The invitation was heavy, just like the application form had been all those months ago. There was one difference, however – and it wasn't the amount of dread in the pit of my stomach which had been the same both times – but my mother attempting to hide the letter in one of the cupboards in the kitchen. This time, she had decided that it was not something that should be presented proudly at the dinner table but I don't know what she had been expecting, I was going to find out sooner or later.

"Mom," I'd asked her. "What's this?" She'd turned around and her face dropped as she saw the envelope I was holding with my name on in a delicate cursive script. I ripped into it before she could protest and found myself holding back the tears as I read the card inside.

Prince Maxon Calix Schreave would like to invite you to his wedding to Lady Kriss Ambers on the twentieth of February. We politely ask for your reply by no later than the twelfth of February and hope to see you there.

The Palace of Illèa, Angeles

I flipped the card over, my hands shaking, and found three boxes, requesting one should be ticked and the card should be sent back. They read: 'I will be attending alone', 'I will be attending and bringing a guest', and 'I will not be attending'. I set it down on the counter-top and turned to my mother who had her arms open for me to fall into, which I did.

"It's going to be ok, Darling." She promised, stroking my hair soothingly.

"He's marrying her, Mom. He's marrying her and I still love him." I wept.

A few days before I needed to RSVP, I took out the card from the cupboard once more. I was prepared this time for what was to come when I read the card through again to make sure it truly was Kriss' name there, where mine should be, and flipped it over, studying the responses.

I had to go, didn't I? The press would have a field day if the runner-up of The Selection refused to turn up to the Wedding. And, I wanted to see Maxon again, even if it was to marry someone else. At the end of the day, I wanted him to be happy and as long as she would do that for him, then I would be ok. The only question was whether to go alone or take someone. By someone, I obviously meant May. I would offer it to my mother but she would realistically have to look after Gerard and the invitation clearly stated I could only bring one guest.

Taking May would make it more fun, I supposed. At least she would make me laugh and be someone to talk to so that the king couldn't corner me again. Plus, she would kill me if she knew that I could have taken her to the palace and didn't. So I ticked the box and put it in an envelope to address it before I could change my mind.

"So, you're going then?" My mother said, it wasn't really a question as she had seen the box I had ticked.

"Well, I have to, don't I? If I don't go then I'll get hounded by the press; everyone expects me to go so I might as well."

"No one in this house will think less of you for not going, you know. We all understand." I laughed at that.

"You understand because you care about me. They don't. It'll be easier for everyone if I go." I sighed. The king loved to make me squirm and would probably force me to go anyway. "I'm taking May, if you can spare her."

"Of course! She'll love to see the palace again. And I don't think she'd be very happy if she found out that I'd stopped her from returning." She laughed, "She's out in the workshop if you want to check she's ok with it."

I smiled, I was pretty sure I knew what her answer would be but it's polite to ask so I walked down the stairs to the basement workshop where she kept all of her art things. There was still one corner, however that had been left untouched. In fact, there was a sheet covering my father's easel – still with his final piece resting upon it unfinished.

"Hey, May." I called as I walked down the wooden stairs. "Do you fancy a trip to the palace in two weeks?"

"Are you serious?" She shouted excitedly. "I'd love to come! Does Mom say it's ok?"

"Yeah. She says it's fine, as long as you want to." She practically jumped on me with the hug she gave me, almost pushing me over in fact.

"So, you're going to the Wedding then? I don't think I would if I was you…"

"I kind of have to, May. So one of your jobs is to make sure I survive the few days we're there, ok?"

"One of my jobs?" She scoffed, "I thought this was a vacation!" I laughed and she smiled back at me.

"It might well be one of the hardest times of your life." I said sadly. May gave me a small smile and pulled me into another, softer, embrace.

"You'll be fine, Ames. We'll get through it together. And, by the way, my offer of killing him is still available!" She pulled away and moved to go back to her work. It was an offer she had first given during my first week back at home, a week that I had mainly spent in my bedroom with tear-stained pillows. May had cuddled me and told me it would all be alright, that he didn't deserve me, that all I had to do was give my consent and she would make sure he felt the same pain I did. She made me smile for the first time when she said this to me. And since, we'd become even closer than we had been before.

"Hmm, we'll see. Although I'm pretty sure that even saying that is treason." I laughed.

"Nah, just being a good sister! If he has any decency, he would understand." She shrugged.

I left her to her work and picked up the envelope off the dining room table. I looked at it once again, reading the address of the palace that I had scrawled on the front. He told me I would be on the other side of this invitation, where Kriss was. I know I made a mistake, but it was a mistake that was old by the time he found out. I saw his point, it was a mistake no matter when I had done it, but now every time I saw him on the Report, I remembered his face and the anger in his voice when he said that he thought I'd lied about loving him. It had been no lie, and if I repeated it to him today, it still wouldn't be.

I walked down the street towards the post box, people had long since stopped staring and I was no longer hounded by the press, it was as if everything had gone back to the way it was before I was ever picked for The Selection. Well, for everyone else it was. I would never be the same again. Since I had applied for it, I had lost the only three men I have ever loved – would ever love, and I would never ever be able to forget everything that had happened since.

Ok, so this is just a story I've got going round in my head and I needed to get out there! Hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review either way and I will hopefully be back soon. Lots of love – chescaannie xx