Chapter 2

"Leon? Leon! You're up! What are you standing there for?" An urgent voice rang in my ear.

My eyes flew open. The harsh spotlight stung until tears welled in my eyes.

I stood in front of a huge wooden door with intricate carvings, wearing a crisp black suit, with the groom's corsage pinned to my chest.

Beside me, my best friend Geoff shoved me nervously. "The emcee is already calling your name! Hurry up and go in!"

I looked down at my completely uninjured hands. Then, I looked around and saw that I was surrounded by flowers, a red carpet, and balloons.

This was... where my wedding had taken place.

Had I regressed? Had I returned to the moment when I exchanged vows with Sophia? Joy surged inside of me, and I pinched Geoff hard on the arm.

"Holy… What was that for?!" Geoff scowled in pain.

"Did it hurt?" I asked.

"Of course it hurts! That's going to leave a bruise!" Geoff growled.

It was real…

This time, everything was real!

The doors slowly opened, and the wedding officially began as the music played.

At the end of the red carpet, Sophia stood in the mermaid wedding dress we had spent three months choosing together. She held Danny's arm and looked at me with tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips.

She was still here!

She had not disappeared!

I stopped caring about the ceremony as I stumbled toward her, moving so fast I nearly tripped over the carpet, drawing good-natured laughter from the guests. I yanked her into my arms and held her so tightly it felt like I could pull her into my bones.

"What's wrong?" Startled by my loss of control, Sophia whispered in my ear, "Everyone's watching, silly."

The warmth of her body. The familiar scent of her perfume…

"Don't leave me. Please, don't disappear…" I said, trembling.

To keep the tragedy from happening again, I spent every minute after that on edge. When we exchanged rings, I made sure the photographer took close-ups. I recorded a video, posted it to my social media, and sent it to everyone I knew.

During the toasts, I dragged Sophia into photos with every single guest and forced Geoff to face the camera and say, "Today is Leon and Sophia's wedding. I'm here. I saw it happen!"

Geoff thought I was acting strange, but he still went along with it.

Like a paranoid lunatic, I frantically collected proof that Sophia existed. Videos, recordings, photos, fingerprints, even a lock of her hair that I secretly cut and hid in my inner jacket pocket.

I refused to believe the world could fool me again!

Later that night, the noise finally faded, and we returned to that same suite.

I stared at Sophia. I did not even dare blink, terrified she would vanish the moment I closed my eyes.

"Honey, go take a shower. You smell like alcohol all over," Sophia said as she nudged me.

"No. I'll sit here and watch you," I said.

"Why are you so clingy today?" She smiled and went to remove her makeup.

The moment she turned and walked into the bathroom, that strange tightness struck my chest again.

Then, the bathroom door closed.

Next, the sound of the water running suddenly stopped.

Silence.

Dead silence.

I rushed over and pulled at the door. It was locked.

"Sophia? Honey?" I cried out.

No one answered.

I rammed the door in a craze, my shoulder swelling from the impact before I finally rammed it open.

The bathroom was empty.

There was no water in the bathtub, no steam on the mirror, and Sophia, who had just been removing her makeup seconds ago, had vanished into thin air.

Even worse, the lock of hair in my pocket was gone.

With shaking hands, I took out my phone and opened my social media.

The post I had just uploaded was still there, but in every photo that should have shown the two of us together, only I remained, smiling stupidly at the air and embracing emptiness. In the video, I exchanged rings with empty air and kissed it with deep affection.

The comments were all from my friends.

"Leon, have you been under too much stress lately? What kind of performance art is this?"

"Is this the air bride you wanted to marry?"

"Bro, stop scaring us in the middle of the night."

It had happened again.

That suffocating despair drowned me.