Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine betrayal would come from my own family.

Everyone knew how much I loved Lily.

Even Sam.

It's been years since we were together, but I never stopped talking about her to Mum, at least. At random times. Quiet moments. Late night calls. She knew I never truly moved on.

And Sam?

We never saw eye to eye, but the one thing I thought we had was boundaries. Respect. Surely, of all the women in the world, he didn't have to choose her.

My Lily.

What was she thinking?

How could she look me in the eye on her wedding day to my brother and say nothing?

Why didn't anyone warn me? Was it the distance? Was I that far gone from the family that they all kept this from me?

Why was I even invited at all?

To witness this?

Dad didn't say a word. Just sat there like stone.

The questions keep piling in my head, one crashing into another, loud and cruel. But the answer, they're nowhere.

And right now, I can't breathe.

I can't think.

I just want to run until the pain loses its grip on me.

I just want to escape this mess.

I slip into the first Uber I see outside the wedding venue, giving the driver the address of the nearest hotel. I don't care which one, anywhere but here.

It looks like Mum noticed me leaving. She's been calling nonstop.

But I can't talk to anyone right now.

What words could possibly ease this kind of betrayal?

The Uber drops me at a modest hotel on the other side of town. Everything around me feels like a blur. I walk straight to the receptionist and ask for a room. She hands me the key to Room 409, the last one by the left on the fourth floor.

I take the elevator in silence, open the door, and collapse onto the bed without taking off my shoes. My hands move instinctively to my phone. I start booking the next available flight to Paris. I just need to get out. Fast.

Then it happens.

My phone vibrates.

A call.

Lily.

Her name flashes on my screen, still saved as My Lily.

After three years of silence.

Nothing has changed.

Well, not in my heart. But clearly, a lot has changed in hers.

Am I a fool for holding on this long?

I let the phone ring out. I can't answer. I wouldn't even know what to say. Do I even have the right to be upset?

After all, I was the one who left her.

I left because I knew I wasn't enough. I couldn't keep loving her in fragments, couldn't keep disappointing her with my inconsistency. So I walked away to become a better man. For her.

And I did.

I became him.

But I never came back.

And when I finally reached out, all I got was silence.

A message lights up my phone. It's from Lily.

"Hi, I saw someone today that looked like you, but he disappeared before I could be sure. Maybe it's just in my head.

It's been a while. How are you?

Do you know today's my wedding?"

I stare at the screen for a long time, my mind spinning.

Did she really not know I was there? Or is this her way of opening the door, of testing the waters?

I pick up my phone, type a few words, then delete them.

"Congrats."

Delete.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Delete.

"Do you love him?"

Delete.

I sigh and drop the phone on the bed, staring up at the ceiling like it has answers. My chest feels tight, the kind of ache that doesn't scream but settles in deep, like a bruise on the soul.

Should I tell her it was me?

If I lie, Mum might tell her the truth but even more than that, I'd be lying to her.

I pick the phone back up and finally let my thumb speak.

"Yes, it was me. Congratulations on your wedding."

I hit send, the message left my phone, but the ache in my heart remained.

I wonder if she'll reply.

I wonder if she'll say anything at all.

Lily had the audacity to ask, "Why did you leave so early? It's been years, of course I would like some catching up. I'm sure Sam would also love that."

Catching up? Is that what we're calling it now? Maybe she meant catching up to when she started loving my brother.

Her message lit a fire in my chest. Without thinking, I fired back: "Fine. I'd also like some catching up about you and Sam."

It was petty. Maybe even cruel. But why should I still care about her feelings?

She replied a few minutes later: "It's a long story, Edward. And in your absence, a lot has happened."

My hands tightened around my phone. I was so pissed, but I was also curious. And just as I reached for my wallet to pay for the flight and get the hell out of here, something in me stopped.

No. Not this time.

I wasn't going to run. I needed to look both of them in the eye and hear whatever excuse they had for tearing my world apart.

I went back to the wedding venue, but most of the guests had already left. Only close family members lingered now, laughing, chatting, basking in the afterglow of a perfect day.

