Now, standing there in my wedding gown, I was staring at the reflection of a woman I was heading right down the same line to become. I was marrying young, not much more education than my mother, no talk of careers or jobs, just marrying well. They introduced me to Keith, and I knew I didn’t have any choice in the matter. So, I had been lying to myself the entire time, forcing myself to live in that robot version of myself that used to only come out when I was around someone in society. It was out all the time after Keith.
All the time except for that moment. That moment, staring down my future, thinking about all the things I imagined for my life at that age, realizing my life hadn’t turned out in any way how the young Emma graduating high school thought it would. In fact, it turned out exactly how I didn’t want it to.
“Don’t even get me started on the floral arrangements,” my mother continued, not really bitching to anyone in particular. “The purples look royal blue. It’s completely off. I would make them take them back, but then we’ll have nothing. It is a disaster.”
“Everything in your mother’s life is a disaster,” Liv whispered, winking at me.
I wanted to smile at her, but I couldn’t. Instead, I was standing frozen as my mother’s voice echoed louder and louder and louder inside my head. Everything felt like it was starting to close in on me. The seamstress walked over, tugging on the top of my gown, and my eyes shifted to her and over to Liv. Liv took one look at me and clapped her hands. “All right, everyone out. Sorry, that means you too, Mom. Go get ready for your seats, and let’s give the bride some space to breathe for a few minutes.”
“What about touch-ups on her makeup?” my mother asked as Liv pushed her toward the door with her own fake smile.
“I’ve got this, I promise, Mrs. Harrison,” she said. “You should go out and have a glass of champagne before you enter into the ceremonial room. Everything that can be done is done, and as mother of the bride, you have earned the right to just relax.”
I watched my mother from the corner of my eye. She narrowed hers at Liv and pursed her lips before nodding. “You’re right. I have earned the right to enjoy the day.”
Liv closed the door and locked it, leaning back against it. She let out a deep sigh, shaking her head. “Good God. Are you okay? I saw that look. Like you were about to just explode, body parts and shreds of a wedding gown flying everywhere.”
I sighed, my heart beating double time in my chest. “It would be pointless. My mother would hate the shade of my blood and request to speak to my manager.”
Choking on her sip of champagne, Liv laughed wildly. “I swear I don’t know how your father decided on your mother. They are so different.”
I could feel the heat rising up the back of my neck, and suddenly, the corset of my dress felt as if it were crushing my lungs. Sweat began to form on my forehead, and I stepped down from the pedestal and began to pace, dragging the heavy train of my dress behind me. I grabbed a piece of paper off the table and started fanning myself.
“It’s hot…I…I feel like I can’t breathe,” I wheezed.
Liv hurried over to me, and I put my hand on her shoulder, my other pressed to my stomach. “Are you all right? Breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth.”
Liv ran over and grabbed a paper bag from the counter, rushing over to me with it. “Here, breathe in this. It’ll help you not pass out.”
I nodded as I put the bag to my lips, closing my eyes as I breathed heavily in and out. After a few moments, my breath began to slow. I took the bag away and grabbed Liv by the shoulder. I stared her straight in the eyes, fully aware that I was making a huge mistake. “I can’t marry him.”
Liv’s eyes went wide. “Oh…Okay. Uh…why?”
Ringing my hands in the air, I began pacing again. “He’s rich, he’s handsome, and any woman would kill to be with him.”
Liv looked at me confused. “And that’s why you…can’t marry him?”
I shook my head. “No. I can’t marry him because while he is all of those things, more importantly, he is utterly and unequivocally an asshole. He is the biggest douche canoe I’ve ever met in my life.”
Liv gasped. “No. Not a douche pontoon?”
I thrust my arms out to both sides. “Try douche cruise liner. Douche aircraft carrier.”
Liv nodded. “Okay, what do you need?”
Pacing a few more times, I turned to Liv and nodded. “Get me out of here. I need to leave. I need to get away and hide out until this blows over. Which basically means I might as well invest in property somewhere non-English speaking. Either way, please, get me out of here.”
There was a knock on the door, and we both looked up. Liv went over and cracked the door. A young guy's voice spoke quietly through the crack. “Is she ready? We are lining up in ten minutes.”
Liv nodded. “Sure, yes. We’ll be out in just a moment.” She shut the door and stared over at me. “We gotta hurry.”
“Where do I go? What do I do?”
Liv grabbed my wallet and her own. She pulled out all the cash she had and shoved it in with mine before handing me the wallet. “Okay. You’re going to go out the back door. Take your wallet. Go a couple of blocks down and find the first ATM. Withdraw as much as you can and then don’t use your cards again. Then just keep getting away from here and anywhere you think your father will look. Take your phone, and I’ll text you in a bit. If I need to, we’ll figure out how to sneak you into my place later tonight.”
I nodded, hoping that it all sunk in. “Thank you, Liv.”
She pulled me in tight for a hug. “Go. I’ll handle this whole hell. Just make sure you get away from people. And if you have a chance, stop and buy some clothes. The wedding dress kind of gives it away.”
“Right,” I replied, holding my phone and wallet tightly in my arms.
Liv pushed me toward the back door and gave me a nod before I opened it and ran out. I was in the alleyway between the buildings, so I ran in the opposite direction from where guests might be standing outside. As I came out on the next street over, I turned left and just started walking fast, ignoring the glares I was getting. A few blocks down I found an ATM and pulled out several different cards, withdrawing as much cash as I could and shoving it in my wallet.
When I turned around, the world suddenly felt really big and really scary. I knew I had to just keep going. I had tunnel vision. I raced to the curb and put my arm up, hailing a cab. The driver stared at me curiously as I climbed in and shut the door.
“Where to?”
“Uhm, well, I don’t know, away from here,” I replied.
He lifted a brow. “I need a destination, ma’am.”
Looking around for any idea, I glanced over as a city bus drove past. On the side of the bus was a tropical island and a picture of a plane. The text read “Run Away From Your Life: Fly Anywhere in the World.”
“The airport,” I blurted out. “Just take me to the airport.”
Chapter 4
Gabriel
“Good evening passengers, this is Gabriel, your captain speaking. We are currently readying the plane for your arrival in Chicago. The current weather is a beautiful windy 89 degrees, and we’ve made good time — should be taxiing twenty minutes early today. We thank you for flying with us, and have a wonderful stay in Chicago.”