stupid and we’re certainly not blind. There’s something here that goes beyond friendship that we’ll figure out together. But, we can’t do that with you gone,” he explained, making so much sense and yet confusing her more. 

“I think it’s getting late. We have a busy day tomorrow,” she’d said before twisting around and leading the way back down the pier and towards the stone pathway that cut through the lush gardens and into the house. They walked, silently, into the house, past antique furnishings, open fireplaces, sweeping verandas, and glass windows overlooking the sea and gardens. 

A silent kiss on her temple sent her to bed, chasing a false hope of getting any sleep. He had family all over the estate, but she’d managed to find some peace in an alcove she’d found a couple of days ago. The ceremony was to begin promptly at 2pm, and it was now ten am. She was sure that by now he’d found her letter.  

Her heart was shattered, and she knew she was breaking his. All night she’d fought the demons, the temptation to leave in the middle of the night like a bandit. Her heart had won once more, knowing she could never break his heart. And, she could never let him go through this embarrassment. So, she’d stayed. 

Then, this morning her dress had been delivered – steamed and hemmed. Hanging on her closet door ready to be worn, and she’d freaked. She’d quickly grabbed her only bag, secretly delivered the letter she’d prepared last night, and successfully snuck away. But, now, hidden away in this alcove, she could not stay strong any longer. She didn’t want to think of him and his reaction. 

“Oh god…” she sobbed, burying her face in her hands. Her body collapsed onto a nearby boulder. Her right hand gripping at her chest as a pain shot through it. Her breath quickly leaving her lungs. Her body gasping for a simple breath. Frantic eyes searched for any one that could help her. Feeling in her extremities was quickly disappearing. No, please, no. 

## Justin ## 

Weak knees struggled to keep him upright. Collapsing beneath his weight, he sunk to the floor in the center of the bedroom. 

“Why?” his voice shook, sobs choking him.  

All his surroundings blurred, and his being overcome with sadness. He never thought he’d be left at the altar. Hell, he’d never thought he’d be getting married to begin with. The unsuccessful marriage between his mother and father and his failed relationships had erased any desire to join his life to any other being. 

But, then, Mila and all this hoopla had occurred. In the blink of an eye, his every belief had been turned on its head. He was a believer. 

It may have started as a simple, yet not so simple, favor. But, it’d become so much more. It’d become a dream, a desire, and a need. 

“Justin, get up. My goodness boy, this is the best thing that she could’ve done for you,” the shaky, yet firm voice of his grandmother filled his ears. Lifting his tear-stained eyes, he saw her standing in the doorway. Her eyebrows high on her forehead and her wrinkling hands sitting on her hips. 

“Granny, please…” he began, shaking his head and finding the strength to get to his feet. 

“Oh please nothing, boy. She knows she doesn’t belong in your world. She’s a world away from you, baby. How can she ever come home with you and know what to do? I told your mother from the beginning that this was a bad idea. She’s not what you need, baby,” she spoke, hands flailing and eyes widening. 

“Granny, with all due respect, please stay out of this. You never gave her a chance. She tried, and you didn’t. You don’t know a thing about her. But, I do. I know that we’re from different worlds, but guess what? She’s become my world and my home. And, I can’t lose my world…” It was like a spark set him off because he was off. Running out of the room in his tux, dress shoes pounding on the stone-lined floors of the outdoor porches. 

“Trace! Trace!” he yelled, seeing his best man walking up ahead. Trace stopped. 

“Where’s the fire? Aren’t you getting married in like twenty?” he asked, confused. 

“She left, and I’ve got to go find her. Come on, I’ll explain,” Justin hurriedly said, pulling Trace towards the front of the house. 

“She left?!?! Where to?” Trace exclaimed, alarmed. 

“All she left was a letter, but I know Mila. She’s going to sacrifice herself and go home. She’s given up on me and she’d gonna give up her visa,” Justin began to get frantic. Rushing through the large wooden front doors, he led the way down the grand staircase leading down to the cars. 

“Uhh…J, bro, I don’t think she left…” Trace’s voice floated from far away. Stopping on the second-to-last step, Justin turned back to see Trace still standing at the doors but facing away from him. 

“What do you mean? She said in her letter that she was leaving and I can’t waste…” his words trailed off as his head turned towards where Trace pointed. 

“Mila…” he breathed, seeing her standing there in all her glory. A chiffon sweetheart strapless a-line skirt white dress hung from her beautifully tanned frame. A rouched bodice with crystal detailing accentuated her bosom, and a chapel train elongated her slender body. 

“Forgive me for I am a coward” she spoke, a sad smile on her face and tears threatening to spill. “I thought that by leaving I would be doing more good than harm. I didn’t want to strap you down, and I didn’t want you doing me a favor. I wanted you to want to marry me, to want to love me, to love me. To be in love with me the same way that I am completely in love with you. And, your selflessness brought on my own selfishness. I didn’t think of your feelings, only the guilt that I felt. And I am so sorry for not telling you this to your face. Instead, writing a silly and pathetic letter.” 

Silence followed. He didn’t know what to do and he didn’t know what to think. Stupidly, he thought he would’ve had time to think of what he’d say while he looked for her. Instead, she’d come back and he was speechless. Taking a deep breath, he willed his feet, now heavy with nerves, to carry him to where she stood about twenty feet away. He assumed she’d emerged from another exit. 

“It’s bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony.” 

Leave it to him to allow his humor to ease the tension. Her sad smile turned hopeful, but the fear remained in her eyes. Taking hold of her delicate face in his hands, he smiled. 

“Stupid girl, I am so in love with you,” he proclaimed, collapsing his lips to her trembling mouth. A river of salty tears added flavor to the already intoxicating kiss. 

“I’m so sorry, so so sorry,” she expressed at every available break for air. Wrapping his firm arms around her small body, he kept her from ever escaping again. 

“I’ll only forgive you if you marry me,” he offered, wiping her tears away, attempting to save her make-up. 

“I’ll marry you every day then,” she sighed, falling comfortably into his kiss once more. 

“Just once, babygirl. Just once, and I’m the happiest man ever,” he reassured her, his hands holding onto her neck, below her sideways hairdo that housed a delicate flower behind her ear. To him, she was the most beautiful ever. And soon, she would be his wife.