I ran from my own wedding — wearing a dress and heels — my heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of my chest. My breath was shallow, quick, almost like I was drowning in fear. I didn’t know where to go, but I knew I had to get away. So I ran.
Behind me, a voice I knew all too well shouted sharply, angry and desperate.
“Skylar! Stop!”
I spun into another hallway, my foot slipping on the smooth floor. Pain shot through my left foot, but I forced myself to keep moving. I couldn’t stop—not now.
The hotel corridors twisted endlessly, cold and dim, like a scary maze from a nightmare. Suddenly, I reached the lobby. It was empty and quiet. I dove behind a giant column, crouching low, gasping for breath.
“Turn around and talk to me like a normal person!” That voice barked again.
No way. I knew that “normal” voice. It was the voice that said, “You made me do this,” as his fingers dug into my wrist so hard it left bruises. I rolled up my sleeve—purple, fresh, painful bruises stared back at me.
I burst out from behind the column and ran to the fire exit, throwing open the door and racing down the stairs, ignoring the burning pain in my foot. I didn’t care where I was going. Anywhere but back.
I stopped at the first door I saw and pounded on it like my life depended on it—because it did.
The door swung open.
A man stood there, jeans hanging low, bare chest showing, towel draped over his shoulder. His hair was still dripping wet. He had just stepped out of the shower, but instead of being annoyed, he smirked.
“Um… I didn’t order a bride tonight. But hey, I love a good discount,” he teased.
“Please,” I gasped, “I’ll explain everything later. Just… let me hide. For a minute, please!”
He grinned wider. “Alright. Come in, before you turn into the next true crime headline.”
I slipped inside, my heart pounding in my throat. The man started drying his hair again, throwing curious glances my way.
“I can’t stay long. But… can you give me something to wear? Something boyish. I promise I’ll return it.”
He laughed. “I trust you more than my eBay buyers. Hang tight.”
He disappeared into the closet and came back with a pair of jeans, a hoodie, a baseball cap, and sunglasses.
“Unisex, one-size-fits-all, certified drama-proof. I’m Ethan, by the way. Though you don’t look like you’re in the mood for meet-cutes.”
“Thank you, Ethan,” I said quickly, pulling off the heavy wedding dress.
When I turned around, he stepped forward and gently touched my forearm. I jerked back.
“What are you doing?!”
“Relax,” he said calmly. “You’re not my type. Neither are those bruises. They don’t suit you.”
His smile vanished.
“It’s… a long story,” I muttered, pulling the hoodie over my head.
“That’s why you ran?”
I nodded. Silence fell, broken only by the soft rustle of fabric as I pulled the cap low over my eyes and slipped on the sunglasses. My reflection in the mirror was unrecognizable—someone else, a guy with suspiciously sharp cheekbones.
“Thank you… Ethan, right?”
“Right. And you are?”
“Sky… Skylar. But it’s better if you forget that.”
Ethan tilted his head but didn’t press further.
“If you change your mind, the door’s open. Just don’t bring your drama here. My neighbors already think I’m running a secret cult.”
And just like that… I escaped.
From the man who had controlled me, from the wedding I never wanted, from the future I never chose.
But I didn’t know yet: the worst was still waiting.
Because running away wasn’t the hardest part.
The hardest part… was trusting the wrong person.
I sat behind my sister’s fence for nearly an hour. The night around me grew heavier, darker, and the fear inside my chest grew too. My fingers were numb, my bruises throbbed under my sleeves, but I couldn’t bring myself to press the doorbell. Something inside me held back.
Junie was my sister, but we were never close. Different fathers, different lives, different everything.
Still, she was the only one who never judged me. And she was home—back from my wedding.
When the hallway light inside finally turned off, I knocked softly.
The door opened immediately. Junie stood there barefoot, wearing a huge T-shirt, hugging herself like she already knew a storm was coming.
“Skylar?.. Oh my God, is that you? You look like you ran from a fire.”
“From my own wedding,” I said with a crooked smile. “Can I come in?”
“This… might not be the best idea. I’m not going to be alone for long…”
“Junie, I’m begging you…”
She stepped aside slowly. I walked in. The house was perfect inside but felt strange, unfamiliar.
Without a word, Junie poured me a glass of water. I finally started to speak.
“I had nowhere else to go. Mom’s out of the question. She still thinks Derek walks on water. He… he’s good at pretending.”
“Why did you run? That’s crazy! You two looked so happy…”
“I found out he was cheating. I confronted him. We argued… and he wouldn’t let me leave. He just… stopped me.”
I lifted my sleeve. Junie’s eyes grew wide.
“I’m sorry. I… I didn’t know.”
“I don’t want to cause you trouble. Just… let me stay the night. I’ll be gone before sunrise. You won’t even remember I was here.”
“Okay. But listen… my boyfriend’s coming soon. I… I haven’t introduced him to the family yet. He’s… complicated.”
“I see…”
“And this is his place. He doesn’t like surprises.”
“I don’t want to see anyone either. Trust me.”
Junie led me down a long hallway and opened the door to an old guest room. The windows were covered, the bed neat and untouched.
“You can stay here. But, Sky… promise me. Not a word, not a step, until morning. Okay? There are crackers and soda in the closet.”
