Prologue
Everyone in the crowd was happy and excited to witness the exchanging of vows of the couple in front of them.
“I’m sorry, Ciara.” Grae turned away from his bride.
The quiet place a minute ago turned into very noisy and full of questionable faces. The excited faces of the crowd turned into frowns. Grae’s supposed to be a very heart-whelming vow turns into a heartbreaking speech which was way out of the crowd’s expectation.
Grae didn’t want to get married this way. He hates fixed marriages the most. He was just forced to marry his childhood friend because of his parents.
“Mom, Dad, I’m sorry but I can’t do this. I can’t marry Ciara.” Everyone was shocked with what he said.
He decided to ruin the wedding after thinking things thoroughly since last night. He doesn’t want to hurt his childhood friend knowing that she is also forced to marry him.
“GRAESON!” his father shouted. Anger and disappointment are all written on his face. Grae didn’t mind his father and look for something—or rather a someone in the crowd. When he saw their wedding photographer’s assistant, he didn’t hesitate to come close to her. He think she was the best person he’ll use as a reason of his escape.
“Miss, can I borrow you for a moment?” he whispered to her ear. He quickly grab her hand and walks out of the church without even letting the girl speak.
Ciara and the rest of the crowd was left astounded inside the church. Same goes with the wedding photographer named Lianne. She didn’t know that her assistant, Audrey, and Grae knew each other.
As Grae and Audrey reached the park, he finally let go of the Audrey’s hand. Grae sat on a bench while guilt was written all over his face.
“Why did you bring me here?” Audrey shouted in frustration. Grae took a deep breathe before finally spoke.
“I’m sorry but I had to do it. I had no choice. I can’t think of a way to stop the wedding.” Grae looks so miserable and helpless. He can’t even manage to look at Audrey’s eyes at this point of time.
“And you think this is the right way to stop your own wedding? To just randomly take a stranger’s hand and leave the church? Just like that?” Audrey sarcastically asked.
“I already said sorry,” he shrugged.” We won’t be seeing each other after this, anyway. So there is nothing to worry about.”
Audrey can’t believe with what she heard. She distracted herself with fixing her broken white stiletto heels on her right foot. It broke while they were running out of the church. It was her favorite shoes since her aunt told her that it was a gift from her father.
“DAMN! Look what you’ve done! It’s broken!” she exclaimed.
Grae smiled while staring at her.
“She is so strange and funny” he absent-mindedly said to himself.
He stands up and looked around to find a shoe store. But instead, his eyes caught something else. It was Ciara’s bodyguards. And they’re about to chase them again.
“Shoot!” He quickly snatched Audrey’s shoes and pulled her by her wrist.
“W-wait! Where are you taking me this time?” Audrey asked him in confusion.
“Just… We’re going somewhere safer,” Grae answered.
He looked for a way where they can escape this time. His eyes caught a bus terminal named Jam Liner. With a new idea on his mind, he smiled.
“Jam Liner. That’s it!” he said to himself.
“Let’s go this way!” He pointed at the bus terminal of Jam Liner.
Grae’s move makes Aubrey frown. When she look at where Grae was looking a while ago, to her surprise, she saw men holding their guns and eagerly run towards them.
“They’re here!” she shouted as she looked back at Grae. He pulled her again until they hop in to a bus.
Audrey peeked through the bus’ window. When she saw the men who were chasing them finally left, she faces back at Grae.
“They’re gone.” she said to Grae. Grae just nodded as response. “What is your plan? Tell me honestly, why did you take me with you? Are you insane? I don’t even know you.”
Grae just shrugged. After that, there was a long silence between them.
Even Grae himself don’t understand why he took her with him. There were other possible ways he could make but he choose to run with this lady beside her. Maybe because she’s the girl he saved from an accident before? Because she owes him her life? Does she still remember me?
“Look.” He finally breaks the silence between them. “I’m really sorry.”
“Your apology won’t change anything. We can’t go back now since we’re already here. Where are we going anyway?” Audrey changes the topic and looks for the bus conductor.
“Excuse me. Where is this bus heading to?” she asked the bus conductor.
“To Batangas, Ma’am, ” the bus conductor answered before approaching the other passenger.
Suddenly, they heard clicking sounds from a camera. Grae looked through the window and saw a lot of paparazzis. He suddenly cussed while Audrey panicked.
It natural for her to panic since both of Ciara and Grae’s family were well-known in the country because of their business.
She quickly called the conductor again.
“Are we leaving soon?” she asked him again.
Before the bus conductor could answer, the bus started to move.
Audrey thought to herself if this guy was already used to involving strangers with his business?
She had no choice but to think where they could stay for the meantime. And all she could think as of the moment is their old home she had left when her aunt decided to stay abroad.
