“Honey,” Ruth said, but Kendra could barely hear her. She gathered her skirts in her hands and made a run for it, almost stumbling over her stilettos. She should have chosen sandals, as she’d originally wanted to.
The guests stared, open-mouthed, as Kendra raced across the beach, circling the villa. Annalise called out to her, as did Ruth, but Kendra didn’t turn back. She was too embarrassed and too stressed. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew she had to get out of there. She couldn’t face her parents, her friends, or the guests right now. And she couldn’t face the reality that the man she’d been meant to spend the rest of her life with hadn’t even shown up for their wedding.
As she rounded the building, she caught sight of thecar that had been waiting to whisk her and Aaron away on their honeymoon. Kicking off her shoes and lifting her skirts so she wouldn’t trip over the mountains of lace, she ran toward it.
Her friends had strung cans from the rear bumper and written “Just Married!” across the windows. It had been part of Kendra’s image of a perfect wedding. She’d taken plenty of photos of happy couples climbing into cars just like this, ready to start the rest of their lives together. Racing toward the car, alone, barefoot, and near tears wasn’t how she’d pictured this moment playing out for herself.
“Kendra!” someone, perhaps her mother, called, but Kendra didn’t look back. She yanked the car door open and climbed inside, pulling her skirts in afterward. The driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror, removing one of his earbuds and pausing the video he’d been watching on his phone.
“Sorry, miss,” he said. “I thought you weren’t coming until later.”
“Just drive,” she said, sinking down in her seat so that she couldn’t see out the window — and so that the guests couldn’t see her. “Please.”
“Shouldn’t we wait for your husband?” the driver asked.
“No.” Kendra turned toward the window. “He isn’t coming.”
The driver hesitated a moment longer before putting the car into gear. As they slowly rolled out, he looked at her in the rearview mirror again. His blue eyes were kind and a little worried.
“Where to, then?” he asked.
“I don’t know yet. Let me think about it a minute.” Kendra forced herself to take a deep breath. “Just drive, please.”
“Okay then.” The driver rolled up the partition between the front and rear seats, much to Kendra’s relief. Then he started the car and pulled out, taking the driveway toward the main road.
Kendra sat up a little straighter and looked out the back window. Her heart sank as she saw her parents and friends, along with a few of the wedding guests, standing at the edge of the beach near where the car had been parked. Their expressions ranged from shock to confusion to worry. None of them looked angry, but that would certainly come later.
Kendra’s heart hammered and she pressed a palm to her chest, hoping to slow its rhythm. This day, which had been meant to be the happiest of her life, had turned into a complete nightmare. She’d been left at the altar, and now she was on the run in a large, poofy wedding dress with no shoes, leaving her family and friends gaping behind her.
“What am I doing?” Kendra whispered, burying her face in her hands. “What am I even doing?”
Strangely, she didn’t feel heartbroken about not marrying Aaron. A part of her was even relieved that he hadn’t shown up. It wasn’t as if they’d been in love.
But she was deeply embarrassed and worried about what her family would say. Her parents would be upset that she’d taken off like this. Her friends would be just as shocked. And she’d be the talk of all of Los Angeles for at least a few weeks. Her family was well-known enough that there had even been a few reporters at the wedding, hoping to put together a society piece. Those reporters were now sitting on a far juicier story than they could have hoped for.
Kendra moaned. She brushed her hair back, a few strands of her elaborate hairdo coming loose, then buried her face in her hands again. There was no way she could show her face at home. There was no way she could show her face anywhere in the city. Everyone would be talking about this.
There was nowhere to hide.
Except… Kendra’s heart began to race again, for a different reason this time. Except for the honeymoon. Maybe it was the chance she needed to disappear for a little while. She and Aaron had planned a two-week vacation in an all-inclusive resort near Cabo. Her bags were already packed for the trip and in the trunk of this car, and the plane would be leaving later that day. Maybe Kendra could get out of the spotlight for a little while, long enough for this all to blow over. Long enough for her to come to terms with everything that had happened.
“Excuse me?” she knocked on the partition, and the driver rolled it down.
“Yes, miss?”
“Could you take me to the airport?” she asked.
“Of course. Right away.” He smiled kindly at her, his eyes crinkling before he rolled the partition back up. Kendra began to slow her breathing as her gaze drifted to the LA landmarks speeding by outside the window. By the end of the day, she’d be in Mexico, far from all of this. Then, she would let herself cry. Then, she would make a plan for what to do next.
For now, though, she just felt numb and betrayed as all her plans fell apart around her.
CHAPTER 4
KENDRA
The car pulled up in front of the departures hall. Kendra thanked the driver, gave him a tip she’d found in the purse that had been waiting for her in the back seat, and got out of the car. Taking a deep breath, she circled to the back to get her bag. When she opened the trunk, she saw her neatly packed suitcase sitting beside Aaron’s. She was tempted to take his bag and throw it over the railing onto the road below, but she didn’t want to hurt a random stranger when it landed. Anyway, she couldn’t really blame Aaron for walking out. She’d had cold feet herself.Though at least I was responsible enough to go through with the wedding,she thought.
Instead, she took her suitcase from the driver, who had kindly removed it for her, and went into the airport. She wished now that she’d kept her shoes on, even though they were impossible to run in. The dress was long enough to cover her bare feet, but she still got plenty of stares from travelers dressed in sweatpants and tank tops.
