Sophia gasped for breath.
Then she turned and ran. The skirt of her dress flew up into the air. But in her haste, she tripped over the hem.
A gasp rippled through the crowd as she stumbled, and she barely managed to catch herself before stumbling again. Her hands clutched at the fabric of her dress, lifting it so high that it flew towards the altar.
No one stopped her. No one called out to her. Not even her parents or brother.
I exhaled slowly, holding my breath without realising I was holding it.
Then I turned to Elena.
She came closer and held out her hand to me. I squeezed it in gratitude. Around me, the guests froze in shock, their eyes darting between me and the empty space where Sofia had been a few minutes ago.
I looked at my sister, my family, and my bridesmaids, who stood beside me today not as part of a wedding, but as part of something else entirely.
‘I know this isn’t what everyone expected,’ I said to the crowd. ‘But I’m tired of pretending. Go inside, eat, drink. I’ll be fine.’
I walked down the aisle, needing a few moments to myself before returning to the hall. And then I saw her.
She was sitting on the sidelines, her white dress clinging to her like a ghost of the life she had lost.
Her hands were shaking, her shoulders slumped, and she was no longer the radiant bride. She was just a woman who had finally run out of lies.
She looked up when I approached, her mascara smudged, her eyes red and pleading. She reached out, her fingers brushing my sleeve, then grabbed my wrist, clinging to it like a lifeline.
‘Max,’ she said. ‘Please. I’ll do anything… just don’t let this end.’
I didn’t answer. Instead, I pulled away.
‘I ruined everything,’ she said. ‘I got scared. I was stupid. But it was never real with him. It was always you, Max. It was always you…’
For a moment, I just looked at her.
‘If it had always been me,’ I said quietly, ‘you wouldn’t have to say that.’
‘Please,’ she begged.
‘I’ll ask your mum to bring you dinner,’ I said.
I turned away without stopping. I didn’t look back.
Instead, I went back to the hall and ate the dinner Sofia had planned.
It was supposed to be a fairy tale.
But fairy tales end when the villain shows his true colours. And Sofia had just written the ending herself.