Page 6 of The Runaway Bride and the Billionaire

“Hi, Matteo.”

“Amelia.”

The sound of my name on his lips had me momentarily shutting my eyes. I wanted to capture this moment forever. The moment when we reunited, the moment that would be the beginning of the rest of our lives. I moved to hug him because I couldn’t stand being this close and not touching him.

Matteo stepped back before I could even touch him. I looked up at him in confusion and that was when I saw it. The hate in his eyes. He despised me.

“Matteo, I—”

“Your father invited me to this wedding. I only came as a courtesy,” he said as he adjusted the sleeve of his suit jacket.

My confusion morphed into complete shock. “My father did what?”

“I had a meeting with him earlier this week and he invited me to this wedding to celebrate the business deal we signed.”

“Wait,” I said as I shook my head. “I… I don’t understand. You had a meeting with my father?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“You signed a business deal with my father?”

“Yes. The whole thing was quite ironic. The great Joseph Pierson, who once thought I wasn’t good enough for his daughter, traveled all the way to New York to make a deal with me.”

“I don’t understand. Why would he do that?” My eyebrows shot up once understanding set in. “He doesn’t recognize you.”

“Yes, that was my conclusion as well.”

“But you met at the Christmas party back when we were…” my voice trailed off.

Matteo nodded. “I guess I wasn’t memorable enough for your father. Anyway, now that this misunderstanding has been cleared up, I’ll take my leave.”

With that, he turned and walked away. I felt my heart breaking as I watched him leave. Matteo hadn’t come here for me. He didn’t come here to fight for me. He didn’t love me. He was simply here because my father invited him.

I sunk onto the grass, finally giving in to the fatigue I felt from running to this park. My wedding dress spread across the greenery, the fabric bunching up as I sat down. It was in this very park that I’d ended things with Matteo. I didn’t want to but I’d never gone against my parents and so I agreed when they asked me to break up with him.

Maybe if I’d fought for him back then. Maybe if I’d spoken up and told my parents that I wouldn’t let go of the man I loved. Maybe then, things would be different.

“I’d rather die than have you marry a man like that!” my mother shouted dramatically, as she turned her nose up to the high ceiling.

We sat in the living room of my father’s mansion, an old building that had been in the family for generations. After several modifications, it was finally up to my mother’s taste. Lush cream couches spread across the open area of the living room. Behind them, floor-to-ceiling curtains covered floor-to-ceiling windows, making the room look like a palace. The materials of the curtains had been carefully handpicked by my mother, a dramatic gold and white design that added to the overall opulence of the room.

I stood before her and my father, in this great big room, in our great big house, where I had always felt small. Too small to ever really stand up for myself. Even now when she was asking me to break up with the man I loved, the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

“You have to understand where your mother is coming from,” my father said. His brown eyes were shielded by a pair of rectangular framed glasses. They sat on top of his crooked nose which was just as turned up as my mother’s own. They both believed Matteo wasn’t good enough for me. “It’s unheard of for a woman of your wealth to be with a construction worker.”

My mother’s face contorted in visible disgust. “Just thinking about it makes me want to vomit. What will my friends say when they find out about this? I’ll be the laughingstock of my friend group.”

“More importantly, how is a man like that supposed to take care of you?” my father asked.

I wanted to tell them how hardworking Matteo was. How he always got up early and spent hours at work trying to make a living. I wanted to tell them about his dream of starting his own company, a dream he’d shared with me many times over the years we’d been together. I wanted to tell them that Matteo assured me I would always be provided for. He’d promised to give me the world someday and I believed him.

I wanted to tell them all of that but again, I remained silent. The words clawed at my throat but they never made it out of my mouth. I opened my mouth so I could let them out but they scurried back inside.

I’d never been able to go against my parents. Not once in my twenty-two years on this earth had I done anything they didn’t approve of. I needed their approval like I needed my next breath which was why I didn’t say anything. Even though my heart was breaking into a million pieces and the thought of leaving Matteo made me want to stop breathing altogether. Even then, I still couldn’t find my voice.

When I finally pulled myself to my feet, the sun had started to set. I dragged my bare feet across the now cool pavement and waited by the sidewalk until I saw a taxi. The driver glanced back, and his eyes widened slightly when he saw me. I couldn’t tell if it was my wedding dress or my ruined makeup that alarmed him. I’d cried my eyes out in the park, so I was certain I looked crazy.

I gave him my address and he took off. I spent the journey staring out the window and thinking about what I was going to do with my life. It was only when the car stopped outside my family home that I realized I had no money.

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