Running Away from Marriage, Leaving Deception Behind

“Don’t dwell on what happened yesterday. I’ve already apologized to Scarlett on your behalf.”

“Okay.”

“Scarlett said weddings are just a show, nothing to stress about. Our bond is so strong that we don’t need these formalities to prove anything. Let’s keep it simple.”

“I’ll follow your lead.”

Hazel had already made her decision. This wedding would go down as the simplest one in history.

No wedding photos. No marriage certificate. No officiant.

And no bride.

After hanging up, Hazel stood up, her hand steady as she grabbed a marker and slashed “Wedding Photoshoot” off her calendar.

Ambrose’s work always consumed him, and Hazel had always been careful not to disturb him, especially when he was busy. While she’d been planning the wedding, she’d bought a special wish calendar, pouring her dreams into it. Each event was a marker of hopes she longed to fulfill, one last grand gesture for a once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

Now, those dreams were swallowed by thick, regret-laden strokes of ink, leaving nothing but a void of unspoken sorrow.

With a deep sigh, Hazel glanced around the room, the glaring red of wedding decorations mocking her every move. It had taken her the entire day to strip the room of its once carefully arranged decor.

By evening, however, Ambrose's name was everywhere.

“To win a smile from his beloved, the CEO spends 8 million on a vintage pearl brooch.”

The photo was grainy, but the woman beside Ambrose was assumed to be Hazel.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. So, this was where all the money that was supposed to be for their wedding had ended up.

But it didn’t matter anymore. Hazel had long since shut the door on any sadness tied to Ambrose.

Over the next few days, he didn’t come home. Hazel didn’t ask where he was or make any arrangements for him as she once would have. Instead, she handed in her resignation, said her goodbyes to a few close colleagues, and quietly began telling her friends of her plans to leave the country.

Her friends exchanged knowing glances, their sighs blending in perfect unison.

"We had a feeling this was coming," one of them murmured softly.

Without a word, one of them opened Ambrose's social media feed and handed the phone to Hazel.

"To the outside world, it might look like these pictures are of you," she said gently, "but we all know it's Scarlett."

Only then did the truth sink in. Ambrose had been with Scarlett this whole time. Though he rarely updated his social media, his posts had been flooding in, each one more frequent than the last, each one dedicated to her.

They visited amusement parks, tried on wedding dresses at bridal shops, and shared quiet moments under the moonlight atop a mountaintop.

Ambrose's love for Scarlett was as clear as day, laid out for the world to see. The only thing he’d done to hide it was block Hazel from seeing it all.

Her friends exchanged concerned glances, the silence stretching on too long.

"Hazel, are you alright?" one of them finally asked, her voice laced with worry.

"There’s no need to waste your tears on someone like him," another chimed in. "Ambrose doesn’t deserve your love. Once he sees the truth about Scarlett, he’ll regret this for the rest of his life."

Hazel offered a faint smile, her eyes drifting to the lively streets outside the window.

"It’s fine. I don’t care anymore." Her voice was quieter, almost resigned. "But I do need a favor…"

In just a few days, she would leave this place, cutting ties with the past. She no longer had the luxury of drowning in heartbreak over Ambrose.

When Ambrose finally returned after days of silence, Hazel couldn’t muster a reaction. She remained distant, her indifference cutting through the tension.

Ambrose, for his part, was lost in his world. Even when he finally stepped inside, his eyes never left his phone, his fingers moving rapidly across the screen, oblivious to everything around him.