When my daughter walked down the aisle, she wasn’t in the ivory coloured dress we had spent months creating. Instead she was wearing a dress as black as night, and the real shock was not the colour but the reason for it.
I still remember the day Jane called me, her voice booming with excitement.
‘Mum! He’s proposed!’ – she almost shouted into the phone.
I knew it was coming, for Jack had been in her life for five years. They were happy. At least that’s what I thought at the time.
From that moment on, wedding preparations took over our entire lives. And the first thing we decided on was the dress.
Jane had always wanted something unique. Nothing off-the-shelf. It had to be custom made just for her. Luckily, my best friend, Helen, was one of the most talented seamstresses in town.
‘Oh, we’ll make her look like a queen,’ Helen said as she sketched the first designs.
For months she worked on it. She put her whole soul into every stitch, every bead, every delicate fold of fabric. It was time-consuming and expensive, but it was perfect.
A few days ago, I saw it almost finished. Ivory satin, delicate lace, a long flowing train. It was exactly what Jane had dreamed of since she was a little girl.
Everything fell into place.
Or so I thought.
The night before the wedding, I noticed something. Jack wasn’t acting like his usual self. He had always been polite, a little quiet, maybe, but a good man. But that night he was different. He barely looked at Jane, and his answers were short and detached.
‘Are you okay?’ I asked when Jane stepped back for a moment.
Jack gave a forced smile. ‘Yeah. Just a little nervous, you know?’
I nodded. That made sense. Weddings were big, emotional events.
But still…something wasn’t right.
The next morning, the house was buzzing with excitement. The make-up artist was in the living room. Bridesmaids were hurried in and out. Jane sat in front of the mirror and glowed.
Then Helen appeared. She entered, carrying a large white box in her hands.
‘Here it is,’ she said, placing it on the table with a proud smile.
I grinned. ‘I can’t wait to see her again. She was so beautiful the last time I…’
I lifted the lid.
My stomach dropped. The dress inside was black. Not ivory. Not white. Completely, deeply black. My hands began to shake. My mouth went dry.
‘Helen,’ I whispered. ‘What the hell is that?’
She remained calm. Too calm. Then she put her hand on mine. ‘Honey, just trust me.’
I turned to Jane, expecting shock, horror, confusion – anything. But she just sat there staring at her reflection in the mirror.
‘Jane?’ My voice cracked. ‘What’s going on?’
She finally looked at me.
‘I need to do this, Mum.’
My chest clenched. ‘Do what? Walk down the aisle in Jane, this is no joke! This is your wedding!’
She reached for my hand and squeezed it. ‘I know.’
Helen gently touched my shoulder. ‘You need to take your seat.’
I could barely breathe. My heart was pounding. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t normal. But then the music started playing, and before I knew it, Jane was already standing in a black dress and walking down the aisle.
The venue was stunning. Rows of ivory roses stretched down the aisle. Soft candlelight flickered in the light of the huge chandeliers. A string quartet played a gentle melody, filling the space with an atmosphere of elegance.
The guests whispered excitedly, their faces glowing with anticipation.
‘She’s going to be such a beautiful bride.’
‘They’re such a perfect couple.’
‘I heard Jack burst into tears during the rehearsal!’
I sat in the chair, clasping my hands in my lap. My heart was pounding against my ribs. They didn’t know. None of them knew.
Then the music changed. The doors at the back of the auditorium creaked open. There was silence in the crowd.
Jane walked in, dressed in black. A wave of confusion swept through the guests. Sighs and murmurs were heard.
‘What…?’
‘Is this a joke?’
‘Is that her real dress?’
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe.
Jane walked slowly, her black plume sweeping across the white petals scattered along the aisle. A dark veil covered her face, but I could still see her calm expression.
Then I saw Jack. His smile was gone and his face had gone pale.
His hands, which had been clasped confidently in front of him, fell limply to his sides. His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.
He looked…terrified. And suddenly I realised.
A memory flashed through my mind of years ago when Jane and I were curled up on the couch watching some old film. A woman found out that her fiancé had been unfaithful. Instead of cancelling the wedding, she walked down the aisle in black. Not as a bride, but as a woman mourning the love she thought she had.
