"It's time." I smiled
The church was bathed in golden candlelight with the mild scent of incense in the air. I walked in the church through the doors that where wild open,
Walking through the empty aisle without friends or family on the seats.Dressed in a simple yet elegant white gown, I walked down the aisle couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear.
My hands slightly trembled as they clutched the bouquet as I walked down the aisle to the altar.But some every day were wrong. The air felt heavy,suffocating.
My groom was not there.
Panic clawed up my throat, I turned to the priest who could explain the sudden emptiness at the altar. But no one met my gaze . The eyes of the priest was filled with pity, as he looked away
"Where is the groom?"The words blurred as tears flowed from eyes.
The walls of the church seemed to close in, My chest ached, not just from heartbreak, but from the crushing realization that I had been left alone—again.
For a moment, I stood frozen.Then the bouquet slipped from my grasp, petals scattering across the cold floor.
A sob broke free, echoing in the empty space.
I had dreamed of walking down the aisle into a new life. Instead, I walked out of the church the same way I had come into the world—alone.
I clicked on Jason's call ID and dialled his number, but it wasn't going through. I tried a few more times and still nothing.
Something bad must have happened to him, Go wouldn't dn't do this to me.Sitting on a chair with my phone in my hand on Jason's call ID, I stare blankly at the screen of the phone with shaking fingers.
"I think you should find the groom, so we could fix the wedding date again." the priest approached me sitting on a bench in the church.with a smile on his face
Nodding my head slowly with the aid of a chair beside me, I pulled myself up staggering to the exit.
I could feel the eyes of passers by were fixed on me. I looked up to see ee the puzzled expression on their faces.
I bent my head down crossing my arms against each other's hand , I entered into a cab. I saw the expression of the puzzled person sitting next to me who looked like he had many questions on his mind.
My phone, tucked into the folds of my gown, vibrated against my hip. I pulled it out with trembling fingers. A message on my phone from an unknown number.No words, just a link,
The screen filled with a video—My iancé, Jason,? Nothing into the camera. His arm wrapped around another woman, someone I had never seen before. Thesome timen a beach, dressed casually, their hands intertwined with each other . I held my mouth holding the screen about to burst out.
This made the passengers turn their attention to me, the driver peeped from the rearview mirror.
I kept looking at my phone until tears fell from my eyes.
My phone fell from my hand between my legs, I looked straight up at the passengers in the car with hot tears flowing down my cheeks.
Seeing the expression I put on, no one said a word they just shook their heads.
I wiped my eyes with my palm, sniffing. Straightening the ruffle on my dress then I sat upright.
"Stop here," I told the taxi as he slowed down, stopping at the front of a hotel.
I went into the hotel which was supposed to be Jason and I walking in it with broad smiles on our faces.
A tear escaped from my eye, I thought I could finally have a family to call my own, this time I wasn't going to be alone. But it was all in my head. The obsession blinded me from seeing the red flags up ahead
I checked into the hotel going to my room.The dim light of the hallway flickered as I stumbled backward, my trembling hands clutching the doorknob, as tears spilled freely down my pale cheeks. The weight of everything— of wounds too deep to heal—pressed against my chest.
I opened my room, locking it behind me. I pressed my back against the door, the strength in my legs faltered. A shaky sob escaped my lips as I slid down, my fingers dragging against the door.The cold floor met my knees first, then the rest of me.
Silent cries turned to muffled whimpers as I buried my face in trembling hands. The world around me blurred—nothing but the echo of my pain.
I was so foolish,he told me to use the money in my account for the hotel and the little reception ceremony we planned, claiming he would pay back every single thing.
Trying to find love, I couldn't see his schemes. Now I don't have a dime with me. I cried my eyes out
I pulled myself up dragging my feet to the bed.I stopped at a mirror hanging on the wall. I raised my hand slowly to touch my face.
My lipstick raced lines going down my cheeks. dark circles covered underneath my eyes, my face was drained of blood and my eyes were swollen and red.
I threw my shoes aimlessly. I yelled as tears flowed from my eyes. All night long I questioned my place and where I belong in the pain I live in everyday called life.
I woke up with drooping eyes to the sound of an alarm set on my phone, finding myself the same way I felt it.
I dragged my feet to the bathroom, I had to get ready for the lecture.I got out of the hotel in sweatpants and a shirt. The Small holes dotted the fabric near the hem, and the neckline, stretched, the fabric was gradually fading off. I took a cab to campus.
I Flowed in the waves of students going into the school with my head down.I walked silently to my dorm room, putting in the key to my lock, but it didn't work. I tried a few times but I was locked.
"You're wasting your time." our matron said from behind me.
Her arms were crossed around her breasts, she had a frown drawn on her face. She raised her lips at me looking at me from top to bottom.
"Please, ma'am, give me some time, I beg you."I robbed my palms together.
"You said that two months ago,your things were at the front desk of the dorm reception.go get them and leave, the dean's orders," she said, giving me her back before I walked away.
I froze on the spot. I wanted to argue, to beg for more time, but what was the point? The money I had saved for school—the money that was supposed to secure my future—was gone.
Every last cent had gone into his wedding. My wedding. The one I had been left standing in, humiliated, as the man I trusted disappeared without a trace.
Now, I had nothing.
I stepped out of the building, hung the worn-out strap of my duffel bag on my shoulders.
Students passed by, laughing, talking, living their lives as if nothing had changed. But for me,everything had.
I swallowed hard, willing myself not to cry. The campus had been my home for years. The dorms, the library, even the late-night study sessions in the cafeteria—this was all I had ever known. I had no parents to call, no family waiting with open arms.
Just an empty bank account and a shattered dream. With one question on my mind.
Where
was I going to go?
Walking towards the gates of the campus then I saw him.
Jason