Lahat ng Kabanata ng My Fiancée's Wedding Detour: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

24 wedding cars continued slowly up along the winding mountain road. Two of my groomsmen, Walter Wilson and Joshua Gunn, stood with their arms crossed, growing increasingly frustrated. Walter finally spoke up. "Emma, we've already backed up more than 12 miles. At this rate, we're going to end up right back at your front door!"Joshua shook his head. "Seriously. The road isn't even that narrow. We could've easily pulled over and let them pass."With every mile we retraced, the disappointment in my heart grew heavier.Finally, Joshua got out of the car to speak up for me. "Emma, don't you know that wedding processions aren't supposed to retrace their route? We've already backed up more than 12 miles. How much farther are we supposed to go?" Emma Carter, my fiancee, sensed the tension and hurried over. She lifted the hem of her wedding dress as she approached. She leaned toward my car window, her face so close that I could see the faint tremor in her eyes. Normally, even the

Emma froze for a moment before letting out a helpless sigh. She said, "Nathan, playing hard to get might work on some people, but it's not going to work on me."I stubbornly stayed in the car, refusing to give in to what she wanted. She let out a cold laugh and dropped her arms to her sides. "You're really going through with this?""Yes. Until we're officially done, don't expect me to do anything for you," I said.Emma's expression shifted, complicated emotions flickering across her face as she glanced toward Ryan.After a long moment, she quietly said, "Fine."After getting the answer I wanted, I stepped out of the car and walked right past her. She leaned closer and warned me under her breath. "If you're only doing this to take your anger out on Ryan, don't blame me if I leave you stranded here."People from both wedding parties lined the roadside, watching in silence. Dressed in a black suit and leather shoes, I walked toward another vehicle. Whispers broke out around

Audrey glanced at me. "Nathan, get rid of all that old stuff. I brought you something better."Joshua reached into the back seat and pulled out a small case. The second he opened it, the custom-made jewelry inside caught the light, practically blinding us with its sparkle. "Nathan, you've got the whole package here," Joshua said. "Wedding clothes, jewelry—everything!"Walter let out a low whistle. "Damn, Audrey. You've got some serious money to throw around."Joshua laughed and slapped my shoulder. "Nathan, with a rich, gorgeous woman like Audrey chasing after you, why the hell did you waste all these years settling for that mess?"Before I could say a single word, my groomsmen started tossing my old clothes and accessories out of the convertible, piece by piece. As the car sped down the mountain road, I changed into the new suit and swapped out my old watch and accessories for the ones Audrey had brought.When I finally looked in the mirror, I could barely recognize myself.

The next day, Audrey and I went to the courthouse and made our marriage official. Meanwhile, my phone buzzed nonstop. When I finally checked it, I found message after message from Emma's best friends. Lena begged, "Nathan, please go see Emma. She's been unconscious ever since her surgery."Claire wrote, "Nathan, Emma keeps calling your name. Please, I'm begging you. Just go see her."Then Selena's message came through, furious and accusatory. "Nathan, Emma got into that accident because of you! Do you have a conscience? Can't you even go see her once?"Some pleaded with me, some blamed me, and others cursed me out. But I didn't care anymore. I removed my SIM card, walked into a phone store, and canceled the number for good. Audrey held my hand the entire time without saying a single word. On the drive home, though, we passed Ryan. He was still wearing the suit from the day before.It was filthy from head to toe, and the bandages around his ankles were caked with mud.

Six months later, Audrey and I returned home.We brought our business partners from Westford with us to tour the company.As we were driving through an intersection, a man suddenly ran a red light and stepped into our path. The driver slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. We hit him. The driver immediately got out and rushed over to check on the man.After helping him to his feet, the man suddenly grabbed the driver and started laughing. "Emma! I like the suit you bought me!"He then announced, "I'm going to marry you! I don't have a home anymore. Can I come home with you?"No matter how hard the driver tried, the man refused to let go. The driver could only turn helplessly toward Audrey. "Call the police," Audrey said. "Let them handle this." But before the call could even connect, Ryan suddenly burst into laughter and bolted down the road."No! Don't! Don't let them take me away!"He glanced back over his shoulder, still laughing. "I'm a good boy! You don't wan