CHAPTER ONE

Angel's POV.

I sucked in a mouthful of air, just to let it all out again. I did it a couple more times, and with each set I did, I felt my chest heaved up and down. Honestly, I didn't mind, so long as it was helping me focus on other things and not think about it. I would be fine, I knew it. Even though it wasn't looking possible in any way, I had faith, I just had to believe that I would be able to get over it.

Someone did say our minds were our greatest weapons right?

So why the hell was my own mind hell-bent on causing me nothing but pain? I had barely finished motivating myself when something caught my eye. I tilted my head to the side, just to be met with the view outside. The fluffy white clouds were the first thing that came to view, and as I pressed my fingers against the glass, I could almost picture my fingers going through it.

Just the same way I'd caught James threading his fingers through Heather's hair.

I pressed my eyes shut immediately. I tried to push it down, but it was a lost cause at this point. I fought a wince as the events of last night played vividly in my mind. With how clearly I could see everything, I almost thought I was reliving that nightmare all over again.

I hadn't expected it, I mean, who would? Not a lot of people walked around with the mindset that their boyfriend would cheat on them, and with their best friend from childhood too. It was such an absurd thing, but apparently not to James and Heather.

My eyes were closed, but it did nothing to stop the tears stinging at the back of my eyes. If I had known what was waiting for me last night, I would have definitely stayed home. I'd gone over to James' place to spend the night, with a wide grin plastered on my face. Unfortunately, that grin disappeared from my face the moment I popped open the door to his bedroom by a crack.

A series of moans filled the room, with Heather on top. I hadn't believed it at first, but her fiery red hair was a sight for sore eyes. The rhythmic sounds of skin slapping against skin resonated around me and I doubled over. A sharp pain spread through my chest, and no matter how hard I clutched at it, it didn't stop.

Tears blurred my vision and I fought the urge to break down into tears. I had cried earlier, and the last thing I wanted was a repeat of the sob show. James and Heather weren't worth my tears, no matter how little they were.

Some more time passed and I braced myself for impact. When the plane had landed, I made my way out of it and into the airport. It was full of life and bustling with people, and while I enjoyed the sight, I couldn't help but wonder.

How exactly was I supposed to find my way out of here?

Eventually, I did and it didn't take too long for me to find the chauffeur from Uncle Russo.

“Here, ma'am.” The chauffeur nodded, before stripping me of my bags and stuffing them into the car's behind. Once that was done, I sat in the back seat of the car before he drove onto the road. “Your uncle's been expecting you.”

But that was it, Uncle Russo was in fact, not my uncle. We weren't related in any way at all. The only tie that bound us was the fact he was father's best friend. I could literally call them the two peas in the same pea pod and I wouldn't be exaggerating. Uncle Russo was even Dad's best man at his wedding.

As the sleek black Mercedes slid down the road, I let out a small sigh. It'd been what? Three, five or ten years since I last saw him. Ten whole years. The last time we had seen each other, I was nothing more than a little child who loved her fairytale stories and whatnot, if I didn't have my head in one book or the other. Uncle Russo had moved to his home in LA, leaving us all alone back in Pennsylvania. It was overwhelming for Dad at first, but I guess he got used to it very quickly. They spent a good time on the phone after Uncle Russo left and I like to think that has helped their friendship get to the level it was at. You could also say it was the reason why I was going to be staying in Uncle Russo's house too.

How was he going to react when he saw me? I couldn't help but wonder. Was it going to be awkward meeting him again after ten years? Perhaps if we had been communicating somewhere along the line, I wouldn't be having this twisting feeling in my stomach at the moment. I was anxious and this time, I wasn't sure if my breathing exercises were going to help.

My breath hitched in my throat as we approached a magnificent gate. LA was a beautiful place, I could tell by the high-rise buildings and beautiful houses that caught my eye on the way here. I really hadn't been expecting anything, but the last thing I expected was driving into Uncle Russo's mansion a little while later.

