The wedding that never happened

The door behind me swung open. My heart skipped a beat, and I froze, caught between the panic of yesterday and the confusion of now.

“Hey… you forgot—”

The man, the stranger from last night, stepped out, but his words died on his lips. His eyes widened, scanning the hallway, confused, before finally landing on… Sebastian. My Sebastian. My fiancé.

“Bella?” Sebastian’s voice was tight, sharp, disbelief and anger curling in every syllable. “What… what is this? What am I seeing?”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My tongue felt heavy, my words stuck in my throat. Heat flared in my cheeks as i tried to speak, i wanted to explain, but it sounded ridiculous even in my head. “I… I can’t… it’s not…it’s not what it looks like.. i promise.. Seb—“

Sebastian took a step forward, eyes blazing. “Did you sleep with someone? On the day of our wedding? Isabella, is this how you’re going to humiliate me?”

“No! No, no, no, it’s not like that. I can explain right now,” I stammered, my hands shaking as I clutched my dress, tears blurring my vision.

“You can explain?” His voice raised, trembling between hurt and rage. “I’m supposed to marry you today, and you’re here like this? Do you know what you’ve done? Do you even care how this looks?!”

I swallowed hard, choking back the sobs. “I… I just… Sebastian, please, it’s not what it looks like. I—”

“Enough Isabella!” he shouted, anger cracking his voice. “Enough of your lies. Only God knows for how long you’ve been cheating on me. Had it been it wasn’t me that saw you myself, I would have never believed!”

I tried to move closer, desperately. I turned around trying to make the stranger explain what happened to him. Maybe he could explain better than me, maybe he can help me out of this mess I found myself in, but to my total shock, the stranger turned silently and stepped back into his room, closing and locking the door without a word. My heart skipped as i realized what he just did.

“Come out.” I banged the door. “Come and explain it to him!” I cried after him, my voice cracking. “Explain to him what happened!”

But he didn’t answer as if what just happened has nothing to do with him. He just vanished behind the door, leaving me exposed, frantic, and shaking.

Sebastian’s anger hit me like a tidal wave. “Explain what? I’m here thinking I’m going to marry the woman I love, and you’re here—like this? With someone else? Is this how you make a fool of me? How you ruin me? How you—how you humiliate me?!” I watched as Sebastian stormed off leaving me there feeling disgusted about myself. The other people he was with followed suit, giving me looks full of disappointment and filth.

The tears came freely now. I couldn’t stop them. My body shook, i pressed my hand over my mouth as if trying to contain the sobs, the panic, the shame.

Emily came running with her eyes wide, worry etched into every line of her face. “Bella! Sister! What happened?”

I couldn’t answer. I just shook my head violently, crying harder.

“Bella, talk to me please.”

Emily took a step closer, trying to console me. “Okay … it’s okay… just breathe…”

But I couldn’t stay put. I need to explain myself whether it sounds believable or not. Desperation pushed me forward. I ran, slipping past her, toward Sebastian’s room. I burst in without knocking, falling to my knees in front of him, grabbing his hands.

“Sebastian! Please… I—I’m sorry! I can explain, I swear I didn’t mean for this! I don’t know how it happened, I don’t know how I ended up there! Yesterday…I was so drunk…Camila was there…” My voice trembled, breaking into sobs. “I don’t… I don’t even know what happened! All I asked was for Camila to take me to… to your room… i swear, I thought it was your room…”

His eyes were stormy and furious, heartbreak was etched deep in them. “Oh, that was my room?” He gestured sharply, like it proved everything I didn’t want him to see. “Look at what you’ve done, Bella! Look at me, in front of everyone. On our wedding day. How could you cheat? How could you humiliate me like this?”

Emily’s hands grasped his arm. “Sebastian… please, calm down.”

“No!” he snapped, jerking away from her. “Don’t you dare side with her because she’s your sister! Are you siding with her because she’s your sister?!”

“No, Sebastian… I—” Emily protested softly. “She was drunk yesterday. It wasn’t—”

Sebastian cut her off, glaring. “Drunk? Drunk! She’s cheating on me! And you’re defending her because you’re her family?!”

Just then, Camila entered the room, she looked surprised seeing me on my knees crying. Before she asked what was happening. I asked her to explain what happened the previous night to Sebastian. She was my last hope, because from all indications, Sebastian was not ready to listen to me.

“Camila…” I called her name, desperately, my hands clutching at her arm. “Please… tell him the truth! Tell him what happened! Tell him!”

She blinked, a flash of hesitation crossing her face. “I… yes. I brought her here, to your room. But… I don’t know whether she entered or went somewhere else. I just… showed her the room and walked away. I didn’t see what happened after that.”

I felt my heart tighten in my chest. “No,” I cried, tears streaming. “You opened the door and I entered. I… I can remember that.”

She shrugged helplessly. “No bella, you were so drunk. Maybe… you just thought it happened. But it didn’t, Bella. I didn’t see you enter.”

I fell to my knees again, sobbing uncontrollably. “I will never cheat on you, Sebastian! I love you! You know how much I love you! We can fix this! Please, let me explain!”

Sebastian’s face hardened, the anger in his eyes turning icy. “Isabella… I can’t go on with this sham, this wedding will not take place. We are done.”