ABANDONED AT THE ALTAR,MARRIED TO A BILLIONAIRE

03:Escape

Jade glanced at the passageway, scanning thoroughly to confirm that she was alone.

She then stepped out fully and tiptoed towards the emergency exit, which was at the far end of the passageway.

She stared at it for a few seconds.

Going outside was clearly a terrible idea, and she knew that, but what would be the benefit of not knowing the truth? That felt worse.

She ran through her pocket to ensure her phone and wallet were all intact. She then pulled her hoodie over her head and slipped out through the emergency exit.

The cold breeze slapped her face as she pulled up her nose mask with only one goal driving her.

A few minutes later, she was sitting in the back of a cab, her fingers intertwined tightly on her lap as she called out the address.

The engine roared to life as she rested her back on the leather seat; throughout the ride, doubt gnawed at her.

What if the headlines are true? What if he truly doesn't want me? What if?

She sighed but suddenly shook her head. There had to be an explanation.

Max couldn't have spent years telling her he loved her, encouraging her, only to abandon her at the altar; something must have happened.

Her eyes closed tightly as she struggled to shut down the overlapping thoughts when the cab finally stopped, jolting her back to reality.

She stared through the window, her heart hoping.

" Thank you ", she muttered as she stretched the bill to the cabman, who gripped it without hesitation. She stepped out of the car and watched it drive off because she glanced over at the building in her view.

Doubt crawled up on her, an unwavering rethink woven in her mind as she stared blankly at the building, but something felt off.

Her mind raced slowly as she scanned through everything, different yet the same at the same time.

“ I'm just overthinking this.” She concluded, placing her palm on the scanner engraved at the gate; with a soft beep, the gate slid open.

At least he hadn't erased her identity from the scanner's memory; a soft blush appeared on her cheeks, but not for long. She quickly dashed towards the door and turned the doorknob, which opened freely; her suspicions grew.

She stepped inside effortlessly, her eyes scanning everywhere; the living room was empty and overly arranged.

This is unlike Max, she thought, her heart beating rapidly as she stepped deeper into the living room. She heard hushed voices, not sure of where they came from.

Her hands trembled as she trailed the hushed voices, which slowly led her to his wine stand. Her throat went dry and suddenly, swallowing became a struggle.

Her gaze not leaving the bizarre view in her sight, the voices got clearer, and waves of regret washed over her. She shouldn't have been here.

Max's voice became loud, laced with, “ I'm terribly hurt by the acts. I trusted her with everything and gave it my all to ensure the relationship worked”, he sniffed, glancing over at the camera angle with a soft look.

Jade stood still, her mouth wide open as she stared intently at him. Even from the corner she stood, she could feel the lies oozing.

While she was hurting and drowning in denial, Max held the last resort card, the victim card and played it exceptionally well.

“ I'm so sorry for that. I never thought she could be someone like that” The interviewer chuckled in disbelief.

That felt overly familiar to her. Jade stretched her eyes a bit and caught the full view of the interviewer, TBN News.

Her body shivered; a feeling of impending doom settled in her soul, and it dawned on her.

“ I'm devastated” Max looked down, letting the silence hang in the air for a calculated beat before meeting the interviewer's eyes; his eyes squinted.

Jade chuckled as she spread her hands, her brows pulled together.

Devastated? The word echoed in her head.

Something inside her snapped, and before she could think, before she could remember the cameras or the reporters, she stepped out.

" Devastated?" She blurted. " About what?"

The room went silent instantly; Max's head snapped toward her, and he froze. Nobody moved for a few seconds, not the interviewer or the cameramen.

" The f**k are you rambling about? Jade laughed, her chest rising sharply.

And in a flash, the cameras swung toward her; her mind snapped back, and her eyes widened in shock.

In the blink of an eye, she bolted out of the house, running fast towards the gate; the reporters and cameramen swarmed after her.

She ran as fast as she could, unaware of where she was going. She only knew she had to get away from all of them.

" Miss Monroe!"

"What are the secrets you kept from him?"

" Is everything he said true?"

The questions followed her with regrets. Her breath came out in broken gasps as she pushed through the gate, nearly stumbling over her own feet.

Her chest burned as she increased her pace; she didn’t look back, not minding the cameras that flashed behind her.

Her legs felt weaker with each increased pace, but adrenaline that rushed through her kept pushing her forward.

"Get away from me!" She hollered, tears blurring her vision.

Her heart pounded rapidly as she felt them closing in on her. She swerved around a parked car and kept running, not minding the amount of attention now on them.

Her eyes caught sight of a huge fashion store across the road, and she ran towards it.

Stumbling into several people and also pushing past them, unaware of where or how to hide, her body moved towards the wide parking lot.

Her mind raced fast, and her head felt light as she ran. Her eyes caught a glimpse of a black car parked a bit far from other cars. She pushed forward towards the car, pulled the back seat door, jumped inside, slammed the door and locked it.

She stared out from the window for a few seconds and took in a deep breath, her chest finally easing a little.

She crouched on the seat and pulled her knees closer to her chest as the tears returned.

She didn't know how long she cried, maybe a minute or five, but it felt like an eternity. Her shoulder shook as she buried her face against her knees, trying to quiet herself.

" Are you done crying?"

Jade froze, and uncomfortable silence settled in the car. Her head lifted slowly, and for a second, she thought maybe she was hallucinating.

She wiped her wet cheeks and looked around beside her, which was empty; her brows pulled together, her left eye twitched slightly as she slowly turned toward the front.

A man sat behind the steering wheel; he was dressed in a perfectly fitted grey suit, one hand resting casually on the wheel while the other held his phone. His eyes remained on his phone screen.

Jade's eyes widened as she stared at him, and she slowly swallowed a non-existent lump in her throat.

He finally lifted his eyes to the rearview mirror, meeting her gaze. Jade's heart began pounding all over again, her fingers trembling as she pulled her hoodie.

" Who are you?" Her voice breaking.

The man's brow lifted slightly; he glanced towards the locked doors, then back at her.

" You broke into my car"

" I didn't break into anything!" She yelled, her eyes scanning everywhere from the window.

Outside, the distant voices closed in on them; her face went pale as she saw the reporters searching the parking lot.

The man glanced through the window and back at her; he watched her fidgeting through the mirror.

" Please, take me away from here", she muttered, watching the reporters move closer to the car.

" Please! Anywhere, away from these people," she pleaded, arching her neck.

The man said nothing; he simply ignited the car engine, which roared without hesitation and moved out of the parking space.

Jade glanced at the back of his head for a moment before whispering,

" What's your name?"

He chuckled, "Dante." And without sparing her a glance, he placed his phone on the safe box.

" Dante Sinclair.”