Mum looked absolutely thrilled, beaming like she'd won the lottery. She'd always adored Lily. Lily had been more than just a family friend, she was practically one of us. Even back when it was me and Lily, Mum never said much, but it was obvious she approved. If she ever imagined one of her sons marrying Lily, I used to think it would be me.

Dad stood beside Sam, both of them looking like they had the world at their feet. Everyone looked so happy. And I? I felt like a guest at a party I never got invited to.

"Edward?" Mum's voice broke through my thoughts. She walked toward me, eyes wide with joy. Lily turned too, visibly startled. Then Sam.

I saw you leaving earlier. I tried calling, where did you go?" Mum asked, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Just needed some air. Felt a little stuffy," I lied, the words falling out before I could stop them.

She didn't seem to care. She was just glad to see me. So was Dad, who gave me a rare, warm hug.

Then came Sam and Lily. Both smiling. Lily's eyes searched mine for something guilt, maybe. Or was it pity? I wasn't sure.

I forced a smile and congratulated them. My voice didn't crack, not even once. I played the role perfectly. The supportive brother, the ex who'd moved on. And I was good at hiding pain, ever since I was young. What was one more night?

Sam pulled Lily to the dance floor "This is our music, one last dance milady" stretching forth his hand. She smiled and held his hand, they walked to the dance floor, where he grabbed her waist as she held his shoulder, they smiled and giggled, like he was telling her something funny. It was there that reality dawn on me that Lily would never be mine again.

My mum held my hand and took me to a quieter place, we both sat down and she asked about my company back in Paris, she was curious about my life and more curious if I meet anyone. The question hit me like a stone "a hot CEO like yourself, you must have a girlfriend by now" I was speechless, the words couldn't just come out. I was still yet to recover from Lily and another girl?

"uhmm.....no" I stuttered. My eyes left her and accidentally dropped at Lily and Sam at the dance floor.

"Don't tell me you're not yet over her" she asked.

I stared back at her blankly and then smiled and tried to change to subject "how about dad, how's his health?".

She stared at me and said "he's fine, he's been on his medication, his anxiety attacks are not like before, but he goes ones in a while to the hospital for checkups".

"okay" I muttered.

"you know we are actually planning on having a big family vacation on a cruise ship, along with Lily and Sam, they could do their honeymoon there, or stop by at an island for it, their choice. But the whole idea is to reconnect the family. And a vacation is what we all need".

"Sounds like a good idea" I said

"So does that mean you'll be coming as well? It's for a month. I'm sure your company would be fine without you for a month."

I had no intention of even staying this long, now a vacation for a month? I know my company would be fine, but am I ready to see Lily and Sam have a happy honeymoon for a month?

"I actually think I have work back in Paris when I get back, I don't think it'll work with me, I'm sorry"

"It's fine but think it through before deciding, you have a couple of days to make your choice tho"

Sam and Lily were done dancing, so they came over to us.

Sam walked over with a grin and wrapped his arm around Lily's waist.

"I'll be taking my wife now, I have a little surprise for her," he said.

Lily turned to me with a soft, apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry we could barely talk, Edward. Next time, I promise."

I nodded, unable to trust my voice.

She smiled one more time, then turned away with him.

I watched them walk off, hand in hand, hearts in sync and it felt like I was watching the final scene of a life I was never meant to be part of.

I got a call from Rose, my secretary, the next morning. Her voice was sharp, professional, a nice contrast to the emotional chaos still hanging over me.

"When are you flying back?" she asked. "That big client you've been chasing? I finally locked myself in a meeting."

"Seriously? Where?"

"He's vacationing on a cruise called Elysian dream. He's agreed to meet while he's onboard. I thought maybe it'd be a perfect coincidence if you were there too."

Elysian Dream.

The name hit me like a wave. I heard it just yesterday from Mum.

I hung up and called her immediately.

"That's the cruise I told you about," she confirmed cheerfully. "The one we're all going on Sam, Lily, your dad and I. It's a chance to reconnect, remember?"

