Prologue
Have you ever met someone who you are instantly drawn to? Like you know they are meant to be in your life. Someone you instantly click with, and it’s like you’ve known each other forever. Two puzzle pieces who fit together perfectly. And somehow, amidst the chaos of the world, you found each other. The calm in the raging storm.
But what would you do if, when you found this person, you were promised to another?
Chapter One
Cadence
Summer
Excitement for tonight coursed through me. It had been too long since I’d gone out and spent time with my sister, just the two of us, and there was nothing better than seeing a live band play.
Jade had been pumping me up for this concert for weeks, claiming this band was her newest obsession. I didn’t listen to rock music often. Not because I didn’t like it, it just wasn’t my usual go-to.
But music resonated with me in all forms, so my anticipation for the night grew as the hour got closer.
Touching up my make-up, I grabbed my outfit off my bed and got dressed. Summer was in full swing, so I decided on jean shorts and a floral tank.
Since I didn’t need to impress anyone, I left my dark brown hair in a messy bun.
The front door opened and I heard Elijah call, “Hey, babe.”
“In here,” I yelled.
Elijah walked into our bedroom, loosening his tie as I zipped my clutch. That beginning honeymoon phase of our relationship ended a long time ago, and it’d been a long time since we greeted each other with a welcome home kiss.
He threw his suit jacket on our bed before studying me. “Are we going somewhere? Do we have plans?”
“I’m meeting with Jade, remember?”
“No. I don’t.”
“She’s taking me to The Music Factory to see a band.”
He stilled. “Where?”
“The Music Factory.”
“That place is a shit hole. You can’t go there.”
I crossed my arms and shifted my weight onto one leg. “Elijah, stop. You’re being ridiculous.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Cadence, imagine if someone saw you there. People would begin to thinkIgo to places like that.” He pretended to shiver. “Call Jade and tell her you’re not going. I won’t allow you to tarnish my reputation by being seen somewhere so beneath us.”
Speechless, my mouth fell open. All my eagerness for the night drained from my body. Tension filled my limbs as a fire burned inside me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. He rarely talked to me that way.
“Listen,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “I don’t know what kind of day you had, but you don’t control what I do. You don’t get to tell me I can’t go somewhere with my sister. If you have a problem, we can sit here and discuss it like adults.”
He let out a sigh and stepped closer to me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. You know that my parents take the Powell name extremely serious.”
And I did.
Elijah was the son of a prestigious family. Charleston hadits own royal hierarchy, and the Powells were high on that list as one of the founding families and well-known throughout the area.
When he’d first brought me to visit his family in South Carolina, I was shocked to see the upbringing he’d come from.
In the halls of Villanova, Elijah had simply been a normal college kid who stayed up too late having fun, studying only when absolutely necessary, and playing music on his guitar.
