78. A Runaway Groom
'Briella, why are you taking so long?" Chelsey shouted, almost banging on the door of her room.
She finished tying her hair and put on a jacket, as instructed by Braun. She hurriedly left her room and scowled at her friend.
'Why are you in such a hurry? Are we being left by the yacht?" she snapped.
'Seriously, you're the Bride, but you're the one who's late! Janice and your sister are already there. Even your parents are waiting, and you're the only one missing!" Chelsey retorted with a smirk. 'The yacht with Big Boss has been out at sea since earlier, so stop trying to look your best, and let's go!"
She didn't respond and let her friend drag her out of her room. If she weren't pregnant, she would have known she was being pushed down in her hurry. Chelsey seemed more excited than her about the upcoming party for her.
Braun didn't want such a celebration, but he couldn't do anything when their friends insisted on the idea. Added to that were the superstitions of the elders when a wedding was approaching. Braun had to rent a yacht for them to stay for six days before their wedding, which was a Filipino tradition that couldn't be changed.
Their wedding day was tomorrow, and tonight, her female friends had prepared a surprise for her. Even her Mommy and Braun's mother joined them while the men had their celebration on Braun's yacht.
When they reached the shore, everyone was already there, waiting for Chelsey's arrival. Janice also helped her get on the yacht, and when they were all on board, it started to sail away from the shore.
From a distance, she could see the yacht Braun was on, but she couldn't see it clearly because of the distance. They made sure they wouldn't be able to see each other.
Her phone rang, and she saw Braun's name on the screen. She quickly answered it, but before she could, Janice snatched it away from her.
'I'm sorry, the person you've been calling is busy right now!" she said on the other line. 'Get a hold of yourself, El Cueva. Let your wife enjoy herself for just one night!" Janice said before ending the call, smiling at her.
'Let me hold your phone for now. You need to enjoy yourself, and distractions are not allowed. I'm sure you can endure one night without talking or seeing each other, right?" Janice said to her.
She took a deep breath and reluctantly nodded. 'Do I have a choice?"
'Nope!" Janice replied with a smile, pocketing her phone. Come on, Briella. You are supposed to be happy and enjoying the night!" She guided her towards their companions, who had gathered on the yacht's main deck. The yacht Janice had rented was spacious and even had a pool, albeit small but big enough for the seven of them.
She saw everyone happily splashing around in the pool while holding their drinks. They immediately waved at her when they saw her approaching with Janice.
'Why do you seem unhappy? Do you see your face, Briella?" Kimineah pointed out.
Chelsey sighed in irritation. 'She doesn't have good memories of gatherings like this! Maybe she hasn't moved on from what her ex-fiancé did to her!"
'Haven't you moved on? Is that true?" Janice asked, raising an eyebrow.
She shook her head and sat on the edge of the pool, dipping her feet into the water. Janice handed her a cup of ube ice cream with nacho toppings.
'I've moved on a long time ago. In fact, I've forgiven them, and I don't harbor any anger towards what they did," she replied.
'Do you have any news about your ex-fiancé? After he left his company, he disappeared," Janice inquired.
She nodded. 'Braun made sure Xander wouldn't be able to bother me anymore, so he secretly had him watched. He's living alone now, far from his family, probably consumed by shame because of the scandal he caused," she answered.
'That's fair for him. He should pay for what he did to you in any way," Nami said.
She dipped her Nachos into her ice cream and took a bite. Suddenly, she recalled the first time she met the guy. For her, the combination of the two of them seemed perfect because they shared many similarities in their likes, and even their dreams were not far apart. He was also caring and loving; she knew she was somewhat important to him, but because of the poisonous kisses of a serpent, he changed, and his love for her shifted to someone else.
'Do you think, Briella, if you hadn't known about their betrayal, then would you continue being foolish and turning a blind eye?" Chelsey asked her.
'I don't know. Maybe? Or maybe if our marriage had continued, he would have changed suddenly and realized his mistake. There are so many possibilities, but maybe we were not really meant for each other," she retorted to Chelsey.
Maybe from the very beginning, I am destined for Braun El Cueva.
'Did you ever doubt why my brother picked you and married you in just a snap of a finger?" Nami asked her.
She shook her head. 'When he proposed to me, I immediately trusted him. Even though I heard from other people how heartless he was, I still listened to my instincts. Also, one of the reasons I accepted his marriage proposal was because of my extreme anger towards what Xander did to me," she replied.
