I turned around stiffly and saw Ansel, flanked by Elara and Vittoria, climbing the stone steps.
"Vittoria, this is what I should be doing."
"Don't be silly, call me 'Mom' in a few days!"
Ansel chuckled heartily and, without hesitation, called her "Mom."
With tears in my eyes, I quietly went to meet my friends.
I got straight to the point and told them that the Union was canceled.
They exchanged glances and then cautiously asked me, "Serafina, you already know?"
I was puzzled why they also knew.
In a fit of indignation, they pulled out photos of Ansel and Elara together at the hospital for their pre-ceremony medical clearance.
"Serafina, we support your decision to walk out. I'd love to see what a Blood-Bound Union without a bride looks like. Elara showing up to steal the ceremony will be a joke that follows them through every family in Clearmont Harbor!"
Their words made me somewhat look forward to it.
The day before the Union, Ansel came home with a brand-new pair of running shoes. I asked him calmly, "Aren't you the one who hates running shoes?"
He paused for a moment, then patted my head. "Tomorrow, I'll need to run fast with the bride on my back!"
The bride he mentioned isn't me.