It was Paige calling.
Jared immediately let go of my hand and, without a single glance back at me, turned and walked toward the balcony.
On the day of the wedding, I woke up very early.
After putting on my makeup and changing into a simple pair of jeans and a white T-shirt, I called a courier service. Once that was arranged, I carefully folded the pristine white wedding dress and placed it inside a large gift box.
Lastly, I affixed the pre-printed shipping label with Paige's address.
When the courier arrived at the door to pick it up, I asked, "Will it arrive by today?"
"Since the destination is within the city, it'll be there before noon."
I nodded and closed the door.
Looking around the apartment where I had lived for three years, I felt no attachment. My suitcase had long been packed and was sitting right by the door.
My phone buzzed with a text from Austin.
"What time does your train leave?"
"10:40 am."
After replying, I pulled my suitcase behind me and walked out of the home Jared and I had shared without so much as a backward glance.
While waiting for the elevator, my phone buzzed again. It was a message from Jared.
"The wedding starts at 11:00 am. Don't be late."
I didn't reply.
The elevator doors slid open. I stepped inside and pressed the button for the basement level.
My phone buzzed a third time. This time, it was an Instagram notification from Paige. The post was a selfie of her in a wedding dress, taken inside the hotel dressing room.
The caption simply read, "Today is the day."
I turned off the screen and smiled. She had received it, exactly as planned.
Meanwhile, in the ballroom of a five-star hotel in Lunaton, guests filled every seat. Flowers were everywhere, and the dreamy purple-and-pink decorations were dazzlingly extravagant.
Jared stood near the stage in his crisp suit, checking his watch.
It was 10:45 am.
He frowned and pulled out his phone to call me, only to be met with a busy signal. He dialed again, but this time, my phone was switched off entirely.
For the first time, his composure slipped. He gestured urgently to his best man, Evan Newton.
"Call Heather and tell her to hurry up. The wedding is about to start."
Evan was just about to dial when the ballroom doors suddenly swung open.
Everyone turned to look.
Paige walked in, wearing a pristine white wedding dress.
The entire room erupted into whispers.
Jared froze on the spot. "Paige? What are you… Where's Heather?"
Before Paige could even utter a word, the massive LED screen on the stage suddenly lit up. It was supposed to play our wedding slideshow, but instead, a video began to roll.
The footage showed Jared and Paige inside a bridal shop, his expression impossibly tender as he adjusted her veil. Then, it cut to clips of them on a date at an amusement park. All the places they had traveled to and every photo they had taken over the years had been compiled into a sweet, romantic montage.
At the very end, the video showed Jared down on one knee, holding up a ring box.
"Paige, no matter who I end up with, my heart belongs only to you."
The entire room descended into utter chaos.
"Who exactly is Jared marrying? I could've sworn the woman he got engaged to looked different."
"Why isn't the bride in the wedding video the same person who's supposed to be walking down the aisle?"
Jared's face drained of color in an instant. His parents looked livid; Nadine's wine glass slipped from her hand, shattering on the floor.
"Turn it off! Turn it off right now!" Jared roared at the staff nearby.
But no one could stop it. The clips were set on an endless loop.
As if struck by a realization, Jared spun around and locked his gaze onto Paige. "Did you do this?"
Paige was panicking just as badly. "I-I don't know. It was already playing when I walked in!"
Just then, Jared's phone buzzed with an incoming text message.
"Jared, I've delivered your bride to you. No need to thank me."
