A Promise Unpaid

One hour before the wedding, Alice swallowed a pill in a bathroom stall. Not birth control—poison. Her escape route. “You’re really going to marry him?” Her lover pressed his forehead against hers, breath still unsteady. “I promised you,” she whispered with a faint smile, fingertips brushing her lips. “I never said I’d live to see the honeymoon.” Meanwhile, Mark sat in the surveillance room, palms slick with sweat. He shouldn’t be watching. But the anonymous message had been too cruel: *Want to marry her? First see who gave her the underwear she’s wearing under that dress.* On screen, Alice pulled a crimson lace lingerie set from her suitcase. Embroidered on the back was a man’s initials—J.L. And on her left shoulder blade, an old scar seeped tiny beads of blood, like a withered rose. A relic of a car crash three years ago. She’d lain unconscious for seven days. When she woke, her first words were: “Don’t let him find me.” The door burst open. A friend rushed in. “Mark! She’s on the phone in the dressing room—you need to hear this recording!” Audio played. Alice’s voice, soft and tender: “Proceed as planned. The moment he puts on the ring… I’ll start the countdown on my phone.” The camera pulled back sharply—church bells rang, guests rose. Mark stood at the altar, watching Alice walk toward him, her gown trailing over the red carpet like a winding river of blood. She smiled, reaching for the vow card the priest offered. On the back, a single line in small print: *If you run now, you can still make it.* Her phone vibrated. A new message appeared: *Darling, you said love is responsibility. But me… I just want to die for love.* Runaway bride Olivia finds refuge with Edward, a ruthless crime lord from the underworld. One kiss for protection turns into a dangerous obsession. As desire ignites, will love survive the truth, or will promise go unpaid?