004

Huff!

Celeste pulled in a refreshing draught of air, her eyes darting a glance around cautiously. Letting go of the traces of her wedding gown that she had been holding onto since she started running, she placed her hands on both sides of her waist.

"That was so close, what did I do to get such bad luck? Why do I keep getting myself in trouble? That shirt looked expensive, if I would have gotten caught by now I... I would have been sent to the jail."

Patting her chest, Celeste let out a sigh of relief, "Good thing, I ran away at the right time."

Suddenly catching a glance of the surroundings, she scanned the room with wide open eyes. "Where is this?"

While running away from the mysterious man she met on her way to escape, she didn't know where to go so she went in the direction she saw fit.

"It looks like some model's changing room but I remember seeing a wedding hall on my way here. Judging by the arrangements here, I think it must be the bride's room. The groom must love her so much that he spent so much for all this. I'm happy that there are people getting what their heart desires... Not everyone has misfortune following their back all the time."

Busy checking on the clothes in the room, suddenly she sensed a presence which was signaled by steady footsteps. 'Someone is coming.'

"The time has already come, Miss. Please put on the veil."

'It's a woman.'

"Miss, hurry up."

Standing some inches away from the woman, Celeste stared at the white bridal veil kept on the table. Just before the woman entered the room, she quickly turned around so her face couldn't be seen.

'I can't let her see my face, those men are still outside. If I get kicked out, it will be the end for me. But I can't just p...'

"How is it? We can't give you more time." Suddenly two men walked in, feeling their presence nearby Celeste quickly grabbed the veil and put it on her head.

"Yes, she is."

"Alright, let us get going then. You guys, come here. Lead the bride to the wedding hall." One of the men called out and a few men approached him in a swift.

'What's going on? Are they preparing to have a mafia wedding? What's with their outfits and behaviour? They look like professional thugs.'

Celeste found herself surrounded by five men who never dared to leave her alone, not until she was standing in front of the aisle.

'This is bad, I want to run away. Where is the real bride? Why do I have to take her place?'

"Miss, please go on." One of the men advised, before walking away.

'This... This is bad, I can't go on or else I'd be married to the groom. I have to run, I...'

Just as the thought of escaping crossed her mind, two burly men caught her attention. Her heart almost came in her throat and she tightly held her hands together, not daring to look ahead of her.

'Those men are here... I can't...'

In the grandiose wedding hall, everyone present including the guests awaited her to walk down the aisle. Celeste snuck a peek at the groom standing at the altar while facing his back towards her, 'By now I should have seen the bride but she's nowhere... Did she escape to humiliate the groom in front of the guests? With the amount of people present here, it doesn't seem impossible to me...'

"Miss, please don't waste time. Mr. Weston is waiting."

'Mr. Weston? I guess, he is the groom.'

With the mixed feelings of nervousness and fear, Celeste took a moment to compose herself before walking down the aisle by herself. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead while the racing beat of her heart pulsated under her fingertips.

Though she didn't know anyone there, even when the groom was not hers she was getting nervous. Until now, she was worried about herself but strangely, the closer she was reaching to the end the more nervous she was getting. It felt so foreign to her yet she couldn't subsidize it.

'I know this is wrong, I shouldn't be doing this but I am scared. I don't want to go back to my selfish family or marry that old man, I wish to live that's why... I'm sorry, sir. I cannot reveal who I am, it will save you from getting humiliated and I can also save myself from the disaster. Once I see those men leave, I promise that I will never appear before you again.'

"Dear friends and family of the Bride and Groom, we welcome and thank you for being a part of this important occasion. We..."

Holding the bridal bouquet on hand, Celeste had her gazes fixed downward. On the other hand, the groom stood still without a trace of happiness on his face. He remained unbothered, his cold gazes screaming how he didn't care about the wedding or the bride.

"Groom, please repeat after me."

As her groom was taking his vows, her fingers around the bouquet hardened. Her eyelids nervously moved and her breathing became heavier. 'He has a husky voice...'

"Bride, please repeat after me."

Celeste took a brief look at the direction she saw those men earlier while the officiant's voice came through for the second time. "Bride, please repeat after me."

"I, bride, take you, groom to be m-my husband. To share all that I am and... all that I have, for... all time to come. I promise to love you, comfort you, honor and keep you, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others and to be faithful only to you, so long as we both shall live." Celeste found weird emotions surging within her, she couldn't express what she was feeling at the moment.

The only thing circulated in her mind now was that she took those vows with him, the man she didn't even know about nor did she know how he looked.

"The couple will now exchange rings as a symbol of their love and devotion." As the officiant made the announcement, Celeste hid her left hand behind her back quickly.

The audience burst into laughter at the scene while some of them left funny comments on her.

'I had no choice but to take the vows but I don't want to continue this any longer, I wanted that jerk to put the ring on my finger but he broke my heart. No other man will ever get to do this to me, never!'

The groom extended his hand towards her, asking for her hand but she remained unbothered. Heaving a sigh, suddenly the groom grabbed her hand forcibly.

'No way, he... He is too strong. I can't... I don't want to...' Celeste kept her hand tightly clenched into a fist while gritting her teeth.

"Want them to shoot you right here?"

Even before she could process what he just said, her hand subconsciously moved. With wide open eyes, she stared at the beautiful diamond ring on her ring finger.

'I-I am married?!' An internal scream escaped her mouth while the groom added in his raspy voice, sounding so detached, "Go on if you dare."

'This... This man is dangerous, he... He...'

Without wasting another minute, she quickly put the ring on his finger. While everyone clapped their hands, Celeste kept looking at her ring finger.

'He is more dangerous than I thought, I have to leave this place as soon as possible.' Keeping a firm posture, she slowly stepped backwards so nobody would notice it.

"I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

'Kiss?'

With the guests cheering up for their kiss, her heart kept hammering in her chest. Celeste swallowed hard, her gazes shifting to the direction where those men were at. From under her veil, she snuck a peek at her newlywed husband before coming to a conclusion.

'If I run away now, those men will surely catch me. If I let this man take my veil off, he will know that I am not his supposed bride. If he knows I'm someone else, judging by how dangerous he is... He might throw me at those men. Either way, I will be in danger so there's only one way I can handle this situation...'

Suddenly, she stood on her toe and inching close to him, she touched the back of his neck. For a moment, their eyes collided before she pulled him for a kiss...