Part 1 — The Warning That Saved My Life
“Amelia, whatever you do, don’t open your front door. Take the back stairs and leave the building. Right now!”
My mother’s voice was trembling so badly that I barely recognized it.
I stood in the middle of my bedroom, staring at the white wedding dress reflected in the mirror.
“Mom? What’s happening?”
“Your father is downstairs. He’s waiting near the service entrance. Please, sweetheart, don’t ask questions. Just get out.”
I glanced toward the clock.
It was a little after eight on the morning of my wedding.
In three hours, I was supposed to walk down the aisle and marry the man I had loved for three years.
Instead, my mother was telling me to escape from my own apartment.
“Mom, you’re frightening me.”
“I know. And I’m sorry. But you need to trust us. Don’t let Derek know you’re leaving.”
