Prologue
Perfect eyes. Perfect hair. Perfect dress. Perfect make-up, even perfect weather. Jackie Burkhart didn't care about any of those things today. Today was her wedding day and the only emotion she could muster up was numb acceptance. She wasn't marrying the man she loved she was marrying the man who loved her, that would have to be good enough. She was sure she could make him happy, she'd say all the right things and make all the right moves. He would be none the wiser. The man she loved didn't love her and maybe he never did. She'd gotten very good at feigning the hatred for him that had once come so naturally to her. No one even questioned it. She said snide, hateful things to him ignoring the ache in her chest and the bitter taste in her mouth. He seemed pleased, seeing her hate him. It gave him freedom to hurt her in ways she hadn't dreamed possible by word, look or deed. She didn't cry anymore, she'd run out of tears a while ago. In a lot of ways she felt like she was already dead, she hardly felt pain anymore. The irony was that no one even noticed. The people who claimed to care about her the most had watched her die on the inside and not even noticed what was happening. It was probably for the best, she decided with cold resignation. She was living the life she was meant for and not the one she wanted. She'd make do. Some people weren't meant for love and she now knew and accepted that she was one of them. She would enjoy married life while it lasted, all the while keeping in mind that one day her groom would cease to care for her and that it was okay. Everything's temporary, Jackie reminded herself. She would enjoy the companionship for the brief time it lasted. It was all she could ask for.