Runaway Bride

It is clear that I owe an explanation and not only to Darío but also to my brother-in-law, who has burst the bubble of happiness
without realizing it. Darío places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes me gently. He is confused, and I understand. Couples
have the time to share the names of their exes, as well as the events that set a precedent and the reason they broke up. In this
case, the reason I was going to break up with Lucian was that I was being forced to marry Darío, although I later realized that he
was nothing more than a fucking bastard who didn’t even deserve a greeting. However, I didn’t bother to tell Darío about him.
Maybe I wanted to forget all about my time with that man, knowing I had been cheated on and understanding that Lucian didn’t
deserve to belong in my past, not after he had ruined my life and Teresa’s life. By hurting her, he hurt me in the same way.
I watch him and try to figure out if he’s angry or just upset. He furrows his brows and waits for my response, one that almost
urges me to vomit again.
“Lucian was my boyfriend,” I reply.
I have no idea how I’m going to explain the situation to Darío, let alone Dawson. I shudder to consider the reaction Darío is going
to have upon hearing me.
“And what does he want with your sister?” my husband asks, confused. Just the obvious. “Does he want to see you? Didn’t you
explain to him that you were getting married?”
“You have to admit that our wedding wasn’t especially planned ahead of time, love.” What an excuse I make.
I set out to walk up to the balcony. I begin to feel the cramped space. I focus on Darío to distract myself; he has a long-sleeved
wine-red flannel that settles his half-tan color a bit.
The heater is working perfectly, so the temperature inside the house is comfortable. Even so, I feel terribly hot. My hands sweat,
and the back of my neck itches irrationally.
“Is that why it is? Because of the rushed wedding? That man comes looking for you a month after you split up?” This time it’s
Dawson speaking.
As the weeks have gone by, I’ve learned to tell them apart inside out. The smallest detail makes me realize who is Darío and
who is Dawson. Even more so after learning that Dawson has more golden hair than Darío. It seems my brother-in-law has spent
considerable time in the seaside part of the country.
“Where are you going?” inquires Darío when he senses me walking away.

“I think we’d better sit on the balcony. I could use some air.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? Let’s go to the clinic and confirm it’s just a cold, honey.”
He’s worried about my health. So I try to get us all seated by the time I tell them about Lucian.
Why on earth wouldn’t Teresa have told Dawson about Lucian? Why not trust him for what that fucker did to her? They’re getting
married, and she hasn’t had the gentleness to tell him, to trust him enough to let him know that someone tried to take advantage
of her, her innocence, and her body.
“Dawson,” I turn to my brother-in-law, for I truly understand that it is not my place to speak to him on the subject, “I think it’s
better if you take it up directly with Teresa.”
“Bullshit, I’m sick of this mess!” he explodes.
I shudder from head to toe.
“Dawson!” it’s Donatella, “you’d better calm down! You’ll scare the kid.” She reaches over and scoops him up in her arms.
I smile at her gentleness and kindness. I got a friend, a housemate, who advises me as if she were my own mother and mainly
because she bets on my relationship with Darío. She believes we can survive and come out undefeated from how we started our
marriage.
“Thank you, Dona,” I thank her. I grab Darío’s hand to walk up the stairs again. In the meantime, she leaves with Dante. It’s a
relief to take the boy away from what I know will be a disaster.
Two strong and determined men will not take well to the fact that Lucian tried to abuse my sister, more so now when Darío
explodes at any unfavorable situation. The first few days were difficult for him. His anger even caused me to cry from
helplessness for not being able to help him feel satisfied even with the fact that he came out of the surgery well. Now he can be
in his son’s life with me by his side.
“I can’t!” he cried one day when he stumbled as he left the room. “I’m going to go crazy.”
“Love...”
“I can’t go through with this. I can’t be a good father if I can’t see where I’m going if I can’t watch my son take his first steps. How
am I supposed to take him to the park to ride his tricycle?”

“We’re going to work it out, honey. You’ll see. This is all temporary. David says...”
“David has no idea what’s wrong with me! Don’t you see? Don’t you get it? I’m fucking blind!”
That’s when I knew, for the first time, that he was going to need the help of everyone he knew who cared about him. That’s why I
secretly asked Dawson to help me and not to go far away. I didn’t know who else to turn to.
Who better than his twin, a man just as strong and intense, to help him?
“You already went to Teresa’s, didn’t you?” I tie the ends together quickly.
His reaction makes me think about how it must have affected my little sister, the light of my eyes.
“She won’t talk. What’s more, she slammed the door in my face.” He’s elated and beside himself. I’ve never seen Dawson so out
of control. He always looks carefree and detached from trouble as if nothing would stain his peace. “She even called off the
wedding!”
“She called it off? I don’t understand. She’s not...”
“Impulsive? By the gods, Tatiana! She agreed on impulse and called it off for the same thing!”
“Calm down, Dawson,” I implore him.
“What’s going on, Tatiana? Tell me at once what you’re hiding. I’m blind, not deaf or an idiot. What happened with that boyfriend
of yours that your sister decided to walk away from Dawson?”
I’m caught between a rock and a hard place. Dawson looks at me with his arms crossed.
“You better start talking because I swear, I’m thinking the worst, and I don’t like to think about the bad. So I don’t give a damn
about tracking down who he is and where he lives and going to beat the shit out of him for so much as coming near my wife.”
I turn my head to the hallway that is only a few steps away. A few steps away is my freedom and the air I need. Tiny black
specks creep into my vision. I blink to clear my vision, but they are still there. I lean back against the wall and begin to take a
forced breath.
“Tati?” I hear Dawson’s voice and feel his approach.

“What’s wrong?” Darío has my hand held. I don’t feel the warmth of his hand, just a cold sweat soaking my fingers. “Tatiana, are
you okay? Say something, please.”
I want to tell them yes and that I’m fine. However, nothing comes from my lips.
“Let’s get you to lie down.” Before I realize it, Dawson lifts me in a flutter and walks up the stairs with me in his arms. “I’ll call the
emergency room and have someone come check on you.”
“Tatiana!” Darío arrives in the room seconds later, distraught. I worry that he went upstairs alone. I imagine him desperate and
distraught, not knowing what’s wrong with me.
“Let her rest. I think this goes beyond a simple breakup between her and that Lucian guy.” I want to yell at him to butt out, not to
add fuel to the fire, but my lips won’t cooperate.
“I don’t know, brother. There’s something not right here.” I hear them talking, but I start to lose my senses. “She’s not like that.
She even tells me everything. She... We have to talk to Teresa. There’s something that doesn’t add up...”
Little by little, I fall into a deep sleep.
The blackout has overcome me.
The darkness has taken my consciousness.