Chapter 1: Runaway

I held my palms tightly together in the bridal car, the nerves in my chest refusing to dissipate as I waited. My gaze was fixed intently on the commotion happening inside the church. Eventually, my mother, Letizia, made her way to the limousine I was in, her face filled with anxiety.

 

"Hija!" she called out as she knocked on the car window.

 

I rolled down the window slowly for her. "Mother, what's going on?"

 

She appeared restless and glanced around before addressing me, causing my anxiety to spike. I straightened up and spoke once more. "Mom!"

 

"Hija, Lester isn't here yet. He should have been here early. He's only an hour late," she said.

 

"Maybe he got stuck in traffic, or his car broke down on the road. I'll try to call him," I quickly and nervously fished for my phone inside my clutch bag. However, Lester's phone was turned off.

 

I didn't want to entertain the thought, but one idea entered my mind: he wouldn't show up!

 

I dropped my phone and immediately stepped out of the car. Ignoring the onlookers in the church, I hurried over to Lester's mom and embraced her tightly.

 

"Mom, I can't reach Lester," I said between rapid breaths.

 

She took hold of my hands. "Hija, we can't reach his phone," she said as I shook my head in disbelief.

 

"He can't do this to us, Maricar. He can't embarrass us here!" declared Don Simon, Lester's dad.

 

My chest tightened even more. I left the church in tears.

 

"No. This must be a dream," I whispered. I closed my eyes tightly and pinched my arm, feeling like the weight of the world was crashing down on me. Tears filled my eyes. "You said you love me? Where are you?" I said sadly.

 

Cindy, my best friend, approached me. She hugged me tightly, shedding tears just as I was. "Margaux, calm down. Maybe Lester is just running late," she said while gently patting my back.

 

I turned swiftly, wiping away my tears, and extended my hand to her. "Where's your key?"

 

"Where are you going? Just wait a little longer. Maybe he'll come," she insisted.

 

"Just give me your key!" I yelled. She sighed before reluctantly speaking. "In the state you're in now, you definitely can't drive properly. I'll drive for you."

 

"Just give me your car key!" I exclaimed emphatically.

 

Cindy seemed taken aback by my urgency and bit her lip. Finally, with sorrow in her eyes, she reached for her key.

 

I heard my dad calling me. "Margaux!"

 

I just glanced at Dad before rushing towards Cindy's car. I could see them attempting to chase after me, but I sped off in the car. I didn't even know where I was headed.

 

"I'm so sorry, Mom and Dad," I whispered, wiping away the tears that kept falling. I knew I had disappointed them this time. If only I could turn back time, I wouldn't want to embarrass them in front of so many people.

 

"Damn you! Bastard!" I shouted.

 

I was ready. I truly wanted to build a future with him, but his actions... What had I done wrong in our relationship?

 

It was excruciating. Not only because my family was humiliated in front of so many people, but also because he made me appear foolish.

 

I couldn't fathom why he had done this to me. Our relationship had been smooth over the three years we'd been together. He often made efforts because I was busy with work. He even proposed marriage, promising to walk me down the aisle. Damn bastard!

 

I honked loudly at the person who overtook me suddenly.

 

"Damn you! You damn bastard!" I was startled when the car abruptly stopped in front of me.

 

"Idiot!" I blurted out before hitting the brakes.

 

I swiftly got out of the car. Despite wearing a gown, I didn't care! I knocked on the car window.

 

"Hey, whoever you are, get out of there! You don't own this road, and you have no right to suddenly stop in the middle of the road after overtaking!" I shouted in anger.

 

I moved away from the car door as it was opened, revealing a man wearing sunglasses. He looked stunning in his white polo shirt and dark pants. However, the horns honking from cars behind us startled me.

 

"Get married so they stop chasing you on the road!" the driver shouted, grinning at us.

 

Even the passengers in the jeep laughed, while some trembled with excitement.

 

Were they serious? They thought this man had abandoned me at our wedding, and I was chasing after him? Someone did leave me, but it wasn't this bastard!

 

I glared at the spectators and faced the man who negligently opened his car door.

 

"Mr. Whatever, who do you think you are for stopping in the middle of the road?! What if I hadn't hit the brakes in time?!" I expressed my frustration, even though I acknowledged my own role in the situation.

 

But he remained silent. What an antipathetic man! I heaved a sigh, narrowing my eyes at him. "Are you deaf or something?"

 

"I don't see anything wrong with what I did. You're at fault for cursing at me," he retorted, crossing his arms.

 

"Excuse me? I'm still to blame?" I heard him curse under his breath, jaw clenched as he swallowed visibly. When I looked up at him, I was taken aback, particularly when he took a step closer.

 

"You're the reason why I'm late, Miss Runaway Bride," he whispered.

 

I swallowed hard. What did he just say? My cheeks flushed. "You rudely stopped in the middle of the road! And by the way, I'm not a runaway bride!"

 

He chuckled before continuing, "It seems your car is undamaged. Unless... you want compensation, right?!" He smirked.

 

Before I could reply, a traffic enforcer intervened. "Excuse me. Is there a problem here?" inquired the uniformed man as he handed us a ticket.

 

"No, nothing. Just having a chat," confidently responded the man in sunglasses, with his hands now in his pockets.

 

"Please step aside as you're disrupting traffic flow," the impatient enforcer directed, his gaze briefly flickering towards me.

 

"Alright, I have a meeting to get to, so I should head out," the antipathetic man remarked before giving the enforcer a pat on the shoulder. He glanced at me and then nonchalantly shrugged. "As for you, Miss, you might be late for your wedding. What a waste of your gown and makeup if you end up running away!" He laughed as he got back into his car.

 

His words stung, and I winced at the remark. As he pulled away, he extended his hand out the window in farewell.

 

"Fck you, bstard!" I shouted in frustration, left with no choice but to retreat into my car. "You'll regret this, you arrogant man!”