When they noticed how gloomy he looked, one of his friends tried to comfort him. “Maybe you made a mistake. It’s Catherine’s wedding day. How could Bella, of all people, not show up?”
Those words pulled his attention back. He muttered to himself, like he was trying to hypnotize his own heart.
“You’re right. Today is Catherine’s and my wedding. As the sister, Bella has to be here.”
Even as he said it, he couldn’t convince himself.
When he mentioned the word “wedding“, his voice grew softer and softer until it was barely audible.
The wedding banquet was held at a famous restaurant. Both families‘ relatives and friends arrived one after another. But until the very end of the reception, I never appeared.
Panic churned inside him, but he couldn’t slip away.
Guests kept crowding around, dragging him off to drink. After going from table to table to toast and drink with different
people, he finally spotted my mother and couldn’t hold back anymore. “Amethyst, it’s my wedding day with Catherine. Why haven’t I seen Bella anywhere?”
My mother looked at him calmly, then sighed. “Since you’ve already married Catherine, you need to rein in thoughts you shouldn’t be having.”
She then pulled an envelope of cash that had been prepared in advance from her coat. “This is told me to hand it to you.”
**
His face drained of color, his legs nearly giving way beneath him. Knowing he wouldn’t mother, a shadow of frustration and restless unease settled over him.
2
wedding gift from Bella She
any
more answers from my
He endured the reception until the very end. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. Ignoring Catherine’s protests, he bolted for
Briarwood Manor. This time, he didn’t even bother knocking.
He shoved the shabby front door open. But when he saw the place completely empty,
it
was like the air left his body.
In a daze, he wandered the rooms, as if he could still smell my lingering scent.
There was a movie ticket on the table. The moment he saw the time and hall number printed on it, his pupils shrank in shock.
So, seeing me there hadn’t been his imagination.
Realizing we’d passed each other so closely tore at his chest with an unspeakable pain.
In my past life, I had to plead endlessly every time for him to watch a movie with me. And when he finally gave in, it was always with irritation, like he was doing me a favor.
Staggering out of Briarwood Manor, he went home in a daze.
Catherine sat stiffly on the couch, glaring at him. “The wedding just ended. Where did you run off to?”
A strange heaviness settled over him.
I used to be the one doting on him, taking care of every little detail after we got married, and in all 40 years of our marriage, I never once confronted him.
His eyes fell on the marriage agreement still lying on the table. Suddenly, he remembered the promise we’d made as children. Back then, the agreement had his name written alongside mine.
But now, my name had been changed to Catherine’s.
It felt like a weight pressing hard on his chest, choking him into silence.
