Chapter 2: The Storm That Changed Everything

Thunder cracked outside the airport doors.

A torrential downpour washed over the city.

Hudson pulled the car up to the curb. My parents climbed into the back seat.

Tatum gathered her skirt and slipped smoothly into the passenger seat.

I reached for the rear door handle. She suddenly stopped me.

"Wait."

She took the wedding dress from my arms and carefully draped it over the only empty seat in the back.

"We can't crush the petticoat. How will you wear it next week?"

I stared at the gown taking up the entire space.

"I can hold it on my lap."

Tatum gave me a troubled look.

"But you're covered in sweat. What if you stain it?"

Hudson stayed silent for a few seconds. Then he made the decision for me.

"Order an Uber."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"It's a hurricane. There are no cars."

He frowned.

"Pay a little extra. Someone will take the ride."

"Your parents are older. They can't stay out in this rain. Tatum's wearing six-hundred-dollar lambskin shoes. One drop of water and they're ruined."

"You need the dress next week, so we can't shove it in the trunk."

He laid it out like it was the most reasonable arrangement in the world.

"You've always had a strong immune system. A little rain won't kill you."

A self-deprecating smirk tugged at my lips.

In Hudson's eyes, I wasn't even worth a piece of fabric or a pair of leather shoes.

Mom tapped the window from inside.

"Hudson, let's go."

"Tatum just said she was getting chilly. Don't let her catch a cold."

The door slammed shut in my face.

Hudson rolled down the window and dropped one last command.

"Text me when you get home."

The car vanished into the sheet of rain.

I stood shivering at the entrance. The wait time on my ride-hailing app jumped from ten minutes to half an hour.

Driver after driver canceled on me.

It didn't take long for me to get completely soaked.

My hair plastered to my face in a miserable mess. The biting wind made my body shake uncontrollably.

An hour later, a taxi finally pulled up.

The driver cranked up the heat. He handed me a pack of tissues from the front.

"Here. Dry off."

"Why are you waiting outside during a hurricane? Nobody came to pick you up?"

I looked down and stayed quiet.

He glanced at me through the rearview mirror. He didn't push further.

He just offered a quiet word of comfort.

"Don't be sad. Storms always pass."

"Once the wind stops, everything will be fine."

I opened my email on my phone and looked at the overseas transfer offer my company had sent half a month ago.

Back then, I couldn't bear to leave Hudson. I couldn't bear to abandon the wedding I had spent so long planning. So I kept delaying my answer.

Now, I tapped the confirmation button and hit send.

I stared at the one-way ticket to London I had just rebooked for tomorrow afternoon.

I murmured a response.

"Yeah."

Once the hurricane passed, flights would take off again.

And I would travel thousands of miles away to London. I would start a life that had absolutely nothing to do with Hudson.

His wedding next week would never see its bride.