Runaway Bride (Runaway Hearts #1)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER

ONE

CAROLINE

Everyone thinks I'm crying because I'm happy.

That's the problem with weddings. People see a bride sobbing as she walks down the aisle and they immediately assume she's overwhelmed with joy. They smile. They dab at their eyes. They whisper about how beautiful the moment is.

Not a single person in this room realizes I'm crying because my entire life just exploded thirty minutes ago.

The music begins. The doors swing open.

My brother, Ethan, offers me his arm.

"You ready?" he asks softly.

No. Hell, no.

I want to sprint in the opposite direction… I want to climb out a window… I want to steal a horse and ride into the wilderness.

Instead, I force a nod.

"Yep." My voice cracks. Another tear slides down my cheek.

Ethan smiles. He thinks they're happy tears too. Everyone does.

The wedding venue is stunning. A massive mountain lodge built from stone and timber. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook rolling green hills. White roses line the aisle. Crystal chandeliers sparkle overhead. The place looks like it belongs in a fairy tale.

Which is ironic. Because this fairy tale was built on a lie—Nathan's lie. Or my mother's lie… mostly my mother's lie.

Ethan gently squeezes my hand.

"You look beautiful, Car."

A sob escapes me.

His smile widens. "See? You're making me emotional too."

If only he knew. If only any of them knew. The guests rise from their seats. I take my first step. Then another. Then another. Every movement feels impossible. Like I'm walking through wet cement.

At the end of the aisle stands Nathan. My groom—Or at least he was supposed to be.

He looks handsome in his tuxedo. Tall, clean cut…

exactly how you would imagine your groom would look when you’re a little girl.

The exact kind of man my mother would choose.

Which turns out to be exactly what happened.

Because thirty minutes ago I found out my mother paid him. PAID. HIM. To propose.

I'd simply been trying to find a bathroom away from the bridal suite. Instead, I'd walked past an office near the back of the lodge. And heard voices—Mom's voice and Nathan's voice.

At first I thought they were discussing wedding details. Then I heard her laugh. "You've already been paid. Just get through the ceremony."

My entire world stopped. I stood frozen outside the door. I was certain I'd misunderstood.

Then Nathan answered. "Caroline's going to lose her mind when she finds out."

Mom snorted. "She isn't going to find out."

I gripped the wall so hard my nails dug into the wood. My heart pounding. My stomach twisting.

And then Nathan said the words that shattered everything. "Honestly, I still can't believe you offered me fifty grand to marry your daughter."

Fifty Thousand Dollars?!?

I nearly threw up right there in the hallway. Ethan guides me forward. The guests blur together through my tears. None of them know.

Because after hearing the truth, I didn't storm into the room.

I didn't scream. I didn't confront them.

I just stood there listening. Learning exactly how little my mother thinks of me.

Learning that my engagement wasn't real.

Learning that my fiancé sold himself to the highest bidder.

Learning that my life had been manipulated for reasons even crazier than money.

A fresh wave of tears spills down my face.

Because the worst part wasn't the payment.

It was the reason behind it. The reason my mother wanted this wedding so badly.

The reason she'd spent the last six months pressuring me to set a date.

The reason she'd insisted on this venue.

The owner of the venue recently separated from his wife. And my mother wanted access.

I almost laugh. The sound comes out more like a strangled sob. Seven husbands apparently isn't enough. The handsome owner of this lodge is her newest target. Future ex-husband number seven. Maybe number eight. I've honestly lost track.

The man had separated from his wife a few months ago.

My mother found out. Then suddenly she became obsessed with booking this venue.

Obsessed with wedding planning. Obsessed with making sure she spent every possible moment here.

Because nothing says healthy emotional boundaries like forcing your daughter into a marriage so you can flirt with a recently separated man.

The realization still feels insane. Like something out of a bad soap opera. And yet here I am. Walking toward an altar because my mother wanted yet another romance.

My chest tightens. The room feels too small… too hot... too crowded. And I can’t breathe.

Nathan smiles at me from the altar. The sight makes my stomach churn. How many times did he look me in the eye and lie? How many times did he tell me he loved me? How many times did he kiss me knowing he'd been hired? I don't even know what's real anymore.

Ethan leans closer. "You okay?"

No. No, I am not okay.

My entire engagement was apparently a business transaction. But I can't tell him that. Not here. Not now. So I nod.

The lie tastes bitter.

We're halfway down the aisle now. Nathan waits beside the minister.

My mother sits proudly in the front row.

Her smile could power a small city. She's practically glowing.

Probably because she spent half the rehearsal dinner flirting with the venue owner.

My gaze drifts across the room. And that's when I see him.

Standing near the back wall. Watching. For a strange moment our eyes lock.

I wonder if he knows… In this moment, I hate him too.

Then Ethan guides me forward and the moment breaks.

I look away immediately. What is wrong with me? My wedding is literally happening. The altar gets closer. Nathan's smile grows wider. My pulse pounds harder. Faster. Louder.

Every instinct inside me is screaming. Run before you're trapped.

