Eve gave me a long, hard look before pulling out another phone. The screen lit up.

The display read 9:43 AM.

She then flipped the camera around to point at the dressing room window.

The glaring sun hung high between endless blue sky and soft white clouds.

Eve’s stern voice ensued.

“It’s 9:43 AM on April 1st, 2026. My wedding starts in 17 minutes.

“Aisling, you’re my best friend. Are you seriously going to keep this up?”

With a solemn look, I approached the floor-to-ceiling window in my hotel room and pulled the curtains apart.

I aimed my phone at the night sky outside the window, letting every word sink in.

“Look. What time do you think it is here?”

…

The line went quiet.

Eve was stunned.

Beyond the window was pitch black, except for scattered lights flickering in the distance.

“T-That’s impossible.”

Eve gasped.

A cold scoff cut Eve off before she could say anything.

Hunter sneered at the camera.

“I told you so, Eve. Aisling can’t stand to see you happy.

“She even staged a fake background to stop our wedding from going ahead. What’s your game, Aisling? Are you trying to get in our heads, saying that you can’t attend the wedding because of some time warp?

“You make me sick!”

June, who was like a mother to me, pulled a scowl.

“Aisling, I’ve been nothing but nice to you. Whenever Eve brought up what you fancied having, I always had it ready for you.

“Today is Eve’s special day. She’s my only daughter. Please, can you end this nonsense for my sake? Just get down here now.”

My heart sank as June’s tender smile turned solemn on the screen.

Unlike Eve, I grew up in a single-parent household. My mother passed away when I was just a little girl.

In other words, I never experienced the love of a mother before I met Eve.

June filled the role of a mother in my life.

She was the first to call and get me my prescription when I fell sick.

When work drained me, June would always ship me a care package with my favorite things despite the distance between us.

I always had a place in her and Josh’s home.

Eve often said, “Aisling, Mom loves you like a daughter. We should be sisters forever.”

With Eve and June in mind, I knew better than to let the wedding run late.

Staring at the dark sky, I took a deep breath and clenched my fists.

“Eve, Mrs. Connell, I’ll be right there.”

On the other end of the line, the group let out a relieved smile.

“But—”

I paused before earnestly uttering, “I need one last confirmation.”

…

Hunter’s expression turned sour.

“Aisling—”

“Hunter!”

June cut him off, her voice tender but firm.

“Aisling is a good kid. Since she has doubts, I don’t see why she can’t verify the time once more. Though…”

June stared at me, dead serious.

“Aisling, this is the last time. The ceremony is starting in ten minutes. Don’t let me down.”

The call ended abruptly.

I looked at the dark screen, my heart pounding out of my chest.

This was my last chance, and the question was to whom I would call.

After thinking long and hard, I decided to call the one person who would never lie to me.

It was my father, Adam Port. He and Josh worked together, so he was on the guest list too.

Even if the Connells were lying to me, Adam never would.

With that in mind, I dialed Adam’s number.

“Hello?”

A deep, raspy voice came through the line. The person yawned, sounding like he had been dragged out of sleep.

Feeling assured, I asked eagerly, “Dad, what time is it there?”

On the other end of the line, Adam’s yawning came to an abrupt stop.

“Isn’t it midnight now? I just fell asleep when you rang. What happened?”

Adam grilled me in an anxious tone, with the rustling of sheets following after.

“I’m getting dressed right now. Where are you, Aisling? I’ll be there in a second.”

That was Adam, always making a mountain out of a molehill in matters concerning me.

In the past, it was a sweet burden to see Adam worrying over the littlest thing.

Yet now, the panic in Adam’s voice was the assurance I needed.

It was a good thing.

Adam wasn’t lying to me.

Staring at the pitch-black sky outside the window, I made a silent vow to myself.

Since I didn’t get the time wrong, I didn’t see the need to attend a wedding that was starting in minutes.

So long as I stayed in my room, I wouldn’t run into the monster from my past life.

The tragedy wouldn’t have happened.

All I needed to do was wait until morning light.

Inhaling deeply, I sat down on the sofa, stiff with tension.

It was only then that I noticed my palms were clammy.

Just as I grabbed my phone to text Eve that the jig was up and she shouldn’t expect me, the bridal party group chat exploded with notifications.

“@Aisling, we are starting in five minutes. Where are you?” Eve asked in the group.

My brows furrowed as my fingers tapped on the keyboard.

“Drop the act, Eve. I know what’s going—”

Before I could finish typing, a push notification of a local livestream popped up on my screen.

I tapped on the livestream by accident, but the content left me shuddering.

…

“Welcome to the stream, everyone. We’re coming to you live from the wedding of the bride, Eve Connel, and the groom, Hunter Keeley.

“It’s 9:55 A.M. right now, and the ceremony is about to begin. Please like and follow me!”

The emcee’s upbeat voice drifted through the livestream.

I stared at my mobile screen in disbelief.

The reception tables, guests, and flowers…

Everything seemed terrifyingly real.

Eve and June could very well deceive me, but the guests and the emcee, nearly a hundred in number, weren’t likely to be a part of the plan.

The thing that made my hair stand on end was the presence of Adam.

Just minutes ago, he was yawning on the phone, telling me he was coming over.

Yet, there he was, standing in the crowd, exchanging pleasantries with Josh in shiny leather shoes and a gray suit I had ordered for him.

“T-That’s impossible.”

I fell from the couch, my limbs shaking.

The biggest shock came from Eve.

She rushed up to the camera in her wedding dress, her eyes in tears.

“Aisling, I know you’re watching.

“You promised that if either of us got married, we'd be each other's only maid of honor. The ceremony is in three minutes. Please get here right now. Don’t let my wedding end with regrets.”

She sobbed uncontrollably while Hunter held her, gnashing his teeth.

“Aisling, if you have any decency left in you, say something! You’re supposed to be Eve’s best friend. Are you going to let her down now?

“Are you even a friend?”

After a brief exchange with June, Adam appeared before the camera in rage.

“Aisling, I’ve raised you to be trustworthy and grateful.

“Today is your best friend’s big day, but you’re abandoning her as the maid of honor? I’m so disappointed in you.

“You have three minutes to get down here, or you’re not a daughter to me anymore.”

The livestream fell into a frenzy.

Even the viewers called me out one after another.

“Aisling, I don’t know you, but you should show up for your friend’s wedding!”

“Don’t ruin what’s supposed to be the happiest day of her life, Aisling. If you care about her at all, you should get there right now.”

“Show yourself, Aisling!”

Streams of similar comments flooded the screen.

My mind was in turmoil.

Everyone, including the tens of thousands of viewers in the livestream, was pressuring me to show up.

Was it possible that I was wrong?

I gritted my teeth so hard that the taste of blood filled my mouth.

Right when I was about to break under pressure, something Eve said made my head snap up.

I figured out what was going on!