Runaway Bride

I kept a slight smile, shaking my head as if unbothered, and directed a nearby waiter to show her to a seat.

'You fool, I've spelled it out for you. Can't you see I'm here to make trouble?' Wendy said inwardly.

As soon as she walked past, Tonya couldn't resist letting out her frustration. "Just look at her, strutting around like she owns the place. I can't stand it."

I shrugged. 'Right now, she thinks I'm the laughingstock. In her mind, Shawn's ready to throw me away for her. She's about to star in the perfect 'lovers reunited' scene, forcing the Bacon Family to accept her.'

The wedding venue wasn't far from the airport. As I sat in the quiet terminal, the ceremony hadn't yet begun.

I kept my eyes on the time, waiting for the show to start.

Suddenly, a steady stream of notifications lit up my phone. Tonya, practically buzzing with excitement, was sending me updates in real time.

'Helena, it's happening! She's actually doing it!'

'Damn, they're cheating but acting like some star-crossed lovers. It's shameless.'

Barely five minutes into the official ceremony, Tonya sent me a video of the wedding hall.

Shawn had gone onstage first, per the schedule. The host was mid-sentence, delivering a sentimental spiel about love and destiny when Wendy made her move.

Dressed in a gown identical to mine, she strode confidently into the hall and snatched the microphone from the host.

The murmurs in the crowd grew louder as she launched into a heartfelt declaration of love. Her voice trembled with emotion as she spoke of their years apart, her devotion, and her dreams of being reunited.

Shawn's eyes began to glisten.

"Shawnie, will you come with me?"

Gasps erupted from the audience. To whisk away the groom on his wedding day—this wasn't just 'showing up unexpectedly to disrupt the wedding.' It was a full-blown scandal.

And the worst part? Shawn didn't hesitate. His expression softened as he stepped toward her, taking her hand.

"I will," he declared.

The crowd erupted in shock and whispers. Wendy, basking in her triumph, wore a smug smile. Turning toward the grand door where I—the bride—was supposed to make my entrance, she began her 'acceptance speech.'

"I know you love him deeply," she said, her voice dripping with condescension. "But Shawn and I share a bond that can't be broken. Please, understand, and let us be happy."

In the video, Shawn was wearing sneakers that were completely mismatched with his formal suit, and the satisfaction in Wendy's expression was impossible to hide.

I figured Wendy was eagerly anticipating my reaction. She probably already had her words of comfort rehearsed, ready to deliver with smug satisfaction.

"I hope you'll support this romance story between Shawn and me."

"Miss Bonham?" She called out, waiting for her dramatic showdown.

Silence. The atmosphere grew palpably awkward.

After all, if the target of her grand performance wasn't even there, her 'bold declaration of love' would look less like a dramatic coup and more like a circus act.

"Miss Bonham?"

"Miss Bonham?"

…

She called out several times, but there was no reply.

Finally, one of the ushers stepped forward and opened the grand doors. Beyond them lay no bride, no elegant figure ready to counter Wendy's theatrics. Only a discarded veil lay carelessly abandoned on the floor.

The murmurs in the crowd swelled to a roar.

"No way… Did the bride just ditch the wedding?" someone shouted.

In the stillness of the airport terminal, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Of course, I would let them have each other. After all, there were guests here that I knew personally.

If I abandoned them at the altar, that would be on me, so why not let them watch this farce for free?

Watching the video Tonya had just sent me, I shook my head, laughter bubbling up. And just then, a bold message and image appeared on the large screen, written in bright red, large fonts.

'Runaway Bride Announcement.'

'Due to Shawn Bacon's affair with Wendy Seyfert, I have decided to call off the wedding. I hope this joke of a relationship flourishes. Please, don't come crawling back to wreck anyone else's life.'

Below the message was a collage of recent intimate photos of Shawn and Wendy.

Just then, another message from Tonya popped up on my screen. 'Mission complete!'

Seeing her handiwork, I couldn't resist sharing the same statement on my Twitter. It would be my final post from that account.

The wedding hall exploded. No one had any energy left to laugh at me.

Because, really, the joke wasn't on me. It was standing on stage, hand in hand.

With the bride gone, who was going to worry about Shawn and Wendy's exit?

Wendy's over-the-top confession of love now looked ridiculous in the light of that glaring red 'affair' wording notice on the screen.

As for their great romance story? It had been unmasked for what it truly was—a sham.

Tonya, clearly engrossed in the drama, sent me another video within minutes.