Chapter 9 – The Wedding That Never Happened
Chapter 9 – The Wedding That Never Happened
Nathan didn't sleep.
By sunrise, he had read every page of Emma's journal.
Every tear she had hidden.
Every lonely holiday she had spent beside his hospital bed.
Every tiny improvement she had celebrated while everyone else had already given up.
And every page ended with the same sentence.
"I'll come back tomorrow."
Nathan finally understood why those words had haunted his dreams.
They were real.
He looked at the wedding ring resting on the table.
Then he drove straight to the cathedral.
Hundreds of guests had already gathered.
The orchestra began playing.
Serena stood at the end of the aisle, radiant in her white gown, smiling as Nathan approached.
She reached for his hand.
He didn't take it.
Instead, he walked past her.
The guests exchanged confused glances.
"Nathan?" Serena whispered.
He slowly turned around.
His eyes were red.
"How many times did you visit me while I was in that hospital?"
The smile disappeared from Serena's face.
"What kind of question is that?"
"Answer me."
"I... I was there every day."
Nathan pulled the old visitor log from his jacket.
Then he held it high for everyone to see.
"The hospital says you came three times."
A wave of whispers swept across the church.
Serena's breathing became uneven.
"They're lying."
Nathan reached into his pocket again.
This time, he held up the faded black-and-white photograph.
"I've seen the security footage."
Silence.
"I've read her journal."
More silence.
"I know who stayed beside me."
Serena grabbed his arm desperately.
"Nathan, listen to me..."
"No."
His voice echoed through the cathedral.
"You stole five years of someone else's love."
The church fell completely silent.
Nathan looked toward the entrance.
Emma had quietly arrived after receiving an unexpected phone call from the wedding planner.
Still wearing the same simple gray uniform.
She looked as though she wished she could disappear.
Nathan walked toward her.
Every guest watched in stunned silence.
He stopped only a few feet away.
Then...
he knelt.
The entire cathedral gasped.
"I'm sorry."
Emma's eyes immediately filled with tears.
"I believed the wrong person."
"I judged you."
"I humiliated you."
"And I let you walk away carrying a debt that should have been mine."
He lowered his head.
"I don't expect forgiveness."
"I only wanted you to hear me say the words I should have said years ago."
"I'm sorry."
May you like
Emma stood frozen.
Unable to speak.