The beautiful golden gates welcomed us first, before I was greeted by the fragrant aroma of flowers wafting into my nostrils. Without even looking, I could already tell the garden was rich with a variety of flowers and I was going to have a beautiful time staying there. The compound was tiled up with cobblestones, giving the compound a layer of sophisticated elegance. At the center of it all was a statue and water fountain and I found myself gazing at the angel shaped monument. If there was anything that struck me, it was the fact that Uncle Russo's place smelled like money, a whole lot of money really and I wondered just how rich he was.

“Angel!” Someone chimed immediately as I got out of the car. I had no doubt who it was, but I found myself smiling before I had even gotten out of the car. When I did, I froze. “It's so good to see you.”

It was, but maybe not for me. A million and one thoughts ran through my mind as I stared at the man I had come to see. He wasn't whom I'd expected and I found myself subtly checking my jaw to see if I'd dropped it yet.

Uncle Russo had always been dashing, but the man in front of me was far from being dashing; he was the mortal equivalent to a Greek god. For someone who was supposed to be Dad's age, Uncle Russo didn't look like it at all. His shoulder-length hair flowed behind him, and thanks to the sun peeking from behind, I could make out some streaks of silver hair at the corners. Up until now, I never thought gray hair could be so…

I swallowed hard.

Sexy.

He embodied the three-piece suit he was wearing so well to the extent that I was…drooling? Hell no!

I didn't have the opportunity to really take him in, but with the little I'd seen, I felt my stomach churn. My heart skipped a beat or two and I struggled to get air into my lungs. Like a switch had been flipped somewhere, all of my composure disappeared.

“Hi.” My voice was a tiny whisper as opposed to what I wanted it to be. “ Good afternoon, Uncle Russo.”

“Come give me a hug.” He beamed before pulling me in for a side hug. I found myself taking in the musky scent of his cologne and even though the almost fatherly love was a side hug, it was more than enough to keep the spot in which his hands had touched me burning as hell.

We had barely stepped into the living room when something caught my attention. It was a clack-clack sound and when someone arrived at the top of the stairs, I suddenly understood where the loud noise had been coming from. Slowly, I watched as a woman descended the stairs.

Hair muffled, smeared mascara. My uncle was probably coming down from sexy time.

I should have laughed, but there was a strange feeling in my chest instead.

Jealousy? Anger?

Couldn’t be, but whatever it was, I didn't like it, not one bit.

At that very moment, I made a vow. I was going to keep to myself, especially this little crush since it had come out of the blue. Up until now, I didn't even know he had a wife, and my father had never mentioned it either.

Either way, it didn't matter. None of it did. All of this was James' fault. If he hadn't cheated on me with Heather, none of this would be happening. If the both of them hadn't broken my trust and betrayed me then I would never have been in this messy situation with my hormones.

Apparently, watching James and Heather for a full-blown three minutes was all the time in the world to learn something important. There was actually nothing between James and me, I just failed to see it. As I watched the both of them together in that room the other night, I realized James and I never had that tension, that love crackling between us.

Only when the clanking stopped did I pull myself back to reality. The woman was now in front of me, and if there was anything that stood out in her demeanor, it was the nasty scowl she threw my way. Under her vicious glare, I found myself shrinking into my skin. The air around us crackled with tension so thick you could cut it with a pie knife. If no one made a move to at least diffuse it, I wouldn't be surprised if I choked to death.

Time seemed to crawl to a halt as she kept staring me down. Only when she finally walked out did I finally let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

“You didn't introduce me to your wife.” I managed to mutter right after she was gone. “Won't she be mad?”

“Mad?” Uncle Russo chuckled, and in my life, I could swear it was the heartiest laughter I'd ever heard. “She's not my wife. I've never been married.”

“So your girlfriend then?” I drawled and a small smirk made its way to his lips. “She has to be right?”

“No.” He grinned. “I haven't been in a relationship in a long time either.”

I gulped. Somehow, his warm smile didn't exactly sit right with me anymore. I allowed myself a couple more thoughts as I stood in my spot. If there was anything this conversation had shown me, it was the fact that I was in for a hard and long run.

Shit. What had I gotten myself into?