What were the chances? Of all the ships, of all the dates it had to be this one?

A business opportunity I'd waited years for and a family reunion I'd tried everything to avoid were colliding in the same place.

Was it fate? Or just the universe playing another cruel joke?

"All right," I told Rose when I called her back. "Book it."

The next couple of days were spent packing. I had to go shopping for things I didn't bring from Paris, I hadn't exactly planned to stay this long, let alone go on a month-long cruise with my entire family.

Mum was over the moon. She kept saying how happy she was to have everyone together again. Even Dad seemed lighter, smiling more often, like this trip was more than just a vacation to him.

Lily and Sam were meeting us at the port, while I drove there with my parents.

Seeing them again, especially her, wasn't easy.

She hadn't texted me since the wedding, not even to follow up on her promise to talk. I told myself it didn't matter, that I didn't expect anything. But in reality I was disappointed. I guess some part of me had still been hoping for something.

The cruise port was buzzing with life, flashing cameras, wheeled luggage, families chatting excitedly. The Elysian Dream loomed in the distance, massive and regal, like a floating city. It felt surreal.

We checked in, passed security, and began boarding. My parents were practically glowing, taking selfies, commenting on how beautiful everything was. I stayed close but quiet, carrying bags, keeping my mind busy with anything that wasn't Lily.

But fate wasn't subtle.

She appeared at the top of the ship's entrance ramp, standing beside Sam. A breeze caught her dress, her hair. She looked radiant, not because of the makeup or the expensive luggage by her side, but because she looked at ease. Free.

She caught my gaze, just for a second. Her smile was beautiful.

"Edward," she said when we reached them.

"Lily." I nodded. "Sam."

Sam grinned and gave me a light clap on the back. "Glad you made it, bro. This place is insane. Wait till you see the suites."

"Looking forward to it," I lied.

Lily stood silently beside him. I expected her to say something more. Anything. But she didn't.

Instead, she turned to help the porter with her bag, brushing past me like I was just another guest.

And maybe I was.

Just another guest in their perfect honeymoon.

The dining room on the Elysian Dream was grand, golden chandeliers, a live jazz band playing softly in the background, and waiters gliding across the marble floor like ghosts. The table settings sparkled under the lights, but none of it could distract me from the growing knot in my stomach.

We were seated at a long, round table near the window. My mother had arranged the seating of course, and somehow, I ended up seated directly across from Lily.

She wore navy blue, simple but elegant. Her hair was pinned up, exposing the soft curve of her neck. I tried not to look, but that only made me more aware of her presence.

Sam sat beside her, his arm casually draped across the back of her chair like he had nothing to lose. My parents sat on either side of me, chatting excitedly about the cruise itinerary, island stops, poolside activities, group dinners.

"So, Edward," my mum said, breaking the hum of background conversation, "tell us more about this new client you'll be meeting. Rose mentioned it's a big one?"

I nodded, swallowing a sip of water I didn't need. "He's been on my radar for a while, a major investor based in Singapore. We're hoping to discuss expanding into the Southeast Asian market."

"Look at you," Dad said with a proud smile. "Always ten steps ahead."

"Hard not to be when you have no distractions," Sam added lightly, raising his wine glass with a smirk.

I glanced at him, but it was Lily who flinched. Her eyes flicked to mine for the briefest second before dropping back to her plate.

Mum chuckled, oblivious. "Well, I hope that changes soon. Edward's too successful, he needs someone to slow him down a little."

"Not everyone gets to marry their childhood sweetheart," I said before I could stop myself.

The words hung in the air like a dropped knife. Sam's smile faded slightly. Lily stared at her fork.

My mother shifted uncomfortably, forcing a laugh. "Well, things happen the way they're meant to, I suppose."

"I suppose," I echoed.

The rest of the dinner passed in awkward pleasantries and half-hearted conversation. But beneath the table, beneath the smiles, I felt it, the weight of everything we weren't saying.

And the truth neither of us had faced.