> timeline - varies (begins at Blake and Madeline's wedding)

  "Ah, cover up I shouldn't see you in your wedding dress!"

  Blake strode into the room with a bright beam on his face. He froze as soon as he spotted his future wife. She looked magnificent. The sun shone perfect through the window, creating an almost divine outline of her. Her hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall from paradise and Blake remembered just how much he loved her. Although it was bad luck he couldn't help but stare in awe at the girl in the white dress. It was perfect. Madeline Lockhart was perfect.

However, his smile dropped when she turned to face him. Her eyes were red from crying. He would have assumed they were tears of joy had it not been for the forlorn look on her face. It was their wedding day. Nothing should have upset her.

He quickly walked up to her and engulfed her in a hug as she sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry..." She choked.

"You're worrying me. What happened?"

"I love you... please know that."

"I love you too," Blake responded nervously.

"Sit down..." Madeline hiccuped.

Blake hesitantly sat down on the bed beside her. She avoided his eyes and he instantly got a familiar, agonising feeling in the pit of his stomach. A feeling he had felt before when he first love broke up with him...

"Blake, I... I can't..." Her voice cracked.

His heart sank. "You can't...?"

"I...I can't do this. I can't marry you...." She said, although her voice was barely audible.

Blake could feel his heart splitting right down the middle. His ears must have been deceiving him because there was no way what he was hearing was true.

"What?"

She buried her face in her hands. "I love you but there's too much going on right now. I can't go through with this wedding..."

  His head was spinning. "What? I-I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"

Madeline fanned her face as if it could stop the oncoming rivers of tears. "No, no. You were perfect. Are perfect. And I love you and I still want to be with you. But I can't get married."

"My entire family is here. I have relatives that flew in from Mexico. My Abuela flew in.. Madeline, why are you doing this?"

  Madeline scrambled to grab onto his hands. "I love you so much. I just... I can't do this. Blake, I am so sorry..."

Blake slowly stood up, shaking her grip from his hands. His head was spinning. He felt nauseous. He was crying. He hadn't realised it until the first few tears dripped down to the floor. Madeline was sobbing as well. He didn't know what she was crying about. It wasn't like the love of her life had just told her he didn't want to marry her.

  "You're not giving me a proper reason as to why you don't want to get married... I'm so confused..."

  "I can't do this. I can't talk about this now. I need to leave. I-I can't stay here." Madeline stood up suddenly, looking around for her shoes. "I need to get out of here."

  "What? Wait-"

  She slipped on a pair of hotel slippers. "I'm sorry, I-"

  "Madeline-"

  "We can meet tomorrow and talk but-"

  "CAN YOU STOP TALKING FOR ONE SECOND AND LISTEN TO ME?!"

  Madeline froze at his sudden outburst. At least she finally stopped talking.

  "Damn it, Madeline! What are you doing?! This is so humiliating. Do you not think I deserve an answer? And I don't know what I did wrong. I woke up today smiling because I was going to marry the girl I love. And now you're saying you can't go through with this? You gave me no hints or implications that you didn't want to get married. I thought this was what you wanted!"

Madeline's face fell and for a second Blake actually felt bad for his lashing out like that. He wanted to apologise. Then he remembered that Madeline was leaving him on their wedding day.

"I thought so too... But I realised that planning this wedding has just been a way of me trying to distract myself from my problems."

"What problems?"

Madeline sighed and her fingers tightened around her bag. "I just need some time. I'm sorry."

Before Blake could slip in another word, his bride ran away. He felt nauseous. The thought of having to go out there and tell all the guests that the wedding was off made him dizzy. It was going to be the most humiliating moment of his life. A small part of him hated Madeline for abandoning him and escaping unscathed.

But the sad thing was that much bigger part of him loved her. And he probably wouldn't love anyone like he loved her ever again.

♜♜♜

They broke up the next day. It wasn't really a surprise to either of them. Madeline texted him and asked to meet him at her childhood home. Smart. If she had come over to his house (which was going to be their house), she would have had to face the wrath of his abuela and his abuela was not a force to be reckoned with. She may have been eighty-four but one glare of disapproval from her could cripple a man from miles away.