I thought it was just a dramatic scene. Jane remembered. And now she was living it.
My stomach twisted. This wasn’t a joke or a mistake. This was revenge.
Jack swallowed hard as Jane walked down the aisle. His eyes darted around, searching for an explanation, a way out. She stood before him, her hands firm and her face unreadable.
The priest hesitated for a moment before clearing his throat. ‘We are gathered here today to witness the union…’
Jack chuckled nervously. ‘Babe, what is it?’ His voice shook. ‘What is that dress?’
Jane didn’t answer.
The waiter looked uncertainly between them. ‘Should we…continue?’
Jane nodded. ‘Yes. Let’s continue.’
The ceremony continued, but no one was listening. All eyes in the room were fixed on Jane and waited. The vows followed.
Jack took a deep breath and reached for Jane’s hands. She didn’t stop him. He licked his lips, nervous, and then smiled.
‘Jane, from the moment I met you, I knew you were the one. You are my best friend, my soulmate, my everything. I promise to love you, to honour you, to be by your side in everything. I can’t wait to spend eternity with you.’
His voice grew stronger with each word, as if he thought it could still be fixed.
Then it was Jane’s turn. She let go of his hands. A sharp intake of breath swept through the room. Jane lifted her chin and looked Jack straight in the eye.
‘In that dress,’ she said in an even voice, ’I buried all my hopes and expectations for this wedding and for us, because true love doesn’t betray you a few days before the wedding.
A collective sigh filled the room. Whispers spread like wildfire.
‘What did she say?’
‘Betrayed? What did she mean?’
‘Oh my God, Jack cheated?’
Jack’s face lost colour. ‘Jane…wait…’
She continued.
‘I trusted you. I loved you. I was ready to spend the rest of my life with you.’ She took a slow breath, but her voice didn’t waver. ‘And then I found out the truth.’
Jack’s panic became visible. His hands trembled. ‘Baby, I swear it’s not what you think…’
Jane didn’t blink an eye. ‘It’s exactly what I think.’
Jack dropped to his knees.
‘Please,’ he pleaded, his voice trailing off. ‘Jane, please, I love you. I swear I love you!’
She didn’t move. Jack clawed at her arms, but she pulled back. His fingers closed around the hollow.
Tears came to his eyes. ‘Please, let me explain everything!
Jane looked up at him from below. Unperturbed. Unruffled. Then, without a word, she picked up the bouquet and let it slip from her fingers.
It fell to the floor, landing right at Jack’s feet. A final goodbye. Jack stared at the flowers, breathing heavily.
Jane turned and walked down the aisle away from him. I jumped to my feet, my heart pounding. I wanted to say something, to ask what was wrong, to take away her pain.
But before I could do that, she reached out and took my hand. I squeezed it tightly. She squeezed it back.
As we stepped outside, the whispers behind us died down. The doors slammed shut behind us with a final, resounding thud. And Jane? She didn’t look back once.
Outside, the cold air hit us like a slap in the face. The murmurs and sighs were muffled by the heavy doors, but I knew people were still reeling from what they’d just witnessed.
I turned to Jane, and my heart clenched with pain. ‘Darling…’
She exhaled slowly, her shoulders rising and falling. ‘I found out three days ago,’ she said in a quiet but firm voice. ‘I saw the messages. The calls late at night. Lies.’
I squeezed her hand. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
She gave me a small, sad smile. ‘Because I knew what everyone would say. ‘It’s just cold feet. He loves you. You don’t want to throw everything away because of one mistake.’ She swallowed. ‘But love shouldn’t betray you. It doesn’t.’
Tears came to my eyes. ‘No, it shouldn’t.’
Jane looked up at the sky, blinking rapidly. ‘It was like losing my dad, you know? I thought I had something real. Something reliable. And then it just…disappeared.’
I pulled her to me, hugging her the way I’d hugged her when she was little. ‘You did the right thing,’ I whispered. ‘I’m so proud of you.’
She smiled through the pain. ‘One day I’ll wear white,’ she said quietly. ‘For the right man. For the right love.’
And I knew I would.
This piece is inspired by real events and people, but for creative purposes it was fictionalised. Names, characters and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, or real events is purely coincidental and is not intended by the author.
