Chapter 4

Elise's pov;

Lizzy looked at me with concern, "How long are you going to hide yourself away from those people, Elise?"

I was placing the last piece of clothing inside my bag saying, “As long as I can.”

Lizzy continued, "You can't hide forever. His men are everywhere - at your home, my place, and all of our friends' houses too. They're keeping watch like hounds, just waiting for you to turn up. Do you know how difficult it was for me to slip away from their gaze to come see you?”

I locked my bags and sat down heavily on the bed. "What about the things I asked you to get?" I asked, changing the subject.

Lizzy let out a sigh and handed me the plane tickets, ID documents, and a new cell phone. "Running away isn't the solution to this problem, Elise," she said gently.

I took the items, saying "It will only be for a little while. Once they find a new bride, they'll forget all about me. It will be like I never existed. Until then, I have to get as far away from them as possible."

Lizzy looked concerned. "What about your parents? They're the ones who agreed to the marriage in the first place."

I gave her a hard look. "They deserve this for deciding to marry me off to a murderer like him."

Lizzy frowned. "Are you still the same girl who talked about family honor just a few weeks ago?"

"I'm still the same, just angry now," I retorted.

Lizzy wasn't convinced. "What if your parents didn't know the truth about him, like we did?"

"They should have looked into it more before agreeing to their only daughter's wedding," I said bitterly.

Lizzy changed tactics. "What about your bakery? You worked so hard on that business."

"I arranged for my manager to take over running things until I return," I replied, having prepared for that question in advance.

Lizzy didn't press me further, sensing I wouldn't change my mind. She fell silent, deep in thought.

Once my bags were ready, I touched Lizzy's shoulder. "Hey Liz, you should get going before they notice you're missing too. It's not safe."

Lizzy hugged me tightly. "At least let me come to the airport with you," she pleaded.

I broke away gently. "You know it's too risky. I don't want them to see you helping me escape. Just get home safely, okay?" I looked seriously into her eyes. "I'll be fine, Lizzy. Don't worry about me."

After Lizzy left, I grabbed my bags and caught a taxi to the airport. Keeping my face covered, I hoped they wouldn't recognize me.

I dragged my bags into the airport, tired from the trip. After checking in, I found my gate with boarding passes in hand. Only ten minutes until departure - not much time.

My throat felt dry. Why didn't I grab water from the hotel? A coffee sounded good. I headed to the shop and ordered a latte, needing a pick-me-up before the flight.

Sipping slowly by my gate, I watched the time pass. Then my phone rang - an unknown number. What if it was Lizzy calling from a new phone? I answered, "Yeah?"

"I'm not Lizzy, Ms. Carroll." The voice sent a chill down my spine. I immediately hung up and powered off my phone, stuffing it away. Grabbing my bag, I started for the gate in a hurry.

That's when they surrounded me - Mr. Alarcon and his men blocking my path. "Leaving so soon?" he said. I turned to face him, remembering the violence. He took my boarding passes. "Quebec will have to wait. Come with me now."

I pulled my arm free. "You can't force me to go!" I spotted an officer and pleaded for help. "He's taking me against my will."

Mr. Alarcon lied smoothly. "She's my fiancée, just upset." But the officer didn't believe me. There was no way out. I had no choice but to leave with them, surrounded on all sides as we exited the airport.

Mr. Alarcon and I were sitting in the car in an uncomfortable silence after I fled our wedding ceremony. Finally, he broke the tension by saying "Listen, I know you have your reasons for leaving, but I really need this marriage to happen."

I responded bluntly, "Well I don't want to marry you. If you're that desperate to get hitched, find someone else willing. Leave me out of it."

He shot me an intense glare before taking a deep breath to calm down. "You've embarrassed me in front of everyone, so now you have to marry me to make up for it."

"You can't force me into a marriage I don't want. Shouldn't I be the one deciding who I marry, not some stranger?" I almost called him a murderer but caught myself - I needed to choose my words carefully here.

