I hated her now with a hatred more fatal than indifference because it was the other side of love.

CINDERELLA

Prologue: The Wedding

It was a match made in heaven.

The wedding was beautiful and it was a very intimate and private. A solemn and romantic affair attended only by the respective families and closest friends of the bride and groom.

"And so by the power vested in me by the almighty God and the state of Louisiana, I now pronounce you man and wife" the Priest proclaimed.

The small crowd who were sitting evenly on both sides of the aisle applauded loudly for the newlyweds.

"Stan you may now kiss your bride." They kissed… more applause from the crowd… more flashing of cameras…

And there, Eric sat on the very last pew, a silent spectator on this joyous occasion. A mixture of emotions played on his face as he watched the wedding. He was extremely happy for her while he could drown at the misery that he felt for himself.

He stood up and walked towards the newlyweds.

"Eric!" Her face lightened when she saw him. She was a vision in her white wedding gown. She was a picture of a woman full of happiness. She was a radiant very pregnant bride.

Only a few months ago, she was wearing a wedding dress for him. She was a very beautiful bride who gave him a loving smile just before he told her that he was not meant to be his groom after all... that he could not marry her. He watched as she took in what he said, the surprise in her face that morphed into hurt, bitterness and betrayal, the tell tale sign of tears in her eyes, her trembling lips when she whispered, 'what?'… her plead to take back what he said and tell her that it was just some off-handed or cruel joke before their supposed wedding.

He had walked away from her. There was so much that he gave up on that fateful day.

Now he walks towards his former fiancé and her groom. His heart constricted in remorse that he was not able to do right by her… that he was not able to live up to her expectations. He had failed her miserably, the woman who had put him in a pedestal. She had loved him but he did not deserve that love.

But while he was looking at her he could clearly see that happiness that shone in her eyes and that lessened the guilt he was feeling. She truly deserved a beautiful wedding but he was not the right man for her. Another man, perfectly deserved her, than he ever will in a million years… it was Stan.

This was meant to be. He could see that they where meant to be.

He gave her a tight embrace. It was a miracle that she was smiling at him again. He thought she would hate him forever. But she always had a compassionate and forgiving heart. He did not deserve even her friendship.

"Eric, I'm glad you came" she said warmly.

He smiled although it didn't reach his eyes; nonetheless it was sincere. He was truly happy for her.

"This is the wedding, that I won't ever miss", he half-joked.

She giggled and gave him a soft laugh. He could feel that she no longer harbor any anger towards him. They were good friends again.

He looked at the man besides her… her groom. He extended a hand, "Congratulations, man, you are very lucky to have her as your wife". Stan had hated him too but now he could see that it was not the case anymore. Stan was meant to be with her. He knew that he would cherish her as she deserved to be.

Stan smiled, took his offered hand and shook it cordially, "Yes I am the luckiest man… thank you for coming Eric"

Stan kissed her bride and they became oblivious to his presence… so lost in their love for each other. They didn't even notice when he walked away from them.

Once outside the church, he looked up, his gaze fixed on the sky. Tonight the sky was so clear that he could see so many stars. It was a rare thing in the city… to have this picture perfect night sky. It was as perfect and as beautiful as the wedding that he had just witnessed. It was the exact opposite of how he felt inside… of how his life had become.

He felt a deep, gaping, bleeding and raw wound inside and there was nothing he could do to stop the pain. It would probably fester him till the very end.

Yes… he had it all coming. Maybe this is what the new age aficionados refer to as karma.

What you sow, what you reap… every action has a consequence… what goes around comes around…what you do unto others… blah blah blah… It all boils down to one thing anyway… he did something unforgivable and now he was paying for it.

He had hurt a lot of people. Pam who had loved him despite his defection… his parents who had given him everything… Pam's parents who trusted him explicitly… her brother whom he considered as one of his closest friends. He remembered and felt Clancy's hatred for him while he punched and kicked him in the restaurant months ago. He didn't even fight back. He accepted all of it… he deserved far worse. Deep within him, he knew that it wasn't enough payment for the shame that he had caused her family.

Now he was paying for everything that he had done. And the price for his transgression was high.

'All for what? All for a two-bit whore?'

He cursed the name of the woman who made him turn-away from Pam and his family. He had incurred the hatred and bitterness of the people he had betrayed just to be with her. At that time, he thought that it will be worth it. How deeply wrong he was.

He believed that she would be there waiting for him with open arms and everything will be alright… that while he was walking away from everything he held dear, she was there awaiting his return.

He thought that she would be his savior in the wake of his damnation from the world that he painstakingly built and ultimately turned away from just to be with her. She had meant everything to him… the love of his life. She was the beacon of light in his suddenly very dark existence.

But in the end, she had been his ultimate destruction, the last mighty blow that sent his whole universe crashing down on top of him.

Sookie left him… just as he left Pam… 'right… karma'

He smiled bitterly at the thought. He calmed himself and walk away from the church.

I wish you all the best Pam... All the very best

A/N:

DISCLAIMER: Charlaine H. owns all the characters. While some of the plot lines were inspired by the romance novel author Eve M.. Unbeta'd… so my sincerest apologies for the mistakes.

DETAILED SUMMARY:

Eric had everything any man can hope for -the Great F's: great food, great friends, great fuck, and great financial rewards. He was running their lucrative family business and he is about to marry his fiance. His life seems perfect. Then one night he meets a bewitching woman- a waitress in a shabby diner. Sookie is no society belle but he feels connected to her in a way that he has never experienced before. In a major decision that could change his life forever, he turns away from everything that he has worked for. But she left and betrayed him and his perfect world became a living hell.

Sookie works hard to finish college even if she had to take odd jobs to make ends meet. No matter what she'll be an Interior Designer! With so much expenses during her last semester in college she took a job as an exotic dancer in a ultra-exclusive gentlemen's club called Valhalla.

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