Post on 05-Aug-2015
The Runaway Bride
Copyright © 2013 by Christine John
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or
mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses
permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author.
Website: www.christinejohnbooks.com
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are
either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Other Books Written by Christine John
How to Start and Run an Online Business
Short Stories for Teenagers
Chapter 1
Serena paced back and forth in the bedroom. She felt like a caged animal. She could
not go anywhere or do anything without her seemingly over-protective husband watching her
every move. She felt like she was suffocating; she could hardly breathe. Serena was trapped
in a marriage that she felt incapable of living up to the expectations of her husband or his
parents, his mother in particular.
The young woman stopped in front of the full-length mirror and stared critically at her
reflection. She wore a long black gown that accentuated her curves. Her shoulder-length dark
brown hair was twisted into a French coil, not a single strand out of place. Tiny diamond
studs sparkled from her ear lobes and a matching diamond necklace circled her slender throat.
Her make-up was done to perfection. Judging from her reflection, Serena was a picture-
perfect princess.
But Serena was not happy. She could see her sadness reflected in her hazel eyes. She
felt tied down and she needed to escape. She needed to breathe freely. She wanted to run wild
and laugh and play. Instead she was forced to act like the submissive wife that Bruce’s
mother wanted her to be.
Serena immediately started to hyperventilate at the thought of facing Bruce’s cold-
hearted mother again. She forced back tears that pricked her eyes and fought to control her
emotions.
“Serena, darling, are you ready yet?” called her handsome husband Bruce as he
rushed into the room fixing his bowtie. “We must hurry or else we’ll be late for dinner with
my parents.”
Bruce glanced at Serena and then looked at her again, suddenly filled with concern.
“Serena, are you all right? You look a little…flushed.”
The man’s young wife placed a delicate hand against her throat. She closed her eyes
and breathed deeply, hoping to slow down the rapid beating of her heart.
“Serena?” he said, his concern intensifying.
“Yes, Bruce, I’m fine,” the young woman replied breathlessly.
Bruce placed his large warm hands on her shoulders and gently turned her to face
him. He tilted her chin so that she could look directly into his eyes. “Serena, did you have
another anxiety attack?”
“Bruce, I’m fine,” Serena assured him, avoiding the question. “I’m ready. We can
leave now.”
Serena’s husband stared at her suspiciously for what seemed like an eternity. She put
on a brave smile to reassure him. He sighed heavily and said, “All right. If you say so.”
He started fidgeting with his tie. “How do I look, Serena? Is my tie straight?”
Serena took a step back and examined her husband from head to toe. Earlier that day
he had gotten a haircut and his mustache and beard shaped in the latest style. Standing a head
taller than his wife, Bruce looked handsome, confident and very wealthy in his tuxedo.
“You look good,” she said shyly.
Her husband smiled in response. He checked the time on his gold wristwatch and
gasped. “Serena, we’re late! Let’s go.” The two grabbed their coats and headed down the
stairs. They rushed out of the house and drove quickly but carefully to the home of Phillip
and Isabelle Anderson, Bruce’s parents.
“Bruce! I’m so glad you’re back,” greeted Isabelle Anderson. “I haven’t seen you
since you went on your honeymoon.” She hugged her son happily.
He gently untangled himself from her embrace and cleared his throat. He placed his
arm around his wife and said, “Mother, you remember Serena, my wife.” He was careful to
emphasize the word ‘wife’.
Mrs. Anderson squared her shoulders and raised her chin. She was a few inches taller
than Serena, so she took full advantage of looking down her nose at her son’s wife. “Oh.
Hello Serena,” she greeted in her frostiest voice.
“Good evening, Mrs. Anderson,” the young woman mumbled.
There was an awkward silence and then Bruce asked, “Where’s father? Is he
upstairs?”
“No, he’s in the study. He’s talking on the phone. Most likely it’s a business call,”
Mrs. Anderson replied. “Why don’t you go ahead into the dining room and I’ll see if I can get
your father to cut short his phone call.”
“There’s no need for that, Isabelle,” said Phillip Anderson as he closed the door to his
study. He extended his arms wide enough to embrace his son and daughter-in-law. “Welcome
home, you two.”
“It’s good to see you, Father,” said Bruce.
“So how was the honeymoon?” Mr. Anderson asked Serena. “It looks like my son
took good care of you.”
Serena blushed as she remembered how Bruce made love to her for the first time on a
secluded beach in Bermuda. “It was every girl’s dream come true, Mr. Anderson. Bruce took
me shopping and to the beach. We really enjoyed it.”
“Yeah, we did,” Bruce agreed.
Mrs. Anderson sniffed and curled her bottom lip in disgust. “All right. That’s enough
talk about the honeymoon. Dinner is getting cold. Let’s go into the dining room and be
seated.”
She walked away stiffly and the others followed in silence. Bruce took his wife’s
hand and kissed her softly. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, “she’ll come around.”
As comforting as his words were, Serena did not agree with her husband. Isabelle
Anderson was against their marriage since the day Serena’s father died and left explicit
instructions in his will that Bruce and Serena must get married a month after his death.
