Lisa spent the next few days in a haze of confusion and indecision. She went through the motions of wedding preparations—attending meetings with the planner, trying on dresses, and finalizing details with Devon—but her mind was always elsewhere. It was with Sara, replaying their conversations, their stolen moments, the way Sara had held her as she cried in her apartment. The connection between them was undeniable, yet it only deepened Lisa's inner turmoil.
One evening, after a particularly exhausting day of wedding errands, Lisa found herself sitting in her childhood bedroom, staring at the reflection in the mirror. The image that stared back at her was one she barely recognized. She was dressed in a designer gown her mother had picked out for a charity event later that night, her hair styled in loose waves that framed her face perfectly. She looked every bit the part of a bride-to-be from a prestigious family, but inside, she felt like a stranger.
The door to her bedroom creaked open, and her younger sister, Emily, poked her head in. "Hey, do you have a minute?" Emily asked, stepping inside before Lisa could answer.
Lisa turned to face her, forcing a smile. "Sure. What's up?"
Emily was the youngest of the West siblings, and despite the eight-year age gap, she and Lisa had always been close. Unlike Lisa, who had always felt the weight of their family's expectations, Emily had a freer spirit. She was an artist, unburdened by the pressures of high society, and often acted as Lisa's confidante in times of distress.
Emily perched on the edge of the bed, studying her sister with concern. "You look exhausted, Lisa. Are you okay?"
Lisa hesitated, the familiar words of reassurance on the tip of her tongue, but something stopped her. Emily wasn't their mother; she wouldn't judge or push her toward a decision she wasn't ready to make. So instead of brushing off her feelings, Lisa sighed, letting some of her walls down.
"Honestly? I don't know," Lisa admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I feel like I'm being pulled in so many directions, and I don't know what to do."
Emily's brow furrowed in concern. "Is it about the wedding?"
Lisa nodded, biting her lip as she tried to find the right words. "It's not just the wedding. It's… everything. Devon, the expectations, and…" She trailed off, unsure if she was ready to confess her feelings for Sara, even to Emily.
"And?" Emily prompted gently, her gaze steady and understanding.
Lisa took a deep breath, the words spilling out before she could stop them. "There's someone else, Emily. Someone who's making me question everything about my life, about my future with Devon."
Emily didn't react with shock or judgment, just a quiet nod of understanding. "Who is it?"
Lisa looked down at her hands, fidgeting with the fabric of her dress. "Her name is Sara. She's… she's not like anyone I've ever met. She makes me feel things I didn't even know I could feel, and I don't know what to do with that. I'm supposed to marry Devon, but my heart—" She broke off, her voice trembling with emotion.
Emily reached out, placing a comforting hand on Lisa's shoulder. "Lisa, it's okay to be confused. It's okay to not have all the answers right now. But you can't keep this bottled up inside. You have to talk to Devon. He deserves to know how you're feeling."
The thought of confronting Devon made Lisa's stomach churn with anxiety. "What if it ruins everything? What if I break his heart? What if I make the wrong choice?"
Emily squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "There's no easy answer to that, Lisa. But if you don't say anything, you'll be living a lie, and that's not fair to anyone—not to you, not to Devon, and not to Sara. You have to be honest with yourself about what you want."
Lisa knew her sister was right, but that didn't make the prospect any less terrifying. She had been raised to prioritize duty and family above all else, to maintain the image of perfection that had been carefully cultivated by the West family. But now, for the first time in her life, she was faced with a decision that couldn't be made based on appearances or expectations. It had to come from her heart, and that was the scariest part.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur. Lisa went through the motions at the charity event, smiling and making small talk with the other guests, but her mind was elsewhere. Devon was at her side, as charming and attentive as always, but every time he touched her, she felt a pang of guilt. She couldn't keep pretending, couldn't keep lying to him—and to herself.
After the event, when they returned to the mansion, Lisa knew she couldn't put it off any longer. She had to talk to Devon, had to tell him the truth before it was too late. She found him in the study, pouring himself a drink as he unwound from the evening.
"Devon, can we talk?" Lisa asked, her voice barely steady.
He turned to her with a smile, his eyes warm and affectionate. "Of course. What's on your mind?"
Lisa took a deep breath, the words heavy on her tongue. "I've been thinking a lot lately, about us, about the wedding, about everything."
Devon's smile faltered slightly, a flicker of concern crossing his face. "Is something wrong?"
Lisa hesitated, the weight of what she was about to say pressing down on her like a ton of bricks. "I… I'm not sure how to say this, but… I'm having doubts, Devon. Doubts about the wedding, about our future."
Devon's expression shifted to one of confusion and hurt. He set his glass down on the table and took a step closer to her. "What do you mean? I thought everything was going well. Is this about the stress? Because if it is, we can work through it together."
Lisa shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's more than that. I've been feeling this way for a while now, and I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I can't keep pretending. There's… there's someone else, Devon. Someone who's made me realize that I'm not sure if marrying you is what I really want."
The room fell into a heavy silence, Devon staring at her as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "Someone else? Lisa, are you saying you don't love me?"
Lisa's heart broke at the pain in his voice, but she couldn't lie to him anymore. "I do love you, Devon. But… I'm not in love with you the way I should be. The way you deserve. And I don't know if I ever was."
Devon's face paled, and he looked away, struggling to process her words. "Who is it?" he asked quietly, his voice laced with a mix of disbelief and hurt.
"Sara," Lisa whispered, her voice trembling. "Her name is Sara, and she… she makes me feel alive in a way I never have before. I don't know what it means, but I can't ignore it."
Devon closed his eyes, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "I don't understand. We've been planning this wedding for months, our families are depending on us. How can you throw it all away for someone you barely know?"
Lisa flinched at the bitterness in his tone, tears slipping down her cheeks. "I don't want to hurt you, Devon. You've been so good to me, and I'll always care about you. But I can't marry you when I'm not sure if it's what I really want. It wouldn't be fair to either of us."
Devon turned away from her, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "So what happens now? Do you just walk away from everything we've built?"
Lisa took a hesitant step toward him, her voice pleading. "I don't know. I need time to figure things out, to understand what I really want. But I can't do that if I'm locked into something that doesn't feel right."
Devon didn't respond, his silence cutting through her like a knife. Finally, he nodded, his voice strained. "If that's what you need, then take the time. But I need to be clear, Lisa—I love you, and I want to marry you. But I can't wait forever while you decide if you want to be with someone else."
Lisa's heart ached at the ultimatum, but she knew it was fair. "I understand," she whispered. "I'm so sorry, Devon."
Without another word, she turned and left the study, her tears blurring her vision as she made her way to her room. The conversation had gone about as badly as she had feared, and the guilt of hurting Devon weighed heavily on her. But for the first time in a long time, she felt a sliver of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
She didn't know what the future held, but at least now she had taken the first step toward figuring it out. And as much as it scared her, she knew that facing her feelings for Sara was something she couldn't avoid any longer.
Lisa lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling as her thoughts churned. The mansion was quiet, but her mind was loud with questions and doubts. She had no idea where her journey would lead, or if she would end up regretting the choices she had made .