Madeline talked. A lot. And she cried a lot. Blake was mostly still in shock. He remained quiet. Selective hearing really played its part because all he could make out was 'I don't think we should stay together" and "I don't love you the way I should love you." The latter stung the most. It was all coming out of no where. He was really blindsided.

When she stopped talking, she reached out to hold his hand but he quickly sprung it away. Without speaking, he got up and made a beeline towards the door. She called after him but he left before she could catch up to him, slamming the door shut.

He wasn't being unreasonable. He had just joined the legions of men who had had their hearts broken by Madeline Lockhart and he finally understood how it felt. To be loved by Madeline Lockhart was magical. She had this ability to be his sun. Everything revolved around her but in turn she radiated light and love and made him happy.

He was never going to get over her. There would never be anyone like her.

♜♜♜

Three Months Later

  "Another one?"

  Blake nodded as the bartender filled up his glass with bourbon. He had been having the worst day. His new Winter line wouldn't be ready for winter because there was a worldwide shortage of Polar Fleece. His mother had to be admitted to an institution because her dementia had gotten worse. And his ex-fiancée had announced in her magazine she was having a baby. With Spencer Kingsley. Aka the true love of her life.

  Blake had only been a distraction for her. Even though they had been together for three years, apparently she didn't actually love him "they way I should love you".

He left his friends in Florida to join her in New York. They were going to start a new life together with a new circle of friends. It was her idea!

  It wasn't fair. Nothing was fair.

♜♜♜

Three Years Later

"Blake... I'm sorry. But we have to sell. The company is going to go bankrupt if we don't."

  Blake rubbed at his head as he listened to the words of his best friend and CFO.

  "There has to be some other way...."

  Daphne shrugged. "At the rate we're going now, we probably have another two-three months until we go bankrupt."

  "Fashion week is in three weeks."

She sucked her teeth and thought for a few seconds. "Okay. Maybe we can pull a publicity stunt or get some famous model to walk the runway. If we just increase our sales by thirty percent, we can pay back our creditors. But we'll need a miracle. Do you still talk to that ex-fiancée of yours? Madeline Lockhart?"

The name made him grimace. "No. Why do we need her?"

"Her magazine can increase our publicity. Not to mention Nora Lawrence is her best friend. If she walks the runway for us then all our problems will be fixed."

Blake didn't even need to think about it. "No."

  "Blake-"

His jaw clenched as he threw Daphne a glare. "No!"

Daphne rolled her eyes. "It's been three years. I know she hurt you but I'm sure she would love to help." Daphne handed him her iPad which displayed a very worrying plummeting graph. "This fashion house has always represented hope but after your breakup you made the mistake of letting that heartbreak creep into your designs and shows. Now the brand represents something completely different. It's dark and sad and not you. I miss the old you! We started this fashion label because we wanted to revolutionise what it means to be a designer. Blake, this is our last chance to push the dream."

  Blake sighed and stared at the depressing graph. "She broke my heart."

  "But she might heal our company."

  He nodded and sucked his teeth. "Fine."

  "Really?" Daphne grinned.

  "Yes, I'll call her."

  Daphne pumped her fist before standing up and taking her iPad. "Thank you! I'll give you some privacy." She hugged her best friend tightly. "Don't let her see how much she hurt you. Be strong."

  Blake nodded. "Love you, Daffy."

  She blew him a kiss as she left. "Love you too, Blakey."

  He took a few minutes to gather his thoughts and put together what he was going to say to Madeline. He had imagined the conversation before but those imagined conversations usually involved strings of insults. This time, however, he needed her help so unfortunately he had to stay on her good side.

  He dialled her number because he still knew it like the back of his hand and waited nervously for her to answer.

  "Hello?" A voice said. A male voice.

  Spencer Kingsley.

  "Um, hi." He cleared his throat. "Is Madeline there?"

  "Yes, she is. Let me just call her. Maddie! There's someone on the phone for you! Sorry, she's just outside playing with Ellie. She's coming now though."

  "Oh. Okay."

