The bride and the beast (#3 of the Miller family)

7. a phone search

Lila’s P.O.V.

I woke up slowly, my body heavy with the weight of sleep that had clung to me for what felt like weeks instead of days. The room was dim, the thick curtains blocking out most of the sunlight, but I could still make out the faint glow that signaled the start of another new day. I blinked groggily, trying to piece together where I was and why I felt so disoriented.

And then it all came crashing back.

I wasn’t in Fairview for my wedding.

There was no wedding.

I was in some strange house—Skye’s house—because I had run out on my wedding day. My heart twisted at the memory of finding Brandon with my maid of honor, Julia, the betrayal still fresh and raw. The tears I had shed over the last few days seemed to hover just beneath the surface, but I was too drained to cry anymore. All that was left was an empty ache that made my chest feel hollow.

Three days...

It had been three days since I had closed this bedroom door and hadn't done anything besides crying and sleeping and eating whatever Skye had placed on the other side of that door and running into the small bathroom across the hallway...

Three days...

With a sigh, I pushed myself up in bed, rubbing at my eyes. The room was simple and cozy, the kind of place that might have felt comforting under different circumstances. But right now, it just felt like a reminder of everything I had lost. Or, more accurately, everything I had walked away from.

My eyes drifted to my phone, lying on the nightstand where I had tossed it three days ago. It had been off since I had left the city hall with Jenna and Jules and the Miller brothers. I hadn’t wanted to deal with the barrage of calls and messages I knew would be waiting for me. But now, as reality settled over me like a cold blanket, I knew I couldn’t avoid it any longer. I had to face the mess I had left behind.

Taking a deep breath, I reached for my phone and powered it on. It took a few seconds for the screen to light up, and when it did, my heart sank at the sheer number of missed calls and messages that flooded in. The notifications seemed endless—texts from Brandon, from so-called friends, even a few from Brandon's parents. Mine hadn't bothered to call because they weren't even coming to the wedding anyway since they had never liked Brandon's family... I couldn’t bring myself to open any of the texts, so I simply stared at the screen, feeling a mixture of dread and sadness wash over me.

I had been so close to becoming a housewife, just like Brandon’s mother. It had been the plan all along—marry Brandon, move into a nice house, and spend my days making sure he and our future kids were comfortable. I would have been the perfect wife, just like Brandon’s parents had wanted me to be. And Brandon would have taken over his father’s firm one day, and I would have been there, smiling at his side, the perfect accessory to his perfect little life.

THE ASSHOLE!

But now… now what was I? A runaway bride with no home, no job, and no idea what I was going to do next? The life I had been prepared to step into had vanished in an instant, leaving me adrift with nothing to cling to. The thought made my chest tighten, and for a moment, I had to focus on my breathing, in and out, to keep the rising panic at bay. I couldn’t afford to fall apart again. I had already done that for three days in a row. Now, I had to figure out what came next. I had to get my life in order, rather sooner than later.

And to do that, I needed money. To get money, I needed a job.

I wasn’t sure where to start, but the first step was obvious—look for a job. Something to anchor myself, something to give me a sense of purpose. I opened the browser on my phone, the screen glowing softly in the dim light, and typed in a search for local job listings.

Yes, local.

I didn't have much of a choice since I didn't have any money to buy a plane ticket out of here either...

As I scrolled through the results, my heart sank further. Most of the jobs required experience I didn’t have, or they were entry-level positions that barely paid enough to live on. But I couldn’t afford to be picky. I needed something—anything—that would give me a fresh start.

A notification popped up at the top of my screen, breaking my concentration. It was a message from Brandon.

“Lila, please call me. We need to talk. I’m so sorry. I love you.”

My heart clenched as I read the words. I had loved Brandon, or at least I thought I had. But now, after everything that had happened, I wasn’t sure what I felt anymore. Was it love? Or had it just been comfort, the familiar warmth of someone I had known for so long?

Another message came in, this time from one of my 'friends'.

“Lila, where are you? Everyone’s worried about you. Just let us know you’re OK.”

Guilt tugged at me as I read the message. I had disappeared without a word, leaving everyone to wonder where I had gone. I had been so consumed by my own pain, that I hadn’t thought about how it might affect the people who cared about me. But what was I supposed to say? How could I explain that I had run out on my own wedding, because I had caught my fiancé with another woman? How could I tell them that the life I had been preparing for was gone, and I had no idea what to do next? The pressure in my chest grew, and I felt my hands starting to tremble. I set the phone down before I dropped it, taking deep breaths to calm myself. I couldn’t deal with all of this at once. I needed to take things one step at a time.

First, I would find a job. Something to keep me busy, to give me a reason to get out of bed every day. Then, I would figure out where to live. Jenna had offered her a place to stay, but Skye’s offer had persuaded me instead, making my heart flutter for reasons I didn’t fully understand just yet.

Pushing those thoughts aside for the time being, I focused on the task at hand. I needed to find a job, and I needed to do it fast. Once I had that sorted, everything else would fall into place. At least, that’s what I told myself. Taking a deep breath, I picked up my phone again and started searching, determined to find something that would help me start over. I didn’t have much to offer—no real skills, no experience—but I had to start somewhere. As I scrolled through the listings, my phone buzzed again, another message from Brandon. I didn’t look at it this time, just swiped it away, pushing him to the back of my mind. I had more important things to focus on right now.

For the first time in days, I felt a spark of determination. I might have lost everything, but I wasn’t going to let it break me. I would find a way to rebuild my life, one step at a time. And maybe, just maybe, I would come out stronger on the other side.

When my phone buzzed again, I growled and dropped it on the bed. Clearly, a phone search wasn’t going to help me today. I thought about my options, walking around town and asking local shops or diners if they could use my help. But that could also mean that I could run into Brandon, or someone who would have attended the wedding, which was the last thing I wanted to happen right now. I could ask Skye for a newspaper that might hold some articles about people offering a job in town? Or even better, I could just ask Skye himself. Surely, someone living in a small town, should know if there was a job to be found somewhere. So, without thinking, I looked at my reflection in the mirror hanging on the back of the bedroom door, ran my fingers through my hair, and found out that I was looking like absolute s**t, before I simply shrugged and went downstairs, looking for Skye Miller himself.