Chapter Three
654 Words
The message sat on my screen like it belonged there.
You should check where your fiancé is tonight.
I read it three times. Then I locked my phone and tossed it onto the bed like it had burned my hand.
“No,” I whispered to myself. This was ridiculous.
Someone was clearly trying to stir trouble. Weddings always attracted strange drama jealous exes, bitter relatives, people who enjoyed chaos for no reason. That had to be it.
Sipho would never do anything to hurt me. Not tonight. Not ever.
I stood up and walked toward the mirror across the room. The girl staring back at me looked calm, almost too calm. My hair was wrapped in a loose scarf, my face free of makeup. Tomorrow there will be photographers, lights, perfect smiles.
Tomorrow I will become Mrs. Mthembu. The thought usually made me smile.
Tonight, it sat in my chest like a question. I grabbed my phone again before I could stop myself.
Sipho’s last message was still there.
Get some rest.
That was it. No heart emoji.
No teasing. No, “I love you.”
Just three words. That was unlike him.
I opened our message thread and scrolled up. Weeks of conversations. Jokes. Wedding planning. Random “I miss you” texts during the day.
Everything looked normal. Everything looked exactly like the life we had been building together.
So why did that message feel different?
My thumb hovered over the call button.
I hesitated. Then I pressed it.
The phone rang once, twice, three times.
My stomach tightened slightly.
Sipho usually answered on the first ring.
On the fourth ring, the call finally connected.
“Hey,” he said.
His voice sounded… distracted.
“Hi,” I replied.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
In the background, I could hear noise. Music. Voices. The faint clinking of glasses.
“You’re out?” I asked.
There was a short pause.
“Yeah,” he said. “Just with the guys.”
That made sense. Many grooms spent the night before their wedding celebrating with friends.
Still, something about his tone felt careful.
“Where?” I asked casually.
Another pause.
“Just a bar,” he said.
He didn’t say the name.
That was strange.
Sipho loved details. He usually told stories about who was there, what they were drinking, what ridiculous joke someone had made.
Tonight he sounded like he was answering questions in an interview.
“Are you okay?” he asked suddenly.
“Of course,” I said.
“You sound… quiet.”
“I’m just tired,” I said. “The house is chaos.”
He chuckled softly.
“I can imagine.”
Silence settled between us again.
Then he said something that made my chest tighten.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Not I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.
Not I love you.
Just a simple statement.
“I’ll see you tomorrow too,” I said.
The call ended a moment later.
I stared at the screen.
Then slowly, without meaning to, I opened the unknown number again.
My fingers moved before my mind could stop them.
Why are you telling me this? I typed.
The message was delivered immediately.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the typing dots appeared.
They disappeared. Appeared again.
My heart started beating faster.
Finally, the reply came.
Because you deserve to know the truth.
My throat felt dry.
What truth? I typed.
This time the response came faster.
Go to the balcony downstairs.
My eyes narrowed.
That made no sense.
Why?
The typing dots appeared again.
Then the final message arrived.
And listen carefully.
Downstairs, the music suddenly got louder.
Someone shouted my name again.
But the feeling in my chest had shifted completely now.
The pause was gone.
Something else had taken its place.
Curiosity and fear.
Slowly, I stood up and walked toward my bedroom door.
- Writer