Mr. Alarcon then asked the driver to step out of the car. Why was he doing that? When I looked over at him, he was loosening his tie. What was he planning to do to me? When I tried the door, it was locked. Was he going to hurt me?

To my surprise, he spoke calmly. "I can't marry anyone else now, everyone knows your face from my family to my business contacts." He continued, "And I need to get married to get this important position I've been wanting for a long time."

"So you're only marrying me to advance your career?" I asked.

He nodded and said "Yeah."

"Can't you get the position without being married?" I pressed.

"It's what my father expects," he replied.

Why did he suddenly sound like an obedient son? At that moment, I didn't see a murderer in him anymore. I considered our limited options - it seemed like I couldn't escape him no matter what I tried. Marrying him was the only way forward, unless...

"Alright, we'll get married - but only under a legal contract," I decided.

"What?" I asked, confused by the unexpected proposal.

"You want to become CEO, right? Then let's make a deal. For a year, I'll help you get to the top like you've always wanted. At the end of that time, you'll walk away with the job and title, and I'll walk away from this marriage. What do you say?" he replied.

He paused in thought before nodding. "That's an interesting idea. Though we should keep this between us for now. No need to involve others in our private agreement."

"Deal." I confirmed with a nod of my own.

Our driver got in and we headed off to parts unknown. After some time, we pulled up outside a familiar church. He exited the car and went inside as I remained seated, staring at the large doors. One of his men opened my door. "Let's go in, Ms. Carroll," he said.

I stepped out with my borrowed bag in hand. As I walked through those doors, I was shocked by the crowd inside. I spotted friends and family there to witness this. My parents sat in the front row on one side while his father sat on the other.

A woman approached. "This way, Ms. Carroll," she whispered, leading me to a room with my wedding dress laid out. I couldn't believe he had orchestrated all this again so soon.

Just then I heard a commotion outside, recognizing the voice yelling as my friend Lizzy. "Let her in," I called out. When she entered, sweaty and out of breath, I asked the woman to give us privacy.

Lizzy grabbed my shoulders urgently. "Aren't you supposed to be at the airport? What are you doing here?"

"Give me a moment," I replied calmly. "I'll change."

"Change into what?" she pressed nervously.

I gestured to the dress. "Do you want me to marry him in a hoodie?"

When I moved to put it on, Lizzy blocked me desperately. "Are you insane? He's a mur-" she lowered her voice. "He's a murderer, Elise."

I sighed heavily. "Wait outside." After she left reluctantly, I finished preparing for the ceremony, hoping Lizzy would understand in time.

Stepping out, I walked down the aisle to where he stood waiting with the priest. I can't believe I'm doing this. As I reached them, the priest asked me the dreaded question.

When I hesitated at the altar, Mr. Alarcon tapped my shoulder and said "Say yes, what are you waiting for?"

I took one last look at my parents in the front row and my friend Lizzy by the door. It's only for a year, I told myself. A year.

I opened my mouth and said "Yes."

After exchanging rings, the priest said "You may kiss the bride."

Wait, what?! As soon as I realized what was happening, it was done. I was married. Married to a murderer. What was I thinking?!

After the ceremony, everyone congratulated us as we took photos. While posing for a picture, I saw Lizzy hurry out. Without thinking, I ran after her. "Liz, what's wrong?"

She glanced around nervously. "Don't make me say it. Just let me go."

"Lizzy, please."

She leaned in close. "He's not a good man and we both know it. I'm not mad, just worried for you. I don't know why you did this but be careful with him." With a meaningful look, she left.

A man said "The boss is looking for you, ma'am."

Mr. Alarcon gestured for me to come over. I went, posing for more pictures.

My parents approached but Mr. Alarcon intercepted them. "Don't worry about her anymore," he said with a smile. "I'll take care of her." If only they knew he didn't mean a word of it.

His father congratulated us. But his words didn't sound happy. Whatever, I thought.

I can't believe I went through with this. Living with a murderer—how could I endure a whole year?!