Chapter 77: Sandra!

In the days leading up to Colby's wedding with Tanya, he spent most of his time working in the office while Tanya spent most of her time trying to catch up in college.

This was because Colby had promised her that they were going on a one week trip for their honeymoon. Tanya had no idea where he was taking her since he had insisted that it was a surprise but, she was excited all the same and hoped that the experience would be similar to the one she enjoyed in the Bahamas.

In a twinkle of an eye, the day finally arrived. Maria had tried using different numbers to call Tanya and when she did not succeed, she sent her husband to convince Tanya to let him stand in as her father and give her away since they were the only relatives she had left.

However, Tanya said, "Colby Tanner is both my father and my mother so do not burden yourself with trying to take on that role. When I need someone to step in, Colby will be there."

After she hung up, her uncle angrily complained to Matt, asking him to talk to Tanya because she was just a child who did not know what she was doing.

Matt did not bother trying to do that because he knew that his parents never treated Tanya like family so it was only normal for her to disregard them now that she had everything she wanted.

Colby left Tanya very early in the morning and went to get dressed in one of his houses because Tanya kept insisting that she had read that it was bad luck to see the bride in her dress before her wedding.

As Tanya waited in the bedroom she shared with Colby, the house bustled with different people; fashionistas, makeup artists, hair stylists, photographers, etc.

Even her driver was also waiting for her in the sitting room. One by one, they got into the room and helped Tanya get ready. Colby kept calling her every hour to find out how she was feeling and each time, Tanya would say that she was overwhelmed or she felt like was dreaming.

Her wedding gown had been made specifically for her since Colby had contacted a famous designer to make the gown, weeks before he proposed to Tanya.

Despite the fact that they had planned to have a small and simple wedding, different media outlets reported on the news about the wedding, and the internet was also abuzz with it.

After they had gotten her ready, most of them left, save for the photographers and driver. The house became quieter and as Tanya stared at her reflection in the mirror she suddenly wished her grandmother was alive to see her. She looked so beautiful that she was tempted to cry.

She had no memory of her parents because they died when she was still a baby. She only knew what they looked like from the pictures her grandma showed her, but she had fond memories with her grandma and would have given anything for the latter to be there with her.

Perhaps if her parents were alive she may have lived a luxurious life and may not have met or dated Colby. He was one of the gifts in her life she could never regret.

"Do not cry, Tanya," she said to herself. "Today is your wedding, one of the happiest days of your life, the day you get married to your one true love. Count your blessings and be grateful for them."

Her phone suddenly rang and when she saw that it was from Colby, she smiled and answered it, "I am ready, my love."

"So am I," Colby said. "I can't wait to see you."

"I would have sent you a picture if I could," Tanya replied. "I'll see you at the church in a few minutes. I love you so much."

"I love you more, baby," Colby said before the call ended.

Tanya had just gotten off the phone with Colby when she heard the door of her bathroom open. She turned to see if she had left it open but at that moment, she was hit on the head with a big pole. She instantly fell back on the bed and lost consciousness.

The photographers and driver were waiting for Tanya to come out. They smiled when they saw her and began taking pictures. She covered her face with the veil so one of the photographers asked her to reveal her face for the time being so he could take close-up pictures of her face.

Without reacting to his words, she walked closer to the driver who stood by the door waiting, and took the car keys from him. The driver and photographers stared at her in confusion as she went to the gate pushed it open, suddenly ran into her car, and drive out of the house at a speed that shocked all of them.

The driver was more shocked by the fact that Tanya could drive when she was yet to undergo serious training or take her driving test.

He quickly called Colby and told him everything. Colby who had just stepped out of his house almost suffered a cardiac arrest when he heard that Tanya had run away.

"Get into the photographers' car and chase after her, I will be right there," he instructed.

He quickly got into his car and began driving to meet them. The driver kept giving him real-time updates about each time Tanya drove into a curve.

At some point, he said to Colby, "Sir, the person who is driving this car seems to be really skilled. I'm wondering when Tanya became such a good driver."

"Is there someone else in the car with her?" Colby asked.

"No," the driver replied. Colby found it strange that Tanya wasn't answering his calls and was running away from him. She had no reason to do so and if she was such a good driver, he would have known.

He suddenly had an idea and said, "Keep chasing her and once you pin her down, please let me know."

He quickly made a U-turn and drove to his house where Tanya was last seen.

When he entered the house, he quickly went to the bedroom he shared with Tanya. The first thing he saw was a pole lying on the bed. He inspected it before calling his friend, Henry who was the chief of police.

When Henry answered the call, Colby said, "Hi Hen."

"Shouldn't you be getting married right now?" Henry asked.

"That's the problem," Colby replied. "My bride has been kidnapped. I need your help to track down the criminal through satellite. I know it will be faster that way.

I will send you a file in a few minutes. Please, Henry, I'm really counting on you."

The moment he ended the call, Colby searched through his bunch of keys and finally found a key that looked different. He hurried to a private room in his house which he had not entered in a long while.

He quickly turned on the lights in the room and sat on a chair. It was a control room that covered different parts of his house. He had installed tiny cameras in all his houses and designed a control room in each after Tanya's accident because back then, he was worried that she was going to do something crazy.

He had not bothered to check the room in a while until what happened today. He quickly browsed through the footage until he found the one he wanted. He noticed how different people were going into the room to get Tanya ready and how a young girl who had the same stature as Tanya sneaked into the bathroom with a big pole in her hand without anyone noticing.

The girl kept peeping through the door to stare at Tanya until everyone left her. The moment he was done speaking to Tanya on the phone, the girl came out, struck Tanya on the head with the pole, and locked the door.

Colby placed his palm on his chest as he felt deeply pained by what was done to Tanya. His phone rang at that moment and he noticed it was from Tanya's driver. When he answered the call, the driver said, "Sir, we finally found the car but there's no one inside, Tanya seems to have disappeared."

"Thank you for your hard work," Colby replied. "Drive the car back home please."

After the call ended, Colby watched the girl on the screen as she quickly pulled off the wedding gown from Tanya's body, leaving her with just the white shorts and tube top Tanya wore inside.

The girl pushed Tanya's unconscious body under the bed, wore the wedding gown, and covered the veil before opening the door and leaving the room.

About ten minutes later, someone else opened the door and came into the room. She covered her face with a mask but Colby could recognize that body structure anywhere he saw it.

He gasped, "Sandra!"