  Blake waited quietly. He could hear Spencer call her again.

  "Um, may I ask who this is?"

  Blake sighed and winced. He should have expected that question sooner or later. "Um, yeah. Just an old friend."

  "Oh, for real? From Notre Dame? Were you in school with us? I knew I recognised your voice somewhere! Are you-"

  "It's Blake. Blake Rodriguez. Madeline's....ex."

Spencer shut up abruptly. "Oh."

"Yeah..."

"Shit.. I... I don't know what to say."

Maybe a sorry for stealing your fiancée? Or a sorry for sleeping with her while you were still engaged to her?

"I think it would be better if you just said nothing at all..."

"Uh... yeah. Maybe..... Madeline!"

Blake chuckled dryly to himself. The conversation was too awkward not to find funny.

"Who is it?" He could hear Madeline ask.

Spencer mumbled something inaudible to her.

"Oh... for real?" She said incredulously as she took the phone.

"Um...hi..." She said awkwardly.

"Hey..."

"Long time no speak..."

"Yeah..." Suddenly Blake's mind went blank. Madeline had that effect on people.

"How are you?" She asked.

"Good. Yeah, I'm... I'm good. And you?"

"I'm good too..."

"That's good."

"Yeah..."

Blake remembered what he wanted to ask. "I just called because-"

"I'm so sorry."

"Huh?"

"You probably hate me and to be honest you have every right to. I was such a bitch! I can't believe I broke off the wedding on the day of. You have no idea how many times I have wanted to pick up the phone and apologise to you. Things ended so badly between us and-"

"Why didn't you?"

"Huh?"

"Why didn't you pick up the phone and call me? Ask how I was? Tell me you were pregnant before I read it in the tabloids? Tell me you ended things because you were in love with Spencer Kingsley?"

Madeline was quiet for a few moments. He could hear her quiet sniffles and that made him roll his eyes. Why was she crying? She had no reason to. It was him that had been heartbroken by her actions.

"Because I was a coward. There is no justification for everything I did. Blake, I hope you know how truly sorry I am. You don't have to accept my apology but please know that I am so, so sorry."

"You know going out and having to announce our wedding was off to all our guests was probably the most humiliating thing I have ever had to do. My entire family flew in, Madeline. All my old school friends and my college friends. All the people important to me were there. Your whole escape was selfish! You left me alone to pick up the pieces and... and no apology can ever make up for that."

"I...I'm so sorry. I want to be a role model for my daughter but I always wonder how I can do that when I have this entire dark history behind me."

Blake stayed quiet, silently seething in years' worth of pent up anger.

"I... I heard about your mom. I'm sorry for your loss."

God, why did she have to bring up his dead mother. Blake blinked his tears away.

"Yeah..."

His mother had always wanted to see him get married. She seldom recognised him in her last months but when she did she always badgered him about getting married.

"She was a wonderful woman-"

"She hated you after the wedding."

Madeline chuckled. "Yeah, I... I guessed that."

Blake half-smiled. "I didn't call to rant or to give out to you. I... I just need a favour."

"Yeah, of course. Anything."

Blake told her his plans (without letting her know about his label's financial struggles). She agreed almost immediately, saying something about how it was the least she could do. And as they shared their ideas, Blake could feel the weight on his heart slowly ease off, bit by bit.

♜♜♜

Three Weeks Later

Blake watched proudly as his final model walked out onto the runway. Nora Lawrence's rare appearance shocked the entire audience. Their collective gasp made Blake beam. She strutted down the runway in his final wow-piece; a long white trailing coat with appliqué butterflies trailing down the back and a pearled hem, paired with lace biker shorts and a halter top.

Blake spotted a Wild Magazine photographer taking shots for the front cover issue Madeline had promised him. Spencer had called on his actor friends so many A-listers sat in the front row. It was amazing. Everything was going perfectly.

"Congratulations."

Blake turned around to find Spencer nervously smiling at him. In his arms was a young toddler with ribbons in her hair and dimples in her cheeks, just like Madeline's.

"Thank you," He replied respectfully.