Ethan slows slightly as we approach the front. Just a few more steps. That's all. A few more steps and I'll be standing beside a man who accepted fifty thousand dollars to marry me. A few more steps and I'll be pretending none of this happened. A few more steps and my mother wins.

The music swells. The guests smile. And somehow I'm standing beside Nathan. My stomach twists. I feel like I'm watching someone else's life. Nathan reaches for my hand. I almost pull away.

Instead, I let him take it. His fingers wrap around mine. The touch makes my skin crawl. Not because I hate him or because I'm angry. Because suddenly I don't know who he is.

The man standing beside me looks exactly like the man I dated for two years. The man I laughed with. The man I introduced to friends. The man I trusted. Yet somehow he's also a complete stranger.

The minister smiles warmly. He looks out at the crowd before turning toward us.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today we gather to celebrate two people who followed their hearts..."

My jaw tightens.

"...and found pure happiness together."

Pure happiness? The phrase echoes inside my head.

Happiness? Seriously?

I stare at the minister. The words continue flowing from his mouth. Something about destiny, love, soulmates… blah blah blah. I barely hear any of it because my brain has completely latched onto those two stupid words.

Followed our hearts? He followed the money. What a fucking joke.

Following your heart doesn't lead to pure happiness. Following your heart apparently leads to discovering your fiancé got paid to propose. Following your heart leads to public humiliation. Following your heart leads to sitting through your own wedding while trying not to vomit.

The minister continues speaking. Nathan squeezes my hand. I glance at him. His smile looks strained now. Nervous. Maybe he knows. Maybe he realizes I heard everything. Maybe he's wondering whether I'm going to expose him in front of two hundred guests.

The thought is tempting. Very tempting.

I could do it. I could turn toward everyone and tell them exactly what happened.

I could point at Nathan. Point at my mother.

Tell the entire room about the fifty thousand dollars and my engagement was basically a business arrangement.

Or that my mother manufactured this entire relationship because she wanted access to a recently separated man.

The image flashes through my mind. Gasps. Chaos. Humiliation. But then I realize something. I don't owe anyone an explanation. Not today.

I just want out.

The minister keeps talking "...a bond built on trust..."

Trust. I almost laugh.

"...a partnership built on honesty..."

Honesty! Now I definitely almost laugh.

The room suddenly feels too small. The walls feel like they're closing in. I can't breathe. I can't think. I can't stand here another second.

The realization slams into me. I don't need anyone's permission to leave. Not Nathan's. Not my mother's. Not the guests'. Not the minister's.

I can just go. Right now. My pulse begins hammering. The minister is still speaking. No one notices. No one sees what's happening inside my head. No one sees the exact moment something snaps.

My feet move. Before my brain catches up, my body simply decides for me. I let go of Nathan's hand. Turn around. And run. For one heartbeat, absolute silence fills the room.

Then a collective gasp explodes behind me. The sound is enormous. Hundreds of people sucking in air at once. Complete shock and confusion rebounds through the room. The minister stops talking. Someone yells. A chair crashes to the floor.

"Caroline!" Nathan's voice.

I don't stop. The train of my dress whips behind me as I sprint down the aisle. Guests leap out of the way. Bouquets shake. People stand and someone drops a champagne glass. The sound shatters through the lodge and another gasp ripples through the crowd. The entire room erupts into chaos.

"Caroline!"

"Wait!"

"What happened?"

"Oh my God!"

I keep running. The massive doors loom ahead. It’s freedom. The closer I get, the harder my heart pounds. Not from fear but from relief. Pure overwhelming relief.

For the first time all day, I can breathe. I shove through the doors. Sunlight blinds me. Voices explode behind me. People are following. I race across the parking lot. My heels stab into the pavement. I don't care. My dress catches on something. I yank it free.

I keep running. My car sits near the far edge of the lot and I reach it after what seems like a million years. My hands shake so violently I nearly drop the keys.

Behind me, voices grow louder.

"Caroline!"

I recognize Ethan's voice. Then my mother's. Then Nathan's.

The sound of my mother's voice nearly sends me into another sprint. I jam the key into the door.

Miss. Try again. Success.

I fling myself inside. The door slams shut. For one brief second everything goes quiet.

Just me. My pounding heart. Then fists hit the window.

I look up. Nathan.

He's running toward the car. My mother isn't far behind. Neither is Ethan. Their mouths are moving. I can't hear any of it through the glass. I don't want to. I start the engine. The car roars to life.

"No!" my mother screams. I can read her lips.

Nathan pounds on the passenger window. "Caroline!"

I throw the car into reverse. His eyes widen and he jumps back. The tires screech. Then I'm moving. The lodge shrinks in the rearview mirror. People pour out of the building. Everyone is pointing and staring. Everyone watching the disaster unfold.

I don't care. For the first time all day, I truly don't care. My phone begins ringing almost immediately. The screen lights up.

MOM

I decline the call.

It rings again.

Decline.

Again.

Decline.

Again.

I toss the phone onto the passenger seat. The road stretches ahead of me. Miles of open highway. I have no plan, no destination, and I have no idea what will happen next. I ruined everything… including my dress and my mascara. My entire life is a complete mess.