Chapter I

Prologue

“You may now kiss the bride!”

Yes, I hear them say after I put my signature on the damn paper. But wait, why is my boyfriend looking so different tonight?

“Go on! Kiss the bride!” the people around us all cheered up.

Before I could get a better glimpse of the man standing in front of me, he moved his face in, and all I could ever taste was his hot lips moving in sync with mine. It felt so good that I could not hear anybody else’s voice.

Then he moved away and I stare at his marble-blue eyes. It made me frown from the fact that Jake doesn’t have blue eyes, he has brown ones!

This realization hit me and I pushed the man away. I look around and it occurred to me that we were in a chapel down who knows where!

“What’s wrong, Rossie?” asked one of my friends or so I think.

I shift my gaze back to the man I just kissed and he had a soft look on his face.

“I…” I couldn’t say the words. What am I doing here? I asked myself.

“Rossie, what’s up?” another one asked.

“I must be dreaming!” I shout and everyone looked at me weirdly.

How did we end up here with wine glasses in our hands? This is wrong! I could not look at them anymore and I suddenly turned my back on them, running out of the chapel. A bride running away after she married a stranger.

***

Six months later

The sound of her buzzing alarm clock woke Rossie up, groaning as she lifts her hand and searched for the alarm. The hardest part of it was always waking up in the evening to get to work. As a customer service agent, midnights become her afternoons and whenever she leaves, the house is always quiet enough to make her more attracted to her bed.

Being in the BPO industry and becoming a customer service wasn’t the profession she wanted to pursue but it doesn’t also mean that her job is a no-brainer like most people think. If she’s given the chance and if her responsibilities were subtracted from her life, she would’ve chosen to be a psychologist. But what can she do? 

Rossie groans once more before getting out lazily from her bed. She almost looked like a zombie waking up from the dead with her messy ombre hair and her big shirt. If she could she’d probably go back to sleep.

Before heading to the bathroom, she checked her phone. There’s that text from her boyfriend telling her to take care and take a shower before going to work. He even already decided what she was going to wear for work earlier when they video-called. That’s how organized her boyfriend, Jake is.

After showering, Rossie wore the dress Jake picked for her. She put some light powder on her face, put some lipstick on, and fixed her hair. Then she put on her sandals that her boyfriend never liked and she’s ready for work.

Her workplace is a thirty-minute drive depending on your speed and traffic but since she has generous friends and workmates that have cars, she always gets a free ride as long as she’s on time. She was waiting just outside of their gate when an unfamiliar car stopped. Cautious enough, she stepped back, a frown on her forehead. Nobody told her someone had a new car.

The window rolled down, revealing a man wearing sunglasses in the night. It wasn’t just that, the corner of his mouth curved up slowly as he looks at her. 

“Excuse me? Can I help you?” Rossie could not help herself.

Just at that moment, he removed his glasses but Rossie could not tell who he was. She doesn’t remember having met this strange man.

“Fancy to see you a little early today. Want a ride?” he asked so casually. That smirk on his face annoys Rossie. Where does he think he is? Down an alley full of prostitutes? Oh, he is gotta be out of his mind!

“No, thank you! My ride will be here in a couple of moments.” She flashes him a fake smile which made him chuckle charmingly.

“Alright then,” he puts on his glasses. “See ya around, my runaway wife.”

Instantly, the flashback from that night rushes into her head, her eyes widened and that’s when she remembers who he is! But before she could snap back to reality, his window was rolled up and he was gone.

The guilt from that one night came back to Rossie. That night still haunts her but she would never think that there will come this night when she’d see that man again! That was just a one-night mistake! She has already considered that a nightmare she promised she won’t remember.

“Rossie! Hurry, girl!”

Hearing her friend’s voice snapped her back, blinking a couple of times before her eyes finally focused. Ellisa is here and she gulps, taking steps towards the car, pulling the door open, and getting in. She was still dazed at what happened.

“You okay, Rose? You seem pale!” Ellisa asked her worriedly.

“I am fine. I just saw myself crumble,” she murmurs.

“What?” Ellisa suddenly cups her face. “What’s wrong?”

“I saw him.” It almost sounded like a whisper and Rossie sees her friend’s facial expression slowly change. “He was here just now.”

“How did you know it was him? Do you remember his face?”

“I remember his gaze and he called me his runaway wife.”

“Wife? But we were just making some fun at that cha--”

“Oh, I don’t want to hear about that night!” Rossie cuts Ellisa off. “We should just get going or the manager will kill us." But the thought was still in her mind. Why would he suddenly be here?

“Right!” Ellisa let it go but before she faces the front she narrowed her eyes at Rossie and sighs heavily. “Don’t worry! It was just a fun night! No one will know!”

But they both know that Rossie messed up when she decided to go party that night. She gets goosebumps remembering the things she did that night, and that man…  he showed up making it all worse.

Dealing with a lot of irritating customers tires Rossie but the thought of going home soon keeps her going. That’s an everyday thing. And when it was time, she was quick to change her aux to offline and sign out, groaning loudly.

“This sure was a long night.” Ellisa breathes out. “Want to grab a meal first before heading home?”

“No, I have things to be done at home. It’s my sister’s birthday today. You’re all invited if you feel like going.”

“I have a shift later so I don’t think that’ll work for me but I’ll stop by, maybe.” Rossie gave Ellisa a hmm look with that answer. “Greet Prim for me and tell her the gift will have to wait a little longer like my bills.”

Rossie can’t help but laugh. Well, bills that don’t wait are part of being an adult. Responsibilities just can’t be shaken off now. You have to do something or living will grow into debt.

When Rossie finally arrived home, everyone was busy decorating the house. She greeted her sister and relayed her best friend’s message, making her sister laugh. After that, she went to greet her mom and dad.

“A mail arrive today. We didn’t have time to ask where it came from. I’m very busy,” her mother tells her setting up the balloons in places.

“No worries. It should have an address.” She smiles. “I’ll change and sleep a bit. Be back to help.”

Before heading inside her room, Rossie took the letter from the top of the cabinet. Once her door was shut behind her she throws herself in bed, groaning loudly. She opened the mail in a hurry and read the bold letters. Simultaneously, she started hyperventilating and all the memories from that night came like a montage. No! It can’t be! She’s married for real?