"It is not," Ashley managed to let out the words slowly. She didn't know what it was, but Skylar was not herself.
And she didn't know the reason.
"He is a dangerous man. You need to stay away from him! Ashley, you are innocent. What you're feeling for him isn't love. It's just infatuation."
Skylar shook her as Ashley stood there, taken aback. She had already been in extreme doubt all this while about whether she had made the right decision or not.
At this point, Skylar showing up and saying all this wasn't going to change anything. Ashley had come too far from that deciding stage.
Skylar didn't give her a chance to speak.
Taking Ashley's face between her palms, she said, "Ashley, let's do one thing. I'll take you away somewhere else. Everything will be arranged for you there. Start a new life. Just leave it all behind. Uh?"
This was the first time Skylar was behaving like this.
Her breath hit Ashley's face, and suddenly Ashley realized, "You're drunk. How much have you had to drink to be in this state?"
Skylar was warning her about him. Ashley already knew he was dangerous—she had walked into it knowingly.
The extent of it, she might not have known—agreed. But it was a choice she made willingly.
After all, it wasn't the first time Skylar had warned her about him. Even without the warnings, Ashley had seen the red flags.
The family itself was already the biggest one.
"No—not drunk! Ashley, we've been friends for so long. If you want, I'll take you away. Marry anyone but him!"
Ashley looked up at the ceiling in helplessness before gathering the strength to meet her eyes.
"Skylar, trust me. He isn't that bad. He takes good care of me. He—" Ashley took a deep breath. "He loves me."
It took every ounce of her strength to say those words. How she wished she didn't have to lie to Skylar!
It struck Skylar causing her to halt.
Her eyes turned blank, and for a moment, Ashley felt a wave of fear at how loud the silence had suddenly become.
She gently shook Skylar's shoulders. "Skylar?"
Skylar inhaled and then exhaled. She whispered, "He loves you?"
Ashley hesitated a bit before nodding. "He does."
Skylar, whose eyes had been so distant a moment ago, now focused intently on Ashley.
"He loves you, I understand," she whispered more to herself. "They love each other."
Her words echoed down the corridor, where there was pin-drop silence.
Without waiting for Ashley to respond, Skylar turned and ran.
Ashley ran after her.
"Skylar! Careful!" She was drunk, and running down the stairs was definitely not a good idea. But Ashley had to make her believe that she'd be fine after the marriage.
Skylar didn't stop. She rushed down the stairs, ran to her car, opened the back door, and got in.
The car started and drove off before Ashley could reach it.
Dust swirled around her as she stood still, staring in the direction the car had disappeared.
She was worried about Skylar. Suddenly, she wondered if she should have talked to her about all this earlier.
The choices had been made, and now Ashley had to live with them.
The night passed with Ashley tossing and turning. She didn't get a minute of sleep. Uneasiness clung to her.
Early in the morning, Ashley looked like a ghost when she entered the salon to get ready. Steve and Dustin didn't comment, but the salon workers did.
"Ma'am, did you not sleep at all?" the hairdresser asked, unable to help herself.
Ashley opened one eye and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked as bad as one could on their wedding day.
"I was nervous. It all felt unreal," she forced the words out.
The hairdresser smiled while working on her hair. "No worries! These are just wedding nerves. The makeup artists will take care of it."
Ashley closed her eyes and let the sound of the blow dryer drown her thoughts. It felt nice—relaxing, in its own way.
But her mind drifted back to Skylar. She had always cared for her and wanted to see her secure and happy.
Earlier, Ashley had linked Skylar's behavior to her usual over-worrying nature. But the more she tried to justify it, the more it didn't sit right.
Something was amiss.
Maybe it was just her gut telling her to dig deeper.
Ashley opened her eyes and dialed Skylar's number.
The news of their wedding had already taken over the internet. Just a few days after the engagement, Michael and she had been featured on the front page of Clark Industries' monthly magazine.
The date of the wedding had been announced back then.
But Ashley had texted the date to Skylar before she could learn it through some outside source.
Skylar had been out of the country and been extremely busy to follow up the news. She had known nothing about it till Ashley sent her a text two days back, when she was back from foreign.
For two days, Skylar left her on read before appearing before her last night.
Ashley knew she was being selfish, but she wanted Skylar there. She needed at least one person on her side at the wedding, where she would otherwise be all alone.
She didn't even know who would walk her down the aisle. She didn't have anyone!
Never ever did loneliness hit her as strongly as it did today. Amidst the faces of the strangers, she didn't have a single face to turn to-the face which could assure her.
The call went to voicemail. Skylar didn't pick up.
Ashley opened her call logs and scrolled. Her thumb hovered over one particular contact, still debating whether to call or not.
In the end, Ashley called.
Skylar's mom.
The phone was answered on the third ring.