Love on Ice

Prologue - Olivia

"Megs! Come on you're going to make me late!" I shout.

Megs is my best friend; she frustrates me as much as she makes me love her. So yes, she's my best friend.

I live in the city; I didn't grow up here. I moved here three years ago with my mum, dad and little sister, Ellie.

We lived in the south-east before this, an hour from London in the glorious English countryside. We were a close nit family. Dad worked hard, a businessman, he travelled a lot but always made time for us girls. With his wage and mums income working as a teaching assistant, we lived more than comfortably.

My grandparents on my dad's side died not long after Ellie was born, just months apart from each other. I was thirteen at the time when Ellie was born and don't even remember how I managed life as a single child, she consumed my world. I loved her with all my heart and treated her as if she was my own child.

When my dad got offered to relocate to the city when I was looking for a uni, life seemed to fall into place. I wasn't bothered about having that typical uni experience, halls, getting drunk. Because all I needed was them. More specifically, all I needed was my photos and Ellie, and that opportunity meant I could have both.

So, when we decided to move to the city three hours away from my hometown and start a new chapter in all of our lives, it was magical. The idea of getting my degree in photography and still being able to spend all my free time with my family made me the happiest person alive.

Our house is big, moving up north allowed us to use dads ample wage to afford a larger house due to lower housing costs. Beautiful bricks, a grassed front garden leading from the house down to the road, the driveway to the left leading to a large garage and basement.

As you enter through the front door, the ground floor is all open plan, a large open space in the centre, living area to the left and kitchen situated in the left top corner. To the right is the study and closet and the staircase leading up to the four bedrooms, two en-suite and a family bathroom, plus ample storage. Dream barbie house.

My parents had the main room, I had the other en-suite room. Ellies room was just down the hall, a little smaller but probably not helped with the number of teddies she had.

As I said before, my dad would travel a lot. So, we always had ample girl time, me, Ellie and my mum.

One perfect year we lived. Happy, content in our new world. Only one. Until my life crumble in front of me, because of me.

And the pain only got worse.