book title

I look at myself in the mirror of my hotel suite again, letting the white, expensive fabric glide through my fingers. I still can’t process that I’m a bride. Every girl dreams of her wedding day from a young age, so why am I not happier? Most women would commit a crime to switch places with me.

I’m marrying a wealthy, well-spoken man who has great manners. Our fathers are both influential politicians who ensured we crossed paths at one of their cocktail parties. Joshua was so smitten with me that he proposed only a few months after our first date. We never even slept together. He claims it’s better to wait until marriage, which will only increase our bond. That’s romantic, right? So yeah, on paper, he sounds perfect.

He’s also boring as hell.

I turn around again, trying to see myself as a woman excited about getting married instead of a confused girl in a white dress, wondering how well she knows her fiancé.

I get up. I should talk to him. Joshua will know what to say. He always does. He’ll calm my pre-wedding jitters. My mother and sisters aren’t arriving for another ten minutes anyway, so there’s a small pocket of time to have this conversation with him.

I grab my hotel keycard from the nightstand and head to his suite across the hall. I knock once, short but loud.

Joshua opens the door in his boxer shorts, his eyes growing wide when he sees me. “Iris? What are you doing here?”

“Can we talk?” I frown. “Did you leave the shower on?”

“Um, yes, I did.”

“Well, why don’t you turn it off, and we can talk?”

I try to step into his room, but he blocks the doorframe with his body.

He flicks his gaze to the bathroom door. “How about we head to the lobby and talk there?”

“Why would we have a conversation in the lobby if we have a private suite at our disposal? Besides, we’re not even dressed. I promise you this won’t take long.”

He opens his mouth and starts saying something about the room not being cleaned yet when the bathroom door opens, and a naked woman walks out. She shrieks when she sees me and flees back inside, locking the door.

My blood goes cold. “What the hell, Joshua?”

He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, you weren’t…”

“Weren’t what? Supposed to find out?” I ask, my voice breaking.

“I can explain.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “Explain away.”

“I, um, you see, it’s…” He gives me a pleading look. “Please, Iris. We can talk about it after the wedding.”

“I don’t know if there’s still going to be a wedding.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “We have to go through with it. We can’t let everyone down. Our parents will be furious. Three hundred and fifty people are coming. Everything is paid for. What will people say when we cancel?”

“What will people say? That’s what you’re concerned about?”

“For now, yes. Come on, Iris, I’ll explain everything later.”

“I don’t see how you can explain having a naked woman in your bathroom, Joshua.”

“It doesn’t mean anything. You’re the one I want to be with, Iris. We’re a perfect match. Our parents have the same wealth and influence, and we want kids someday to continue the family legacy, right? Why wouldn’t we get married? Look at it as the perfect business transaction.”

I wipe the tears away with the back of my hand and head back to my room without saying a word. Even though I had my doubts about marrying him, I didn’t deserve to be cheated on and treated as a business transaction.

I put my sneakers on, shove a few essentials into my purse—clean underwear, a toothbrush, my phone, and my wallet—and hurry toward the elevators. I punch the buttons like a madwoman, hoping Joshua won’t come looking for me. The doors slide open, and I step inside, willing the elevator to go faster. It zooms down and opens in the lobby with a ping.

I step out and spot my family, all dressed to the nines. My mother smiles politely at the hotel’s staff, and my sisters talk excitedly about who knows what. All they care about are nails, status, and politics. Growing up, I always felt like the odd one out and often wondered if I was adopted or accidentally swapped in the hospital.

Panic takes a hold of me. They can’t see me like this. I’m not ready to talk to anyone and be coerced into something I don’t want. Knowing my parents, they’d force me to marry Joshua despite his infidelity issues because they wouldn’t want their perfect reputation to get stained. A pit forms in my stomach. Is that why they pushed Joshua to propose so soon after meeting me?

I shake my head. These thoughts are useless now. I sprint out of the elevator and crouch behind a huge planter box. I wait to make my move until they’ve stepped into the elevator. I’ll have to be fast. As soon as they realize I’m missing, they’ll send out a search party for me.

The second the elevator doors close, I sprint through the lobby, heading straight to the doors leading outside. I ignore the hotel staff’s questions about me being okay and keep running without looking back.

I knew training for that marathon next month was a good idea, even though my mother kept complaining about my love of running. She claims it’s a poor person’s way to exercise, which doesn’t make any sense. People were made to walk and run. It’s only natural that I love doing it.

I run for several miles until I come across a small town called Bearclaw Ridge. I’ve driven through here often but never visited. I pass a cozy-looking diner called Hiker’s Haven and wonder what it must be like to live without being judged by your family all the time. To go out and have a burger, wear oversized hoodies instead of long dresses, and disappear into the woods for a camping trip.

I stop to catch my breath. An old lady walks over to me with a concerned look. “Are you okay, honey? My name is Julie Jenkins, and I live right here in town. Let me get you a warm meal, and you can tell me what happened.”

I give her a genuine smile. “That’s super nice, but I’ll keep going for now.”

“Do you need me to call the cops?” she asks. “A runaway bride like you is probably in trouble, right?”

I shake my head. “I’m not in any danger. But thank you, Mrs. Jenkins.”

With a small wave goodbye, I start running again. I need to find a place to lay low for a while. Somewhere my family won’t immediately find me. When I spot a dirt road, I don’t think twice. I take it, hoping it’ll lead me to the perfect spot to catch my breath—and gather my thoughts.