'Weren't you afraid of him, knowing how cruel he is to people?" Janice asked her.
She nodded and took another spoonful of ice cream. 'I got scared, especially when I remembered the foolishness I did to him, but that fear disappeared because he immediately made me feel how important I am to him," she answered.
'Foolishness? Wait, why didn't I know about that? So you seduced Big Boss?" Chelsey raised an eyebrow as she asked.
'I don't know if you could call it seduction, but..." she stopped speaking and glanced at her elderly parents, who were there listening to her. Would it be embarrassing to tell the truth? 'I was drunk when we first met; I wasn't in my senses, and I said all sorts of things. What's worse is I-I kissed him on the lips and begged him to take me to his house."
'Oh. My. God. Did you really do that?!" Chelsey exclaimed.
She nodded her head and scratched it. 'I told you I was drunk that night. I didn't know what I was doing."
'Really? I know you, Briella. You don't get drunk easily, so don't use that as an excuse with me!" Chelsey snapped at her.
She rolled her eyes, but she was telling the truth. It was because of drunkenness that she dared to do that. If she were sober that night, she would never have had the courage to do that.
'Wait a minute," she said, raising her eyebrows and looking at her companions. 'This was supposed to be a party, not a hot seat!" she scolded them.
They laughed.
'Let's just say we just wanted to get to know you better," Nami said with a smile.
'Yeah, dear, this is the first time we've had a bonding moment since you got married to Braun. That kid was too selfish, and he didn't even think of introducing you to us," Nami's mom added.
She scratched her head and set the empty bowl aside. They all began to emerge from the pool one by one, and like her, she also sat down and dipped her feet in the water.
'Things between Braun and me just happened suddenly. Even I can't believe that all of this is real," she replied.
'That's life. The right person comes at the right time," Kimineah said with a smile, quietly listening to their conversation.
'Yeah, the right person at the right time. Jeez, that's deep!" Chelsey exclaimed.
'What?" Kimineah asked with a puzzled look.
Chelsey chuckled. 'It's just an expression that the kids are using these days. It's trending on social media," she explained.
She shook her head. When it comes to foolishness, Chelsey always leads the way.
'Oh, I'm sorry, I've been so busy with work that I don't know those kinds of words," Kimineah said, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment.
'Don't mind her. Chelsey just spends all day glued to her phone," she said with a smile.
Their conversation became enjoyable, and they didn't realize how late it had gotten because of Chelsey's chattiness, accompanied by Nami, and the evening turned out to be fun until it reached the point where the atmosphere became emotional, and they each started giving her messages.
She didn't expect them to reach this point, but that's how it is when women gather; tears are inevitable.
'Dear, I'll always pray for your happiness. Even though I'm still in the institution, you're always in my prayers. Now that you have your own family, always remember that I'm just behind you, always guiding you. I know you're strong and don't give in to challenges easily, but it's also not bad to lean on me—on us—sometimes," she said emotionally.
'She's right," Braun's mom added. 'Even though we haven't had much bonding time, always remember that we're here for you."
'Do we really need to do this?" she said, starting to get emotional.
She felt like she would rather hear Chelsey's sharp laughter than her tears, as she felt heavier because of her pregnancy. She didn't immediately burst into tears, but now she just wanted to sob and call Braun to calm herself down.
Speaking of Braun, what could they be doing right now? It's impossible that they, like them, are crying because, as far as she knows, the people he's with, except for his brother Jaydon, have hearts of stone.
'Aren't you nervous about getting married tomorrow? Of course, it's a different feeling walking towards the person you love at the altar," Chelsey asked her.
She shook her head. 'Why should I be nervous? Is there something I should be nervous about?" she raised her eyebrows at her.
'Duh! Every woman getting married should be nervous! It could be excitement, or your groom might run away, or Big Boss might bump his head and suddenly leave you—a runaway groom, you know," she said.
'What the fck, Chelsey?" Janice interjected, then burst into laughter a moment later. 'I don't know where you get all these things you say, and you're more paranoid than Briella. Gosh!"
'I'm just being real. What's wrong with that?!" Chelsey pouted.
She didn't know if she should still be happy that Chelsey had become her close friend after hearing what she said. This friend of hers really stands out all the time!