Prologue

Prologue

Skylar Grant couldn’t get away from the festivities fast enough. Making her way around Ben Rinaldi’s swanky apartment, she finally found the balcony. As soon as she stepped out into the cool Chicago air, she fell to her knees. Tears streamed down her face. Tears full of sadness, anger, regret, loneliness. Every dark thought she’d ever had came back to her. Every sad memory flooded her mind. She couldn’t breathe. It was all so suffocating. It was too much. She’d spent too many years crying herself to sleep, hiding the scars on her arms, faking a smile for everyone. She was done!

Her mind was set on one thing, and that was ending it all. Everyone would be so much better without her. Skylar was just a burden. It wasn’t like anyone really cared about her. She was stupid, ugly, worthless, good for nothing. She was just a waste of space and air.

With wobbly legs she pulled herself up onto the concrete separating her from her release. She swung her legs over, letting them dangle. Her tears spilled down 40 stories, down to the bustling city and it’s residents. The wind made her brown hair fly all over the place, turning it into a mess. Not like it would matter after…

While Skylar was battling her inner demons--and obviously letting them win--someone watched her, wondering why such a beautiful person would be breaking down like that, seeing no way out.

Ian’s heart clenched at the sight in front of him. He’d noticed something wrong with youngest of the Grant sisters since he first laid eyes on her. Her brown eyes were haunted, pain evident. Unlike her older sisters, she didn’t even pay attention to him, isolating herself in her room, listening to loud music.

His heart was breaking as he watched the broken girl cry and look down at the city below her. How could someone be so broken? So sad as to see no other way out. She was sixteen! Skylar had her whole life ahead of her. The poor, broken girl did not deserve all the pain she felt. And Ian wanted nothing more than to hold her and comfort her and tell her everything was going to be okay,

Skylar, completely unaware of Ian behind her, took a deep breath…and then pushed herself off, ready to set herself free…

Just to have a strong pair of arms hold on to her waist, pulling her back onto the safety of the surface. She wanted to scream at whoever it was for not letting her go through with it.

But when she looked up into kind green eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to chastise him. His face was full of sadness and worry. Ian wrapped his arms around her protectively, holding her close to his chest, and she let him. Skylar didn’t stop crying, but it felt good to be held like that.

Ian felt for the girl in his arms. The shaking, frail body in his arms made him feel compassion and he wanted nothing more than to just keep her there. Show her that someone cared. That he was there for her.

“Ssh, baby, it’s okay,” he cooed, running his fingers through her soft hair. “Everything is going to be okay.”

“No it’s not,” she croaked into his neck. It was never going to be okay. She knew because she had tried to convince herself so many times, and every time it wasn’t.

He pulled back a little bit to look at her in the eyes. “Yes, it will, Skylar. You’ll get through this, I promise.” He pulled her back to his chest. “The world is ugly, but you’re beautiful to me. Mentally, physically, emotionally. I know you’re strong, and you can pull through this. You’re so much better than your demons, Skylar. You are!”

His words brought a small smile to her lips. “I hope you’re right, Ian.”

He hugged her tighter and blinked away the tears that were threatening to come out of his own eyes. No woman had ever had such an affect on him. The thought of losing such a beautiful soul broke his heart.

Ian almost laughed. He’d come to Chicago to meet the eldest Grant sisters on his uncle’s behalf, and that was only because his family insisted on him wedding before he turned thirty. At 24 he was sure he had enough time. Grace and Heather Grant had done nothing for him. Skylar Grant, the beautiful, broken, girl he held in his arms though…boy had she had an affect on him. But she was also off-limits.

“Don’t let your demons take the light behind your eyes,” he said. “Burn bright, Skylar.”

Ian and Skylar did not see each other again after that night. But she was on his mind the entire way back to San Francisco, and he hoped that he had given her at least a glimmer of hope. Skylar thought of him too, remembering the kind man that had saved her from herself, giving her heart-felt words of emotion. She would pull through. She would fight. She would be okay.

Yes, there are My Chemical Romance references in there. Don't judge me.

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