Chapter 3
904 Words
On my way to the restroom, I happened to catch sight of Aaron and Stella.
Of all places, of all moments, fate seemed determined to make me hear what came next.
"Aaron, I made a mistake. I tried for years to move on, but I couldn't. I know you still feel the same. Can't we start over?"
The groomsmen exchanged glances before immediately jumping to her side.
"Aaron, this is what you've wanted all along."
Aaron lifted a hand and gently wiped away her tears.
He never answered.
But somehow, his silence said more than words ever could.
The others took it as encouragement.
"If the wedding's the problem, let Samuel stand in again."
"Go through with the ceremony today. After that, talk to Yvonne and end the marriage properly. Everyone keeps their dignity that way."
"Let's be honest, Yvonne worships the ground you walk on. She won't blame you."
I stood hidden around the corner, then slid slowly down the wall until I was sitting on the floor.
A sneer escaped my lips.
The day Aaron got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, a message from Stella popped up on my phone.
Stella: [Yvonne, if my mother hadn't married Aaron's father, do you honestly think you'd be standing where you are now? Aaron was never yours. If I wanted him back, all I'd have to do is call. He would come running.]
At the time, I had laughed it off.
I thought she was bitter and jealous.
But now, standing here on my wedding day, I finally understood.
She hadn't been bluffing.
Aaron would sacrifice everything for her.
*****
The dressing-room door opened again. Aaron walked in.
For a second, my mind went blank. Then I noticed what he was doing.
He crossed the room and grabbed the backpack Stella had forgotten.
"Yvonne, Samuel will finish the ceremony for me. You don't need to worry. It's only a stand-in. On paper, you'll still be Mrs. Lynch."
He rested a hand on my shoulder, the same familiar gesture he'd always used whenever he thought I needed reassurance.
I couldn't help but sneer. "So you're leaving with Stella?"
His expression shifted, but he never denied it.
Just moments earlier, I had received another message from Stella.
Stella: [I warned you, Yvonne. The moment I reached out, Aaron chose me.]
I stared at the man I had loved for so many years.
In his tailored suit, Aaron looked exactly like the groom I had imagined beside me.
I had pictured this day countless times. I would walk down the aisle with him, exchange vows, and slip rings onto each other's fingers.
I had poured my heart into every detail of this wedding.
Even the boutonniere pinned to his jacket had been sketched and designed by me.
For seven years, I had waited for this moment.
But in the end, the wedding I had treasured so carefully turned out to be nothing but a cruel joke.
The hurt remained, so did the humiliation and the anger.
Yet somehow, all of it slowly drained away.
The love I had carried for Aaron ended right there.
I swallowed the ache lodged in my throat and forced a smile. "Aaron, we don't have to go through with this wedding."
"What did you just say?" Aaron was surprised.
I slipped off the ring and held it out to him. "I'm calling it off."
Aaron was struck dumb for a few seconds, then sneered. "Yvonne, enough. You always say things you don't mean when you're emotional. You know how much I hate that."
Maybe that was the problem. I knew him too well.
For seven years, I had learned exactly what made him happy and exactly what didn't. I had spent so long being the understanding girlfriend that he had stopped believing I could ever truly leave.
Whenever I expressed disappointment, he treated it like a childish attempt to get his attention.
But this time wasn't one of those moments.
"I'm serious." My voice remained steady. "If someone's heart was never mine to begin with, what's the point of holding on? You don't have to keep choosing between me and Stella anymore."
Something dangerous flickered across Aaron's expression.
"You think Stella and I are involved?"
What? At this point, what was there left to wonder about?
His actions had answered that question long ago.
Without warning, Aaron caught my wrist and pulled me closer.
The tension rolling off him was impossible to miss.
"Yvonne, you've waited seven years for today. Seven years. You're really willing to throw it all away? And have you thought about everyone outside? Our families? Our friends? If the wedding falls apart now, do you have any idea what kind of spectacle that'll create?"
Now he was worried about reputation, not when he had sent his twin brother to stand in for him.
I gently freed myself from his grip.
"Aaron, I heard your conversation. Finish the wedding today. Divorce me later. If that's the ending you've already chosen, why bother pretending to start a marriage at all? Don't worry. I'll tell everyone it was my decision. I'll be the one who called off the wedding."
Aaron's jaw flexed.
I watched his hands curl into fists before slowly loosening again.
He looked as though he wanted to argue. But before he could, Stella appeared.
"Aaron, how long does it take to grab one bag?"
- Writer
