Ella could barely breathe as the news reached her. William was getting married. She had known this day would come, had tried to prepare herself for the inevitable. But hearing the words felt like a knife to her chest, sharp and cold, slicing through the thin threads of hope she had been clinging to.
Her heart raced as she stood frozen in the small room she had rented. The walls seemed to close in on her, the air growing thick as if the world itself was mocking her, trapping her in a reality she couldn't escape. She had returned to 1965 with the faintest hope that maybe—just maybe—William would choose her. But it wasn't that simple. It never had been.
William's engagement had always loomed like a dark cloud on the horizon, a reminder that he belonged to someone else, that their love was built on borrowed time. And now, the storm had arrived.
But she had to see it for herself. She had to witness the moment that would break her heart once and for all.
The church was old, beautiful in its simplicity. A modest stone building nestled on the outskirts of town, surrounded by towering oak trees that whispered in the wind. Ella slipped in unnoticed, blending into the shadows at the back, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure someone would hear it.
The pews were filled with guests, their faces alight with anticipation, joy, and excitement. The air was thick with the scent of roses, their petals scattered across the floor in delicate patterns. The soft hum of conversation filled the space, but Ella heard none of it. Her eyes were fixed on the altar, where William would soon stand.
She pressed herself against the wall, hiding in the dim light, her fingers trembling as she clutched the edge of the wooden bench. She wasn't supposed to be here. She wasn't supposed to watch the man she loved pledge his life to another. But she couldn't stay away.
Her breath hitched as she saw William enter the church. He was dressed in a sharp, dark suit, his hair neatly combed, and he looked every bit the part of a groom. But his face… Ella's heart clenched at the sight of his face. There was a sadness in his eyes, a heaviness that hadn't been there before.
As he took his place at the front of the church, the guests stood, turning their attention toward the bride. Ella's hands tightened around the pew in front of her as the doors opened, revealing the woman who was about to marry William.
She was beautiful, of course. Her long, white gown trailed behind her like a cloud, and her veil shimmered in the soft light filtering through the stained glass windows. She moved gracefully down the aisle, her face hidden beneath the lace, but Ella could imagine her smile—the joy that must be radiating from her as she walked toward William.
Ella swallowed hard, tears burning in the corners of her eyes. This was it. The moment she had dreaded since the day she met him. The moment she would lose him forever.
But as she watched the bride approach, something shifted inside her. Her heartache, her devastation—they didn't consume her as she thought they would. Instead, a strange sense of clarity settled over her. Yes, this hurt more than anything she had ever experienced, but beneath the pain was something stronger—something that made her realize just how deeply she loved him.
She loved William enough to let him go. To watch him marry someone else if that was what made him happy. But as the bride reached the altar and stood beside him, Ella couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't what he wanted.
There was no spark in William's eyes, no joy. He looked…lost. And Ella's heart broke all over again, not just for herself, but for him. He wasn't marrying for love. He was marrying because it was expected of him, because duty and obligation demanded it.
The priest began to speak, his voice echoing through the church, but Ella barely heard the words. She couldn't tear her eyes away from William, from the tension in his shoulders, the way his hands trembled as he took the bride's.
A lump formed in her throat as the priest's words finally broke through the fog in her mind.
"Do you, William, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife…"
Ella held her breath, waiting for the words that would seal her fate, that would sever the connection between them forever. Her vision blurred with unshed tears, her heart aching with every passing second.
But William didn't speak.
The silence stretched on, uncomfortable and heavy. The guests shifted in their seats, murmurs of confusion rippling through the crowd. Ella's breath caught in her throat as she saw the tension in William's jaw, the way his eyes darted toward the back of the church—toward the shadows where she stood.
"No," he said, his voice barely a whisper, but it echoed through the church like a thunderclap.
The bride gasped, her hands falling to her sides as she stared at him in shock. The guests erupted into whispers, but Ella couldn't hear any of it. All she could see was William, standing at the altar, his face pale and his hands trembling.
"I can't do this," he said, his voice stronger now, more resolute. He turned to the bride, his eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry. I can't marry you."
The bride's face crumpled, her hands trembling as she clutched her bouquet. Tears welled in her eyes, and for a brief moment, Ella's heart went out to her. This woman hadn't done anything wrong. She had been caught in the same web of expectation and tradition that William had.
"I don't love you," William continued, his voice breaking. "And you deserve someone who does. Someone who can give you their whole heart. I'm sorry, but I can't be that person."
The bride said nothing, her eyes filling with tears as she turned and fled down the aisle, her gown rustling in her wake. The church was silent, the guests too stunned to move or speak.
And then, as if drawn by an invisible force, William's eyes found Ella's in the shadows.
Her breath caught in her throat as their gazes locked, the world around them fading into nothing. It was just the two of them, standing on the edge of something terrifying and beautiful.
Without thinking, Ella stepped out of the shadows, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew the consequences of this moment. She knew that by stepping forward, by showing herself, she was crossing a line she could never uncross.
But she didn't care.
William took a step toward her, his eyes never leaving hers. There was so much emotion in his gaze—relief, fear, love. It was all there, raw and unguarded.
"I couldn't do it," he whispered when he reached her. "I couldn't marry her, Ella. Not when my heart belongs to you."
Tears spilled down Ella's cheeks as she stared up at him, her heart swelling with emotion. She had never imagined this moment—never dared to hope that William would choose her, that he would walk away from his obligations for her.
But here he was, standing in front of her, choosing her over everything else.
"I love you," William said, his voice shaking with the weight of his confession. "I've loved you from the moment we met, and I can't imagine my life without you. I know it's complicated, I know there's so much we have to figure out, but I don't care. I just want to be with you."
Ella's heart felt like it might burst from her chest. This was everything she had ever wanted, everything she had been afraid to hope for. She didn't know what the future held for them, didn't know how they would navigate the complexities of their love across time, but in that moment, none of it mattered.
"I love you too," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "And I don't care about anything else. I just want to be with you."
William pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as if he was afraid she might disappear. Ella buried her face in his chest, breathing in the familiar scent of him, the warmth of his embrace soothing the ache that had been in her heart for so long.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Ella felt at peace.
The future was uncertain, filled with challenges they couldn't yet foresee. But they would face it together. And that, Ella realized, was all that mattered.
As they stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, the rest of the world faded away, and for the first time in a long time, Ella felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be.