The Runaway Wife

Chapter 4

The following week.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Miya whispered as she fixed Jacelyn's now cherry red hair into a pretty bun. John had made her dye it to match the bright, red wedding dress he'd prepared for her. Red was his favorite color and he'd bought a red suit to match. Since she hadn't really cared, Jackie had just run with it and, once the hair was changed, she kind of liked the pretty color. It looked much more exciting than her dreary brown hair.

Miya had dressed up in a purple dress that showed off her figure and her dark hair ran in long ringlets down her back. Ever since John Hadley had announced the engagement she'd been begging her little sister to reconsider. Their parents, on the other hand, had been thrilled. Jackie's mother had called every distant relative she could think of to tell them the news. They were now to be wealthy and popular, a feat no one had ever thought they'd be able to achieve.

"Oh, don't fret over her," her mother yelled in response to Miya's doubts and swatted the older sister's arm. She pushed the girl out of the way and studied Jacelyn's dress, sighing happily. "You look so beautiful," she whispered in a sweet voice that had never been directed toward the quiet girl before. "It's a pity it's such a horrible color but I'm sure you can pull it off . . . sort of." She frowned. Many objections had been made about the red dress but John had, for some reason, been very stubborn about it. Jackie thought it was a test to see if she'd defy him. Obviously, such a small thing didn't bother her so she passed his test with flying colors.

Jackie threw her worried sister a small smile and tried to reassure her. "Don't worry Miya. This is what I want." She tried to make it sound convincing but they both knew that she'd spent the last two nights crying and regretting her decision. She was about to marry a man she barely knew for money. How had things come to this?

All three of them turned when they heard the piano in the main room start playing. The sound set all of their hearts fluttering, the mother's from excitement and the daughters' from fear. As the older woman prepared to walk out, waving her hands in joy, Miya pulled Jackie closer and whispered, "If you ever need to run away, just send me a message with the word dragon in it. I'll know that that means you need an escape."

Jacelyn nodded, licking her lips. She wouldn't need any help. Surely. Everything would be fine. After all, what could go wrong?

~~~

Their honeymoon lasted all but five minutes for as soon as they got into the car with the words "Just Married" painted on it, her new husband pulled out his laptop and started working, explaining to the driver that he needed to get to the company as soon as possible since this marriage had opened up several opportunities. Jacelyn was an afterthought for him and, if it hadn't been for the driver dropping her off at their new home, she might have been forgotten in the car for hours. John hadn't even looked in her eyes since they'd exchanged their vows and the kiss on the cheek he'd given her had felt cold.

Now, as she stood in front of the mansion, which looked like it could hold a hundred families instead of just one, she felt relieved since the worst was behind her. From now on, John would never speak to her again and they'd rarely see each other. She was free. She could write and read and explore this castle and . . . be alone.

"Mrs. Hadley." A middle aged man dressed in a blue tux stood at the door. He gestured for her to come inside, bowing politely as she walked past. "Shall I show you around the house?" he asked as another servant quietly shut the door behind them. "Your bedroom is on the second floor if you'd like to go there first. It's adjacent to your husband's room."

Oh. So their rooms would be right next to each other. Great. "Can I see the kitchen first?" The wedding was making her stressed and stress made her want to eat. Maybe if she ate some chocolate and gained weight, John would become disgusted with her and wouldn't want to ever see her. That would be nice.

"Very well, milady. This way." He pointed down the hall and led her to a huge kitchen with three different chefs inside. They all bowed when she entered the room, making her feel like royalty. It was kind of nice but it also made her want to hide. Being above everyone felt very lonely. When you're at the top of the pyramid, there's no one up there with you. You can only look down at them as they all hang out together. No way! She wasn't going to do that.

"Nice to meet you." She responded by bowing back, a gesture which surprised the chefs and the butler who was leading her around. As she asked them for some brownies, she noticed that they became more relaxed after she'd greeted them. That was cool.

"Wow," she muttered to herself as she nibbled on the food they'd made for her. "Who knew I had the power to make them feel comfortable around me with one sentence." It was the first time she'd affected someone's life, even in a small way. The thought made her work up some courage and ask the butler for his name and what he did. He responded with a smile and was more than willing to tell her about his family and homestead. ~~~

On a friendly high, Jacelyn walked around the entire mansion by herself and made conversation with every servant she ran into. They all knew who she was and, until she talked to them, stayed completely silent and cold. But, when she did greet them in a friendly way, they became more relaxed and sweet. The excitement put her in such a good mood that when her husband returned from work after dark, she stood outside his bedroom door to bid him good night.

She was dressed in the red pajamas that had been left in her room along with a closet full of beautiful clothes. The silky clothes comforted her beating heart as she heard him walk up the steps, sighing and muttering to himself as he climbed. Unfortunately, the closer he got, the more afraid she grew of seeing him and the urge to run filled her head like a screaming child. She was about to change her mind and run when he walked into full view and stopped.

His jacket was slung over his shoulder, his hair was messy like he'd been running his hands through it angrily, and he'd taken his shoes off. As soon as he spotted her, he frowned and dropped the jacket on the ground. "What are you doing here? I thought we agreed not to meet at home? I'll call for you when I need you." He waved her away like he had a week ago to his mother and tried to reach his bedroom door.

"Sorry." She bowed nervously, unsure what to do as he turned the knob and swung it open, almost hitting her in the process. "I just wanted to tell you good night. I got to talk to the servants and thought I might as well say one word to you too." The explanation tumbled out of her mouth clumsily.

John smirked angrily and looked down at her like he did everyone else. "So, you'd put me on the same level as my servants?"

". . . I suppose. You're both humans, I guess. Why wouldn't you be on the same level?" Her tired mind couldn't comprehend that he meant social status and not what she was thinking of. However, her stupid response made him chuckle before slamming the door in her face and yelling at her to go away. She did so, telling herself that she'd never speak to him again. And she didn't for the next week.