“Thank you, Junie. I won’t forget this.”
“I hope this is your fresh start. Without guys like him.”
When the door shut behind her, I finally let the tears come. Quiet, into my palm.
I thought I had escaped.
But I didn’t know I had just stepped into a trap.
I didn’t know if I could trust Junie… but I had no other choice. I found some crackers, but my throat was too tight to swallow. I needed water, so I quietly slipped into the kitchen.
As I passed the living room, I heard Junie’s voice, soft and uneasy. Then another voice—sharp and familiar.
My body froze.
It was him.
Derek.
I crept closer to the door and pressed my ear against it.
“Derek, stop. Maybe you shouldn’t. She’ll be gone by morning anyway!”
“Are you kidding me? I’ve put too much work into this! I need to push her. She has no choice!”
“You already have everything you wanted! Two houses from your last cons. You have me. Let Skylar go — she’s not marrying you now.”
“Her mother loves me, so I’ll convince her again. She’ll give me the house.”
The house? What house?
My heart hammered in my chest. I crouched lower, desperate to stay hidden.
“Listen, Junie. I only get the house if we’re officially married. And you know it was her father’s gift — for her, his favorite.”
A bitter whisper from Junie sliced through me.
“I watched her get everything, year after year. And when you told me you had a plan, I didn’t hesitate. For once, I could be the center of it. For once, we could do something… together.”
I covered my mouth with my hand. It was all a game. A perfect, cruel act. And I was just a piece in their scheme.
“I made our mother trust you, Derek. You think she fell for your little gifts and dinners? I was the one who told her the house should go to the man—the future head of the family. I told her Skylar would listen better, give her grandkids faster.”
“You sure put in the work. Maybe it’s time we finish the job?”
“How? You still think you can force her into marrying you after she ran away?”
“Yes! I don’t quit. This is our first con together. We’ll break her down. Just like the others.”
I couldn’t breathe.
A con? Me? My sister? My father’s house?
My hands trembled. I grabbed my phone and turned on the recorder.
But it slipped from my fingers and slammed on the floor with a loud CLACK!
The door flew open.
“Skylar?!”
I stood frozen in the hallway, pale as a ghost. My phone lay at my feet. Derek stepped toward me, eyes blazing.
“You heard all that, didn’t you?”
I couldn’t say a word. The danger filled the air like poison. He charged, hand raised.
“You know what you just did?! You ruined everything!”
“Don’t touch her!” Junie suddenly threw herself between us. “Derek, stop!”
“Get out of my way!”
I still couldn’t move. His rage burned through his eyes.
Then—
“Hey!”
A strong, calm male voice thundered behind us.
“Ethan?!”
I couldn’t believe it. It was him. Ethan, standing in the living room doorway, phone in hand, eyes fierce.
“I came to the wedding, brother. And guess what I found? A missing bride. A girl begging to hide in my hotel room. Took me a while, but I put it all together.”
“This isn’t your business!”
“Oh, but it became my business when I turned on my voice recorder,” Ethan said, lifting his phone. “And caught every word.”
“Give it to me!”
Derek lunged for Ethan’s phone—the device flew from his hand, shattering against the wall. Ethan shoved him back—not hard, but with a steady glare.
“You chose this path.”
Then Ethan came over to me, draped his jacket over my shoulders, never taking his eyes off Derek.
“Let’s go, Skylar. You’re not staying here.”
One step. Then another. Then a third—I walked away without looking back, with the man who had saved me twice that day.
We sat in a quiet late-night café on the corner. Ethan brought me a warm cup of tea and sat across from me.
I held the mug tightly with both hands.
“I don’t have a plan. My mother… she believes them. She thinks he’s perfect. She thinks Junie could never betray me…”
“I took care of it,” Ethan said calmly. “The moment I realized who my brother’s bride was, I called your mother. Got her number, promised to help. As soon as I recorded the conversation… I sent it to her, along with this café’s address. She’s on her way.”
I didn’t know what to say. For the first time in a long time, I felt something other than fear. I felt warmth.
“Thank you, Ethan… You didn’t have to do that. This wasn’t your fight.”
He smiled softly. “You know, when you knocked on my door, I thought it was just a crazy twist of fate. But then… it became my fight.”
I nodded, tears burning in my eyes.
“That house… it was my dad’s. We planted an apple tree there when I was seven — just the two of us.”
I clenched my jaw. Ethan gently took my hand.
“You’re going back there. On your terms.”
The doorbell jingled softly. My mother arrived.
“I’m sorry, Sky. I was blind. I let them manipulate me. I just wanted happiness, grandkids, a fairytale ending…”
I just nodded.
“I’m calling the lawyer and returning the house to you — just like your father wanted.”
“Mom…”
We hugged, tight and long. When I looked up, Ethan had quietly stepped outside, giving us space. But I knew—he hadn’t gone far.
A week later, I returned to my father’s house. The apple tree bloomed bright and full. Ethan waited by the gate.
“I brought a blanket,” he joked. “Just in case you feel like running again.”
I laughed. The real kind.
We planned a quiet weekend at my dad’s place. But in my heart, I knew this was the start of something bigger. Something real. Together.