"You're going to be late?" I asked with a pout.
I was talking to Yunho on the phone and it seemed my fiancé couldn't take me to the boutique himself. He would go there still but he wasn't sure what time. We would be wed in three days' time. Everything was already prepared except for the wedding dress that we would be picking up.
"Yeah, sorry for that Boo. I have an emergency meeting," he told me and I had no choice but to sigh and tell him it was okay and so I went to the shop alone.
"Hey, it's you again," the owner of the shop greeted me with a smile.
She said she was the same woman who assisted me months ago when Yunho and I first came here to pick up my wedding dress. Knowing that, I asked Yunho why couldn't I just use that one since it wasn't worn anyway but he refused.
He had thrown away everything – clothes, invitations and other stuffs we bought months ago and replaced them all with new ones. Like my first engagement ring, my fiancé called them bad luck and didn't want me touching them.
"Yeah," I answered her with a smile.
"Your handsome man not with you today?" she asked and my smile widened as I nodded.
"He'll be here later though," I continued and the woman smiled back at me with a teasing glint in her eyes.
"Ah, too bad. I wanted to see his expression again when he sees you in your wedding dress," she said and I frowned in confusion.
Knowing that I had amnesia, the woman explained to me patiently.
"Months ago when he first came here with you, I had a great time watching him looking at you with that mesmerized expression on his face. Your handsome man really loves you so much. You're a very lucky one," she said which made me blush with great pleasure.
I still couldn't remember that time, but it must have been great and so I wished that I could.
"Here." The woman handed me the white wedding dress and pointed at the door leading to the fitting rooms were.
"You can change there," she said and I gladly went. The fitting room was big. All four sides were occupied with mirrors and there was a chair and a podium where I could stand and turn around to examine myself.
Having done so, I stared at my reflection and grinned with satisfaction. I was still on the thin side for it was only three weeks since I got out of the hospital but not too thin that I looked like a scarecrow.
"Are you done?" I heard the woman ask from the other side of the door. "Your handsome fiancé is here already, waiting for you."
Yunho? I was surprised because he said he'd be late but I felt happy nonetheless.
Remembering the woman's words about Yunho's expression, I grinned like a fool and practiced how I'd present myself to my fiancé. I reckon I owed the woman a show and I would really love to see my fiancé give me the expression she described.
As I turned around though, my left knee wobbled and I lost my balance on the podium. Before I realized what was happening, I found my feet up the air as I fell and then hit my head hard against the foot of the chair.
"Ahhh…" I groaned out loud as I massaged the sharp pain on my head.
"Are you okay?" the woman asked worriedly.
"I'm coming in," she announced and the door to the changing room opened.
"Oh dear, what happened?"
Alarmed, she came to my side and helped me onto the chair. I could smell blood and indeed, a small wound on my head was bleeding.
"Oh dear, oh dear," she said over and over again as she grabbed her handkerchief and used it to wipe my injury.
"Stay here, I'll call your fiancé," she said but before she turned to leave, I managed to grab her by the arm as I looked at her pleadingly.
"No. Please don't call him…"
"But why?"
I couldn't answer her question immediately though as my mind was reeling. Memories from the year which had been locked up from me since the accident came rushing like currents, and I found myself drowning in them.
"Oh God…" I closed my eyes. I felt like bursting.
Wedding… Fiancé... Yunho…Ian!
"Oh God…" I whimpered as if in pain and I felt the woman's hold on me tightened.
"Dear, let me call your fiancé," she said but I shook my head vehemently.
"No. Please don't tell him. Don't tell him I hit my head. Please…" I begged and begged until the woman assured me she wouldn't say a thing. She stayed where she was and continued to comfort me as I broke down.
Yunho lied to me.
He wasn't my fiancé. It was Ian, his cousin who was engaged to me.
I remembered everything now. I remembered the lies Ian said. I remembered Yunho who had always been there for me. I remembered wanting to break the engagement off and I remembered the accident and what had caused it.
Of course Yunho would throw away everything – the invitations, the ring, and the wedding suit because it was made for me and Ian.
I felt…ashamed.
I felt ashamed of myself as I recalled how I clung to Yunho when I thought I was engaged to him. But what I couldn't understand was why Yunho let me believe he was my fiancé in the first place? Why?
Was it because Yunho didn't want to embarrass me, seeing as I had mistaken him for Ian? But why did he tell me he loved me? The Yunho I knew would never ever do that unless… unless he meant it.
Did he?
I knew it was wishful thinking on my part, feeling the way I did about him even before the accident. Was that why Yunho felt familiar?
And where was Ian? Why hadn't he showed up even once since I woke up?
All the questions in my mind made me let out an anguished cry and the poor woman who thought I was crying about my injury held me tighter as she crooned words of comfort.