Steven Taylor was a hopeless romantic and had always dreamed of his only daughter
marrying Bruce Anderson. He knew that Bruce was a strong, capable young man who would
take care of his daughter if anything ever happened to him. Mr. Taylor, with the help of
Bruce’s father had tried to get nineteen year old Bruce to show a little more interest in
fourteen year old Serena, other than brotherly love.
Serena had a huge crush on Bruce. He was handsome, intelligent, charming, and
ambitious. She had often sat on the swing in her backyard and dreamed about becoming Mrs.
Bruce Anderson. She never thought that it would ever come true because Bruce was five
years older and Mrs. Anderson was completely against Serena’s relationship with Bruce.
Isabelle Anderson had such high hopes for her only son. She wanted Bruce to go
away to college, as far away from Serena as possible, and become a doctor. She had hoped
that with Bruce so far away, he would forget about Serena and become romantically involved
with a beautiful, wealthy young woman closer to his age.
When Steven Taylor was diagnosed with cancer Mrs. Anderson was outraged to find
out that Bruce had chosen to attend a local college close to home rather than going to one out
of state. She blamed Bruce’s choice in colleges on Serena. In fact, whenever Bruce disagreed
with any of the plans she made for him, which happened very often, she always blamed
Serena. Isabelle Anderson believed that Serena was not good enough for her precious son.
The years passed swiftly and Bruce chose to study law instead of attending medical
school and got a job in his father’s law firm. Serena also went to a local college and studied
music and art. She grew up to be a beautiful, vivacious young woman and her father was very
proud of her.
Steven Taylor’s health was deteriorating at a rapid pace and he knew that he did not
have much longer to live. He frequently called on Phillip and Bruce Anderson to talk to them
privately. On days when he was strong enough he would take a leisurely walk to the park
with his daughter.
Eventually, Mr. Taylor passed away peacefully in his sleep. Funeral arrangements
were taken care of by Phillip Anderson and Bruce never left Serena’s side. He comforted her
and sat with her during the funeral service and stayed with her at her father’s home until she
fell asleep.
When it was time to read the will Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, Bruce and Serena gathered
together in the living room at the home of the late Steven Taylor. According to Mr. Taylor’s
last will and testament, he had left Serena a sizable income to live on comfortably for the rest
of her life. The house and all other assets such as stocks and bonds now belonged to her.
There was a particular section in the will that shocked everyone. Steven Taylor had
left explicit instructions in his will for Bruce and Serena to get married on the condition that
both parties were willing to accept.
“But she is only a spoiled child!” Isabelle Anderson cried when she heard the reading
of the will. “Serena Taylor knows nothing about marriage or raising a family. She will
destroy my son’s life!” She collapsed into a chair and sobbed hysterically into her
handkerchief.
“Now Isabelle, stop crying,” Phillip Anderson pleaded with his wife. “Bruce and
Serena are good kids and I’m proud of how they both turned out. Serena loves Bruce and she
would do anything to make him happy. And Bruce will always take care of Serena and
protect her. This was Steven Taylor’s last wish before he died and I think we owe it to him to
carry out what was instructed in his will.”
Mrs. Anderson jumped out of her chair, nearly knocking it over. “No! That little brat
will not marry my son! I will not stand for it!”
“That’s enough, Mother!” Bruce yelled, shielding Serena in his arms. “I will not allow
you to talk that way about the woman I’m going to marry!”
Serena gasped and looked up at the man she dearly loved. “Bruce? Do you really
mean it?”
He looked down at her, his kind, brown eyes glowing in warmth. “Yes, Serena. I want
to marry you. That is, of course, if you will have me.”
“Yes, Bruce, of course I’ll marry you,” she replied excitedly.
“No! I will not allow it!” Mrs. Anderson roughly pushed the couple apart and threw
Serena against the wall.
The young woman crumpled to the floor and stared at Mrs. Anderson in sheer terror.
Her heart started beating faster and she began to hyperventilate.
“Isabelle, what are you doing?” cried Mr. Anderson as he grabbed his wife, stopping
her from attacking Serena. “Get a hold of yourself, woman!” he exclaimed as he fought to
keep his wife under control. “Come along, Isabelle, we are leaving.” He dragged his
hysterical wife towards the door.
“You’re not good enough for my son!” Mrs. Anderson yelled. “You will destroy his
life! Twenty years of planning for my son’s future…Wasted! You will pay dearly for taking
my son away from me!”
Those were the last words Serena heard before she collapsed into Bruce’s arms.
Sample Chapter of The Runaway Bride by Christine John
The Runaway Bride is a novel about a woman named Serena who married the man of
her dreams at a very young age. Feeling intimidated and threatened by her mother-in-law,
Serena runs away to fulfill her dream of going to university to study art. But her plans are
soon interrupted by a devastatingly handsome and charming stranger. Now Serena is feeling
very confused about what she really wants.
Should she go back to her overprotective husband and endure the icy stares and cold,
cruel insults of her horrible mother-in-law, or should she spend the rest of her days living a
wild and exciting life with the very sexy Armando?
If you enjoyed this chapter from my book The Runaway Bride you can grab your copy of the
book now from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.
For more information, please visit my website www.christinejohnbooks.com.