There’s no way Ivy expected to be left out of her best friend’s wedding until she got caught up in it and learned the shocking truth. The groom? Someone she’d known her whole life. The betrayal? Unforgivable. When her past collides with her present, Ivy must decide: walk away for good or face her fiancé.
When someone first mentioned Amber’s wedding, I laughed.
‘Wait, Amber who?’ I asked, sipping my coffee and completely distracted by the huge slice of cheesecake in front of me.
There was silence at the table. Four pairs of eyes stared at me as if I had just confessed to murder.
‘Are you serious, Ivy?’ asked Lauren finally. ‘Amber Amber. Our Amber.’
My stomach clenched.
‘No, she would have told me. Of course she would! You guys are just messing with me!’
Jack shifted awkwardly, nearly knocking over his coffee.
‘Ivy, she… she sent out the invitations weeks ago. Almost a month,’ he said.
I almost dropped my coffee.
My invitation never came.
At first I told myself it was a mistake. Maybe it got lost in the mail? Or maybe she was waiting to let me know in person?
But it didn’t make sense! Growing up, we always talked about being each other’s bridesmaids…so what was it?
The weeks went by. More and more invitations were sent. I saw some of my friends posting on social media and tagging her, excited that they were going to share Amber’s big day with her.
We can’t wait to celebrate you!
You’re going to be the most beautiful bride, Amber!
Girls’ night out!!!
Dresses were bought.
‘I bought this beautiful midnight blue dress, Ives,’ Lauren told me over the phone. ‘And my grandmother’s earrings will complete the look perfectly. Have you decided what you’re going to wear yet?’
‘Lauren, she still hasn’t invited me,’ I said. ‘So…’
I didn’t bother asking Amber why. I waited. And I gave her every opportunity to tell me. But she never did. Not even when we went to get manicures.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend time with her, but I wanted to see if she’d tell me the truth. Or anything about her wedding, for that matter. And to be honest, I was really surprised she agreed to go with me.
‘I’m choosing a neutral nail colour,’ Amber said, beaming with happiness.
When I looked at her hand, she wasn’t even wearing a wedding ring.
‘Beautiful,’ I said. ‘I choose fiery red.’
What had I done to her that she was willing to keep this big secret from me? Had I hurt her in some way?
Did she really think I was going to crash her wedding and run off with the groom?
What the hell?
But something was wrong, and I knew it to my core. Amber was avoiding me, and I needed to know why.
So on the day of the wedding, I blew it.
I haven’t spoken to Amber since the day of my manicurist appointment and since the wedding talk got out of hand. She even blocked me on social media, and Lauren shared screenshots of her messages with me.
‘I’m sorry, Ives,’ she said one afternoon as we sat in the park eating ice cream. ‘I don’t know what got into that girl. Have you tried talking to her?’
‘We had manicures a few weeks ago,’ I admitted. ‘But I didn’t ask her directly. She wasn’t wearing a ring or anything. I guess she just doesn’t want me there.’
But now I was standing in front of the entrance to the hall, watching the guests step inside, laughter bursting from their lips and happy chatter filling the air. I felt out of place. I knew most of the people present. Amber and I had been friends for so long, her family was close to me too.
She had to tell me. She should have told me.
But why hadn’t she?
I remembered that the last time we talked was before there was any mention of the wedding, whether it was from our friends or Amber’s social media.
We were at her flat, sitting on the floor, sharing a bottle of wine between us. Wedding magazines were spread out between us and I circled the dress I knew she had to like.
She was quiet that night. Tense. I brushed her off, figuring she was stressed about work.
‘Why do you need so many wedding magazines?’ – I asked. asked me.
‘Because that’s the next project I’m working on,’ she answered cautiously. ‘Designing a wedding dress and sewing it. If I do well, Ivy, I’ll have more clients. I know it.’
Was she really lying? Was she planning her wedding then?
Now I remembered the look on her face, her hands clutching her wine glass as I questioned her about her dream wedding dress. It got even worse when I asked her about her dream groom.
‘We’ve grown out of wanting our groomsmen to be film stars,’ I laughed. ‘So you have an image when you think about it?’
‘You live in your head too much, Ivy,’ she said, waving me off.
I should have known right away that something was wrong.
I didn’t sneak in like a dramatic film. I just walked confidently through the doors, trying to give the impression that I was supposed to be there.
