999 Steps to Nowhere

"The bride got lost, so the groom owes us three drinks."

A video appeared in the group chat.

The MC stood on stage with a microphone, grinning as he teased Isaac Norwood and Sabrina Montrose.

"You two are perfectly in sync. That is seven years of friendship for you."

The guests enjoyed every second. Isaac wore the black custom suit he had made for the wedding, holding the microphone in one hand, his expression calm and at ease.

"Sabrina took care of every guest here on Wren's behalf. She will take this one for Wren."

Sabrina stood beside him in her bridesmaid dress, head dipped as she raised her glass, looking shy.

Relatives and friends who did not know the full picture started flooding the chat.

"The bridesmaid actually looks great standing next to Mr. Norwood."

"The bride is so inconsiderate. Who shows up late to their own wedding?"

Then another photo appeared. Isaac was looking down, adjusting Sabrina's veil.

It was not an ordinary bridesmaid accessory. It was the bridal veil piece I had pressed by hand the night before, the one I was supposed to wear during the vows.

I stood barefoot on the gravel-covered mountain road. Sharp stones cut into the soles of my feet, and the pain crawled through every nerve, but none of it compared to how much that photo burned.

Five years ago, Isaac had held my hand and walked me along this same road. He pointed at the lights of Avenmore Harbor in the distance and promised he would never let me get lost on the island.

Back then, he said that as long as he was there, he would take me wherever he went. Now he stood beside someone else, accepting blessings that were supposed to be mine.

A message from Isaac appeared at the top of my screen.

"There are signs along the road. How far have you gotten? Three hundred steps to go. Don't make me lose in front of Sabrina."

Two minutes passed without a reply from me, and he sent another.

"Don't keep the family waiting, Wren. Be sensible."

For five years, every time I got lost, he would say patiently on the other end of the phone, "Don't be scared. Stay where you are, and I'll come find you."

Today was the first time he had ever told me to walk on my own, and it was not because something had come up. It was only because Sabrina had made a bet with him.

I closed the app and dialed Dad's private number.

Six months ago, Dad and I had gotten into a terrible fight because I insisted on marrying Isaac, who had nothing to his name at the time. I had co-signed for his company, funneled money through back channels, and helped him secure bridge loans.

After the argument, Dad cut off all contact. However, he still had his assistant deliver everything for the wedding, down to the last detail.

He said that a Covington daughter would walk down the aisle with her head held high.

The phone rang for a long time before it disconnected on its own. Dad did not answer.

I followed the wet tire tracks the bridal car had left behind and walked down the mountain, one step at a time. The fog was thick. I took two wrong turns and had to double back each time.

The bloodstains from my feet stood out against the pale gray asphalt, impossible to ignore.

Isaac thought that without him, I would stand in one spot, crying and going in circles. It turned out that without someone to lead the way, I would be afraid, and I would take the long way around, but I would still find my way out.

I flagged down a passing taxi. Once I was inside, I sent Dad the first message in six months.

"Dad, I'm not getting married. I want to go home."

I leaned against the window and watched Summit Pass shrink into the distance. Then I opened the conversation I had kept pinned at the top of my phone for five years and deleted it.