Running Away from Marriage, Leaving Deception BehindBOOK1-Chapter 1
"Mom, I want to call off the wedding."
On the eve of her wedding, Hazel Bell called her mother, who was thousands of miles away overseas.
Her mother paused, stunned for a moment, but didn’t press her with questions; she knew her daughter all too well.
With a calm and reassuring tone, she readily agreed, "Alright. I’m getting older anyway, and this business will end up in your hands sooner or later. The sooner you come, the sooner you can adjust."
Hazel responded with a light laugh, masking the ache in her chest. But her eyes betrayed her, drifting toward the bridal suite.
Through the dim light filtering from the window, she could make out the shadows of two entwined figures; one was her fiancé, and the other, her stepsister.
She fought desperately to keep her composure, but her voice betrayed her, trembling with the faint trace of a sob.
Her mother sighed softly, a weight of shared pain in her words.
"I thought he was different. I didn’t expect him to walk the same path as your father and me. It’s alright, Hazel. You’re still young. I’ll be here waiting for you."
After a few quiet words, they ended the call.
Hazel crumbled onto the side of the road as the silence wrapped around her like a heavy blanket. The dam she had held back burst, and her sobs spilled into the quiet night.
The moonlight poured over her, its cold brilliance amplifying the ache in her heart.
——
Before tonight, she had clung to the belief that Ambrose was different.
They had grown up side by side, their bond unshaken, and their relationship officially sealed when they turned eighteen.
Ambrose Wright, born into a distinguished family of scholars, carried himself with effortless grace, his charm and refinement setting him apart.
As the heir to the Wright legacy, he exuded a maturity that set him apart from his peers.
In their ten years together, not once had they quarreled. Ambrose treated Hazel with tenderness and indulgence that bordered on devotion, as though he were the steady, protective older brother she could always rely on.
He showered her with gestures that spoke louder than words, lavish bouquets that filled entire car trunks, glittering jewels piled in velvet cases, and an unwavering willingness to grant her every wish.