CHAPTER 2: THE MISSING BRIDE
1868 Words
“I swear, if this day gets any worse, I might actually scream.”
But I don’t.
I can’t.
Because screaming will only make things worse.
My heart is already loud enough.
Too loud.
Too fast.
I press my back against the cold wall of the hallway, trying to steady my breathing.
“They’re here…”
Marc.
And Mason.
Looking for me.
My chest tightens again.
“I shouldn’t be here.”
I shouldn’t have left that room.
I shouldn’t have gone to the bar.
I shouldn’t have talked to him.
“I shouldn’t have slept with him.”
The thought hits harder this time.
Sharper.
Because now it’s real.
Not just a mistake.
A consequence.
And it’s chasing me down this hallway.
I peek around the corner slightly.
Marc is still there.
Talking to one of the hotel staff.
His face is calm.
Too calm.
And that’s what scares me.
Because Marc Donald—my husband—is not a man who stays calm when he loses control.
He’s the CEO of Turbo Motors.
A man used to power.
Used to owning everything.
Including me.
“She’s my wife,” I hear him say, his voice low but firm. “Find her.”
Wife.
The word makes my stomach turn.
“I don’t feel like your wife…”
I never did.
Mason stands beside him, quiet as always.
Watching.
Observing.
He doesn’t talk much, but his eyes—
They miss nothing.
And right now, those eyes are scanning everything.
Including this hallway.
I quickly pull back, pressing myself harder against the wall.
My hands are shaking again.
“Think, Jessica… think.”
I can’t go back.
I can’t go forward.
I’m stuck.
Trapped.
Just like this marriage.
“I need to get out of here.”
Meanwhile…
Marc is losing patience.
“You mean to tell me,” he says slowly, dangerously, “that my wife walked out of this hotel room… and none of you know where she is?”
The hotel manager swallows nervously.
“Sir, we are doing everything we can—”
“Clearly, it’s not enough.”
His voice cuts through the air like a blade.
Cold.
Sharp.
Final.
“I want the security footage,” Marc adds.
“Now.”
The staff rush to obey.
No one wants to keep Marc Donald waiting.
Not in this city.
Not in this hotel.
Minutes later, they’re all gathered in a private office.
Watching the screens.
Replaying the night.
Mason stands quietly behind Marc.
Watching closely.
Always watching.
“There,” one of the staff points.
Jessica appears on the screen.
Walking into the hotel bar.
Alone.
Marc’s eyes narrow.
“She left the room.”
Mason doesn’t say anything.
But he notices something.
The way Jessica walked.
Not steady.
Not normal.
“She was already… off,” he thinks.
Drunk?
Or emotional?
Maybe both.
They continue watching.
Jessica sits at the bar.
Orders drinks.
More drinks.
Laughs at something.
Then—
The camera angle shifts.
And someone enters the frame.
A man.
Tall.
Dark.
Confident.
He walks up to her.
Mason leans slightly forward.
Interested now.
“Who is that?” Marc asks.
The staff hesitate.
“We… we can zoom in, sir.”
The image clears slightly.
But not enough.
Just enough to see that Jessica is no longer alone.
She’s talking.
Smiling.
Looking at him.
And the way she looks at him—
It’s not normal.
It’s not innocent.
Marc’s jaw tightens.
“What happens next?”
The footage continues.
More drinks.
More laughter.
Then—
The camera cuts.
Blind spot.
When it returns…
Jessica is gone.
The man is gone.
No clear exit.
No record of her leaving alone.
Silence fills the room.
Dangerous silence.
Marc turns slowly.
“So… my wife walks into a bar,” he says quietly, “meets a stranger… and disappears.”
No one answers.
Because there is nothing safe to say.
Mason finally speaks.
Calm.
Controlled.
“She wasn’t alone.”
Marc’s eyes flick to him.
“What do you mean?”
Mason doesn’t rush.
He never does.
“The way she moved,” he says. “The way she looked at him. She didn’t leave alone.”
The words hang in the air.
Heavy.
Real.
Marc’s expression darkens.
Something shifts in his eyes.
Possession.
Suspicion.
Anger.
“Find him,” Marc says.
“And find her.”
Meanwhile…
I’m running.
Not fast.
But fast enough.
My heels clicking softly against the floor as I move through the quieter parts of the hotel.
I don’t take the main hallway.
I can’t.
Too risky.
Too open.
“I need to disappear.”
I turn into a side corridor.
Empty.
Thank God.
My breathing is uneven.
My chest still tight.
“I’ve never been this scared before…”
Not even during the wedding.
Because this—
This feels worse.
This feels like getting caught doing something unforgivable.
Because I did.
“I cheated.”
The word feels ugly in my mouth.
Heavy.
“I betrayed him.”
Even if I never loved him.
Even if I never wanted this marriage.
It still happened.
And now—
I have to face it.
Or run from it.
And right now…
I’m choosing to run.
I spot a sign.
SERVICE ELEVATOR →
“Yes…”
I rush toward it quickly.
Press the button.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
“Come on…”
Every second feels like a minute.
Every sound makes my heart jump.
The elevator dings.
I step in immediately.
Press the ground floor.
The doors close.
And for a second—
I breathe.
Finally.
But even that doesn’t last.
Because my thoughts won’t stop.
“What if he finds out?”
“What if someone saw me?”
“What if that man—Maryjude—”
I stop.
I don’t even want to think his name.
Because thinking about him makes it real.
Too real.
The elevator opens.
I step out quickly.
Different floor.
Quieter.
Less crowded.
“Good…”
Maybe I can leave from here.
Maybe I can escape.
Maybe—
“I can fix this…”
But deep down…
I know I can’t.
“Some mistakes don’t get fixed… they follow you.”
I walk faster now.
Turning corners.
Avoiding eye contact.
Keeping my head down.
Almost there.
Almost—
I turn the corner quickly—
And crash into someone.
Hard.
I stumble slightly, almost losing my balance.
“Sorry—”
The words stop in my throat.
Because when I look up—
I freeze.
Mason.
Standing right in front of me.
Too close.
Too calm.
Too observant.
His eyes lock onto mine.
And in that moment…
I know.
He sees everything.
Not just me.
But the truth.
And the worst part?
He doesn’t look surprised.
“This is the moment everything started falling apart… and there was no way to stop it.”
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