THE BRIDE WHO NEVER COME BACK

“You don’t have to keep smiling like that, you know that your cheeks are shaking,” her mother said, as she tugged lightly at the edge of Arabella’s veil. “It’s your wedding, not a photo shoot.”

Arabella didn’t answer as her eyes were fixed on the mirror in front of her.

Everything looked perfect.

The lace gown clung to her like a second skin.

The pearls on her neck caught the light, and her lipstick was a soft red.

The exact shade Roman had once said made her look beautiful.

But inside, her stomach felt tight.

It was supposed to be the most joyful day of her life.

"I'm just… nervous," she said finally.

Her mother laughed, "Every bride is nervous, that's why you have bridesmaids and champagne”.

Arabella looked at the glass on the dresser where she had almost picked it up before, but her hands were too shaky

"You look gorgeous, darling," her mother said as she took a step back and smoothed Arabella's gown's bodice.

She managed to say, "Thank you," in a hardly audible voice.

In reality, she didn't feel like a bride.

She felt like a girl being guided into something she was afraid of but couldn't identify.

And yet, she stayed still.

Waiting.

Roman hadn’t answered her last two texts. He wasn't like that.

They hadn't spoken since the rehearsal dinner late last night. His voice had been calm and then kind of distant, but not cold ,Perhaps he was simply exhausted, she thought.

He always had a lot going on.

This morning her calls went to voicemail. No one read her messages.

She had warned herself not to panic. Roman is not the type to run on his wedding day. He could be blunt and sometimes harsh, but he wasn't a coward. 

He's not the type of man to abandon his bride-to-be.

So she reasoned.

Then a soft knock came on the door.

Arabella turned, expecting a stylist or planner.

Instead, her father came in. Her dad took a quick look inside with his grey hair combed back, and his tux was tidy.

She expected him to smile, but he didn't.

He intervened and said softly, "Sweetheart."

Arabella straightened up. "Is it time?"

He paused.

Her heart fell.

"Daddy?" she asked again, softer this time, almost pleading.

He walked over and took her hand.

“There’s been… a delay.”

Even though she already knew, she questioned, "What kind of delay?"

He looked to her mother, then back at her.

"Roman left the hotel this morning, and no one has seen him since," the best man said.

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

"No, that is not what he would do,” she said softly. “He might be stuck in traffic or have misplaced his phone”.

Her dad held her arms to keep her steady

"Listen to me, Arabella. He is already being contacted by the coordinator and the ceremony was postponed by twenty minutes.

But he didn't finish his sentence.

Arabella sat down slowly on the edge of the bench, feeling as though she was out of breath,

She lifted her veil without thinking, letting it slide over her face a little.

"This isn't be true".

She stared at her reflection in the vanity mirror Lace in white and Red lipstick with The gown they had jointly selected and the smile she had rehearsed.

This was the scene she had imagined a thousand times.

And it had never looked like this before.

___

His phone kept ringing on the seat next to Roman as he sat in the back of his car with his hands in his hair.

He ignored it.

He didn’t need to look at the screen. He already knew what it would say.

You're where?

Are we waiting?

What's happening?

Each vibration felt louder than the last but he couldn’t answer, couldn’t speak and also couldn’t breathe.

He was parked close to the shore, with the cliffs visible just outside the windscreen.

The sky was too azure. 

Too quiet.

How could he have allowed it to reach this point?

He pressed his palms to his face, but it did nothing to stop the storm in his chest.

He had no desire for a wedding. Not in this manner. Hadn't he told Arabella that he didn't like big moments and fairy tales? 

He had promised her everything, except unreliable promises.

However, she had whispered, "Just one promise," as she gazed at him that evening with bright eyes. That you’ll show up for me.”

"Yes," he had replied.

And now he couldn’t move. 

He dressed in the suit she had selected and the tie she liked, but he was frozen.

The commitment wasn't what frightened him.

It was its weight.

He loved her more than he had ever loved anyone. And the issue was precisely that when he forgot dinner she didn’t say much.

But she cried when he wasn’t looking.

She deserves someone who doesn't just show up home to sleep and then vanish into boardrooms and meetings.

He wasn’t good with soft things

He knew that.

He believed he could help her. But he didn't know that the time had come.

His phone kept vibrating again.

He looked at it.

Then he switched it off.

And rested his head on the leather seat.

He refrained from crying.

But the kind of ache that burned in his chest had no name for him.

—

Now, Arabella was standing close to the altar. They had seated the guests. The commotion had subsided.

They waited behind the doors leading to the aisle, her father holding her hand.

Eyes darting between her and the front pew, the wedding planner whispered into a headset.

The whisper that came Soft,

Quick and Heavy.

Arabella could not hear the words being said on the phone, but her heart knew what they were.

Slowly, the planner turned to face her.

Her face was pallid.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly.

She only needed to hear that.

Arabella's knees grew weaker.

She stayed upright.

She didn't yell.

She just turned.

And run outside.

Her heels echoed on the marble floor as she passed the altar. 

 The gentle music continued to play as the guests turned, looking confused.

She exited the chapel immediately after opening the side door.

Her name was called by her mother.

She continued to run.

The sun was still shining outside.

She pulled off the veil first. Next, the heels.

She was already barefoot when she was apprehended by Philip Roman's former assistant, who is now her staff. 

One hand held her veil like a ghost in white while she crossed the parking lot.

"Arabella"

She paused and pivoted.

Looked him dead in the eyes.

“He left me.”

Philip said nothing.

There was nothing to say.

She exhaled, tears threatening.

But she refused to break in front of him.

“Get me out of here,” she said quietly.

Philip nodded.

He opened the door to the car and helped her in.

Arabella's lips were shaking as she looked straight ahead when the engine came on

Her wedding day was over before it even started.

She had lost the man she loved.

Now she had only questions, disgrace and a heart full of unfulfilled vows