Even as I was deciding what to wear, I didn’t want to stand out. I wanted to blend in with the crowd, look pretty enough for the occasion but not draw attention.
The venue was stunning: soft golden light and elegant décor. It was perfect. Amber’s stamp was on it. She had put her whole heart and soul into her wedding.
Guests crowded around, listening to soft romantic music, champagne in hand, making their way to their seats.
And for a moment, I convinced myself that it was all some horrible misunderstanding.
Until I walked into the main hall where the guests were already taking their seats.
And guess what? The entire hall fell into silence.
People looked at me, some whispering, others casting sympathetic glances. It was as if they had just witnessed a tragedy.
My stomach twisted with such force that I thought I was going to fall.
Keep breathing, Ivy, I thought to myself.
But honestly, what the hell was going on?
And then I saw her.
Amber was standing at the entrance to the room, in a gorgeous white dress, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.
And then I saw him.
Standing at the altar was my father in an elegant black dinner jacket, embracing Amber.
The same father who abandoned me when I was ten years old. The same father I hadn’t seen since.
Suddenly, the world went black. And I felt the floor beneath me disappear completely. I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
Amber knew.
She’d known all along. That’s why I wasn’t invited.
She’d kept it from me.
I felt like sinking underground and disappearing.
Then my father spoke.
His voice was deeper than I remembered, but the moment he said my name, I was ten years old again, standing at the window, waiting for the man who never came back.
But I wasn’t that little girl anymore.
And I wasn’t going to let them pretend it was okay.
I took a deep breath and stepped forward, my heels clacking on the polished floor.
The guests froze in place, their gazes darting between me, Amber, and my father.
Amber.
The girl who was my best friend, my confidante, my sister in everything but blood, was keeping this from me.
I turned to my father. His face was unreadable.
I searched for something, remorse, shame, anything, but all I saw was indecision.
Like he wasn’t sure if he should even acknowledge me.
I left him no choice.
‘You.’ My voice was steady, but a hurricane raged inside.
‘Are you going to stand there like nothing happened?’
His Adam’s apple bounced as he swallowed and his fingers clenched convulsively at his sides.
‘I… Ivy…’
Amber rushed forward and stepped between us, her eyes pleading.
‘Look, I was going to tell you…’
‘When, Amber?’ snapped back at me. ‘Before or after the honeymoon? Or maybe when you were pregnant with my half-brother?’
She wrinkled her nose.
‘I didn’t know how…’
‘Like what?’ My voice cracked. ‘Tell me you’re marrying my father? To the man who abandoned me when I was ten years old?’
Sighs rolled through the crowd, but I barely heard them.
‘Why now? After all these years, why Amber? Why her?’
My father sighed slowly, rubbing his temples as if this was just an uncomfortable confrontation and not the payback he deserved.
‘I know I owe you an explanation.’
I snorted derisively.
‘You owe me more than that.’
He exhaled, finally looking me in the eye.
‘I left because I had to, Ivy, not because I wanted to.’
I laughed out loud. It came out hollow and bitter.
‘You let me think you were dead or something. You let me believe I wasn’t worth saying goodbye to.’
Amber cried, wiping her eyes as if she was the one who had lost something.
I turned to her, my voice harsh.
‘What about you? When exactly did you decide it was a good idea to marry my missing father?’
She looked away, guilt darkening her face.
‘Well, congratulations, I guess,’ I said. ‘You’re officially family now. I hope it was worth it.’
I turned on my heels and headed for the exit.
‘Ivy, please. I don’t want to lose you again, honey.’
I stopped but didn’t turn around. My voice was cold and detached when I spoke.
‘Please, Phillip,’ I said. ‘You lost me years ago. You just didn’t care enough to look for me.’
And with those words, I walked out of my best friend’s wedding. From my father’s wedding.
And finally, I walked out of both of their lives.
That night, I sat in my car parked outside my house.
My head was still spinning, and I couldn’t get the image of Amber and my dad out of my head. Some part of me wanted to know more… Like how they met and got together. But I didn’t care. I was in too much pain.
Amber texted me.
Ivy, I’m so sorry. Please talk to me.
I stared at the message, my hands shaking.
Then slowly deleted it.
Outside, the streetlight flickered.
For the first time in years, I felt like I’d finally stopped waiting by the window.
What’s the point of waiting for this man? And wait for Amber to realise how wrong she was?
No, thank you. I’m done.
What would you do?
