Stella's hands trembled as she looked at the photos her friends had shown her, the evidence of Ansel's betrayal stark against the white background of her phone screen. The laughter and joy captured in those images were a cruel contrast to the cold reality she now faced. Her friends' voices were a distant hum in her ears as she processed the truth. Ansel and Elara, together at the hospital for their pre-marital checkup, a moment that should have been hers to share with him.
Her friends' words of support and outrage washed over her, but Stella felt a strange sense of calm. She had already made her decision, and seeing these photos only solidified her resolve. "I'm canceling the wedding," she stated, her voice firm and clear. Her friends exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of relief and concern.
"Stella, we support your decision to escape the wedding. I'd love to see what a wedding without a bride looks like—Elara showing up to steal the wedding will be a huge joke!" one of her friends said, her voice filled with indignation. Stella managed a small smile, her heart warming at their loyalty and support.
The day before the wedding, Ansel came home with a brand-new pair of running shoes. Stella looked at him, her eyes tracing the familiar lines of his face, committing every detail to memory. "Aren't you the one who hates running shoes?" she asked, her voice steady.
He paused for a moment, then patted her head. "Tomorrow, I'll need to run fast with the bride on my back!" The bride he mentioned isn't me, Stella thought, her heart aching at the realization. The smile that suddenly appeared on his face wasn't because of me either. It seemed that making her the center of a public wedding theft to prove his love for Elara made him quite happy.
The next day, Stella had walked around the wedding venue. Gigantic posters had magnified every trace of photo-editing on the wedding pictures. She had pulled out a pair of scissors, cut out her youthful, radiant face, and then took a cab to the airport. As she sat in the taxi, her heart heavy but her mind clear, she felt a strange sense of liberation. She was leaving behind the charade, the lies, and the pain. She was leaving behind Ansel.
When the flight attendant reminded her to turn off her phone, Ansel's calls had started flooding in. Stella switched off her phone, cutting off the last tie to the life she had known. As the plane took off, she looked out the window, watching as the ground below her receded into the distance. It was like her past was fading away, leaving her with a clean slate and a future full of possibilities.