The wedding space was beautifully decorated in white and gold , with lights hanging down like sparkling stars, and lilies and roses making the air smell sweet. People talked softly, showing their admiration, with the sound of string instruments playing in the corner as the only other noise.
Nadia Medina was standing at the altar, holding a bunch of white roses tightly. She felt nervous but excited, her heart beating fast. The day she had wanted since she was a little girl was finally happening.
After loving and waiting for years, she was about to marry Dexter Clark , the man she thought she would be with forever.
Everything was great, except for one problem.
Dexter was behind schedule.
She looked at the big doors at the end of the walkway. The officiant cleared his throat politely and checked his watch. Her closest friend in the wedding party smiled to reassure her, saying quietly,
"He's probably just stuck in traffic. Don't worry, Nadia."
Nadia tried to smile back, but her chest felt tight.
Dexter was always on time. He usually showed up early for everything , like meetings, parties, and even relaxed dates.
This was unusual for him.
The minutes passed and seemed like hours.The quiet talk among the people became uneasy, the crowd began to whisper and quietly chatter.
And then, at last, the doors opened.
Nadia's happiness didn't last long.
Dexter came in, but he wasn't by himself.
He was holding hands with another woman ,a tall, classy brunette wearing a white dress that shone almost as much as Nadia's.
The room became quiet.
Nadia felt like she couldn't breathe. She looked at him, unable to believe what was happening.
Dexter looked serious, his jaws tightened, He didn't appear sorry almost unphased, just determined.
"Dexter?" she whispered. Her voice was shaky.
He stopped in front of her, holding the other woman's hand tighter.
"Nadia… I can't go through with this."
A soft sound went through the room.
Nadia blinked, her throat feeling dry.
"What are you talking about?"
"This is Cassandra," Dexter said softly.
"She's the person I love. I can't marry you."
For a second, everything stopped , the music, the whispers, even the air. Then her world fell apart.
Nadia felt like she was going to fall over. The flowers dropped out of her hand and made a quiet noise when they hit the floor.
"No," she said, shaking her head slowly.
"No, this isn't really happening!. You can't do this to me, Dexter."
But what he wasn't saying proved otherwise.
The woman , Cassandra , looked at her with what seemed like pity, even though she was slightly smiling.
"I'm sorry, Nadia. He should have told you sooner."
Nadia felt like her heart was breaking, like her entire world had crashed on her.
"You promised me," she said, her voice cracking as she began to tear up.
"You promised to love me."
Dexter looked away. "I'm sorry."
The people there began talking quietly to each other. Someone stood up, another person gasped, and some people even started recording what was happening on their phones. It was a mess , loud, overwhelming, and hurtful.
"Please," Nadia said,
taking a step in his direction.
"Don't do this where everyone can see. We should talk,"
Two guards came up to where she was standing.
"Miss, we need you to move away now."
She looked at them, not understanding what was happening.
"What?"
"Mr. Clark has asked that we take you out of here."
Her heart seemed to stop.
"Are you really serious right now!"
But they were serious. They took her arms, and before she knew it, she was being led down the aisle that she had dreamed of walking down with him. now by herself, while many people looked at her sadly.
Her head covering fell off as she almost tripped. Someone quietly laughed. Someone else said her name quietly.
Outside, the rain had now started to fall down.
She was standing on the steps of the large building, and her white dress was getting wet quickly. The doors closed behind her making a sound that she felt in her chest.
For a long moment, Nadia did not move at all. Then she dropped to her knees, crying in the heavy rain.
"Why?"
she quietly asked.
"Why would you do such a thing to me?"
But there was no reply. Only the rain, never ending and cold.
Three days later, her apartment looked completely different.
The once tidy space now had lots of empty bottles, used tissues, and pictures that were ripped up. The TV was on but quiet, showing a news story called 'Groom Runs Away: Clark's Surprising Wedding Secret.'
Nadia was lying on the couch, just looking at the ceiling. Her eyes were puffy, her hair was messy, and her wedding dress was still on a chair close by, like a memory of what should have been.
She reached for another glass of wine but stopped halfway there. Her hands were shaking too much for her to do it.
"Get yourself together," she said, but she didn't sound like she meant it.
She kept thinking about what happened, Dexter's face, how his voice sounded when he said her name, and how he looked when he told her he loved someone else.
She laughed, but she was obviously depressed about everything.
"I guess forever really means only three years."
Her phone made a noise. Another message from one of her friends. Are you doing okay? Should we come and see you?
She turned the phone off. She didn't want anyone feeling sorry for her. She didn't want people to see her like this , upset, embarrassed, and feeling like she was completely lost.
When night came, she was standing in front of the mirror, looking at the strange person looking back. She had no makeup on, and her eyes looked empty.
"I can't keep doing this," she said quietly.
She wanted to feel something other than sadness.
Nadia put on a black dress , one that was short and didn't matter much. She put on red lipstick, picked up her bag, and went out into the night.
The bar had dim lights, with music playing softly and people talking.
She asked for a drink. Then another one. And then another one. The alcohol burned, but it helped with the pain.
Men were looking at her from across the room.
She didn't pay attention to any of them until someone next to her said quietly,
"You look like you're trying not to think about something."
She looked around and saw a man she had never seen before. He was tall, with wide shoulders, and wearing all black clothing. He had a certain intensity, something authoritative, but also strangely peaceful.
"Maybe I am," she replied, her voice gentle but firm enough to keep him away.
He did not step back.
"Then let me help you not remember."
She almost chuckled.
"That is not a good thing to say."
He smiled slightly.
"I was not trying to get you to like me."
Perhaps it was the drinks. Perhaps it was being very tired. But for once, Nadia didn't consider things, she simply allowed herself to float along. They spoke briefly, drank a little bit more, and at some point between the confusion and the quiet, she let him hold her hand.
And she did not move her hand away.
When Nadia woke up the following day, sunlight poured in through large windows. The room seemed strange, fancy, and costly.
A slight scent of men's fragrance remained in the air.
Her head hurt badly as she slowly sat up. The sheets felt soft against her skin, and then the truth suddenly shocked her.
She was not by herself.
Next to her, a man was sleeping, the same man she had met at the bar.
His face looked relaxed, and his breathing was steady.
Nadia stared at him for a long while, her heart beating fast. What had she just done?
She put her hand on her head, forcing herself to focus. She did not even know what his name was.
Her clothes were scattered all over the floor. She picked them up quickly, trying not to make any noise.
Once she was dressed, she hesitated by the doorway. The man moved a little, but did not wake up.
Nadia glanced back one last time. He seemed calm, almost kind. But something about him, the small marks on his hands, the stillness of his face, made her nervous.
She whispered, "I'm sorry," even though she didn't know why, and quietly left the room.
The morning air felt cool and bright.
She breathed in deeply, her shoes making noise on the sidewalk. Behind her, the city kept moving forward uncaring, never stopping.
Nadia hugged herself, unsure of where to go, but sure of one thing: the woman who had walked down that aisle days before was gone.
No matter what happened next, she would be ready for it.