Spencer nodded. "Um, I don't think you got the opportunity to meet Ellie. Say 'hi', Ellie."

The little girl looked away shyly, burying her face in her father's shoulder. "Hi," She mumbled.

Blake smiled. "She's adorable."

Madeline came up from behind Spencer with a cheshire grin on her face. "Blake! The livestream was such a great idea! We're already trending on Twitter!"

Blake took his phone out of his pocket and found hundreds of mentions and tags on his label's Twitter page. "Oh my god..."

"And, once next week's magazine issue is out you'll be trending again!"

Blake couldn't tear his eyes off the tweets.

'Did anyone see all the POC in the ECLECTIC fashion show? SO DOPE!!!'

  'Y'all I am so ready to blow my next pay check on one of those Eclectic babydoll dresses'

  'NORA LAWRENCE IS WALKING FOR ECLECTIC. I REPEAT. NORA LAWRENCE IS WALKING FOR ECLECTIC RIGHT NOW'

  His brand was finally making a mark. He had been 'up and coming' for so long but now... now he was established. Everyone would know his brand.

  Nora skipped to them as she returned backstage. "That was so fun! Blake, I need this outfit. I need it!" She said, twirling around in it.

  "Once we begin production you are getting the entire line. Thank you, Nora. This has helped the brand so much."

  "Nor, you looked stunning," Madeline said. "And Blake, you should be extremely proud. Your clothes are amazing and... wow. I'm in awe."

  Blake spotted Daphne behind them talking to some of the models. He had to thank her.

  "This line is going to be on so many of the hot-lists of Fashion Week," Nora chirped.

  Madeline and Spencer nodded in agreement.

  "Um, I probably have to go make sure everything is in order..." Blake said.

  Madeline nodded. "Well, we're all going for dinner if you want to join us."

  Blake smiled. He would have laughed three weeks ago at the thought of having dinner with Madeline. But a lot changed. She changed. Nothing would make up for all the heartache she caused but he forgave her after seeing just how much she was in love with Spencer. It hurt to realise it but the truth was Madeline never would have loved him like that. Hopefully someday he would have the same luck in finding someone who made him happy like that.

  "As tempting as that sounds, I think I need a quiet evening tonight. But thank you."

  He hugged Madeline, much to her surprise but she quickly hugged him back.

   "I'm glad that you're happy. Thank you for everything."

  Madeline's lips curled up. "You deserve nothing but success, Blake. This is all you."

  Blake quickly said bye to Spencer with a silent (slightly awkward) handshake. As he said bye to Nora, she flashed her phone at him, promising to tag him in her Instagram for more publicity. After thanking her, he quickly jogged over to Daphne.

"Hey, Daf."

  Daphne turned around before laughing and jumping on him. She wrapped her legs around him and raised her arms in a cheer.

  "We did it, Blakey! We saved the label!"

Blake joined her in joyous laughter as he spun around. He paused as their laughter died down and Daphne met his eyes.

  "I can't believe we did it..." He mumbled.

  Her eyes twinkled as she nodded, placing her hands on his cheeks. "I can."

  She leaned down quickly to kiss him, moving her hands to the nape of his neck. He tightened his grip around her as they continued to kiss. Eventually his arms got tired and he had to put her down which she took as a sign to stop kissing him.

  "Woah," He exhaled, touching his lips.

  "I have been wanting to do that all night. I hope I didn't make things weird but it had to be done."

  Blake shook his head and pulled her towards him for another kiss. She giggled against his lips.

  "This goes against all rules of friendship," He joked.

  Daphne held his hand and quickly pulled him into a private dressing room. "I agree it's definitely a bad idea," She said as she scrambled to take her shirt off.

  Blake laughed and did the same. "We're best friends and we work together. Absolutely terrible idea."

  Daphne took a step towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You sure you want to do this?

  Blake took a deep breath and stroked her cheek. "Definitely," He said before kissing her.

♜♜♜

Been a while since I updated this book so I decided to publish this! Hope you enjoyed it! King Blake deserves nothing but happiness and I hope him and Daphne stay together (spoiler alert; yes they do).