The Bride That Got Away_

“Don’t be so damn stubborn, Dionella! You are going to marry my friend’s son whether you like it or not!” Julio grabbed his daughter by the arm and dragged her toward the long sofa in the middle of the mansion’s living room. Dionella winced when her body hit the edge of the sofa. “I’m not going to marry someone I don’t even know, Papa! Why are you forcing me?” Dionella wiped away the tears gathering in her eyes before meeting Julio’s furious gaze. She knew she was stubborn, but she had inherited that trait from him. “Impertinent!” A sharp slap landed across Dionella’s cheek, hard enough to make her ears ring. For a moment, it felt as though the stars had fallen from the sky, swirling around her head in a dazzling blur. “And now you have the nerve to talk back to me?” “Julio, you’re hurting our daughter.” Ramona’s trembling voice pleaded with him to stop. She had no right to openly defy or disobey her husband. To Julio, he was the law inside and outside Hacienda Mondragon. “Talk some sense into your daughter, Ramona! You always take her side. No wonder she’s become so rebellious!” “Why don’t you marry that man yourself, Papa, since you’re the one who wants him so badly?” Dionella shouted, rubbing her stinging cheek. “How dare you—!” Julio raised his hand again, but Ramona immediately stepped between them. “That’s enough, Julio! Stop it!” Ramona finally broke down in tears. “Why do you get to decide who I should marry?” Dionella cried. “For God’s sake, Papa, I’m twenty-five! I took veterinary medicine because you wanted me to, even though what I really wanted was to pursue a career as a fashion designer. Now my entire life revolves around this hacienda. And even the person I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with—you still want to decide that for me?” The tears she had been holding back finally streamed down her cheeks. “Then get out of my house!” Julio roared. “Let’s see where you end up, you ungrateful child!” “Don’t worry. I’ll leave. You don’t have to shout it for the whole house to hear.” “Fine! Leave! And don’t you dare come crawling back here crying and begging!” “Julio, please. Don’t do this to our daughter.” Ramona pleaded with her husband as she sat beside Dionella and pulled her into her arms. “Don’t contradict me, Ramona! You know I am the law in this house! If that girl leaves and chooses to defy me, I’ll freeze every one of her bank accounts. Let’s see how long your daughter can stand by that stubborn pride of hers!” “That’s all that matters to you, isn’t it, Papa? Your money!” Dionella shot back. “That’s why you’d rather force me to marry someone I’ve never even met. Did you ever stop to think about whether the man you want me to marry is even a good person?” “This isn’t about me, Dionella!” Julio’s voice echoed through the living room. “I’m doing this for your own good!” “For my own good?” Dionella shook her head. “That’s not how it feels, Papa. You’re controlling my life just like you control Mama’s!” Julio clenched his jaw. “Please, anak. Enough. Just do what your father says.” Dionella stared at Ramona, slowly wiping the tears from her cheeks. “What? Even you?” She shook her head in disbelief before standing up and rushing upstairs to her room. She ignored Ramona calling after her from the sofa. “You see how stubborn your daughter is!” Julio’s voice followed her. Dionella heard him, but she refused to look back. She continued climbing the stairs until she reached her room. That very night, Dionella made up her mind. She was leaving the mansion. A soft knock on the door stopped Dionella as she stuffed a few pieces of clothing into a small backpack. The door opened, and Ramona stepped inside before quietly closing it behind her. “Hija, I don’t want you to leave. But that doesn’t mean I agree with your father. Forgive me for what I said earlier. I only wanted the two of you to stop fighting.” Ramona sat on the edge of the bed. “Mama, whoever that man is—the son of Papa’s friend—I swear I will never marry him.” Dionella zipped her backpack shut before sitting beside her mother. “I understand you, anak.” Ramona took a deep breath. “Go now, while your father is still busy. There’s a way out of the hacienda behind the mansion. Just be careful. There are more guards around the mansion tonight.” Tears welled in Dionella’s eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. “Thank you, Mama.” She wrapped her arms tightly around her mother before finally pulling away and slinging the backpack over her shoulder. “Forgive me, anak. This is the only thing I can do for you. Promise me you’ll take care of yourself.” Dionella nodded before quietly leaving the room. She had barely reached the end of the staircase when she heard Julio on the terrace, talking on the phone. “Of course, my friend. The wedding is still happening. When will my future son-in-law be coming back to the Philippines?” Dionella tightened her grip on the strap of her backpack. But before Julio could see her, she continued walking. Carefully, Dionella made her way through the darkest parts of the hacienda, heading toward the secret passage that led outside Hacienda Mondragon. Every now and then, she stopped behind the large trees whenever the beam of a guard’s flashlight swept across the grounds. She held her breath until the light disappeared, then continued moving. After what felt like an endless walk through the narrow, dark path, Dionella finally stepped outside the boundaries of Hacienda Mondragon. She let out a quiet breath of relief. But there was still one thing that frightened her. She knew her father. Even if she managed to escape the hacienda, she was certain Julio would find a way to track her down and force her to marry the man she wanted nothing to do with. Dionella turned for one last look at the place she had called home all her life. “From now on… Dionella Mondragon is gone.” The words left her lips as the familiar hacienda slowly disappeared from her sight. If changing her entire identity was the price of freedom, then so be it. She was willing to become someone else.