The Skies Cleared Before Our Wedding
I had a mild hearing impairment, which left me mostly deaf in my right ear.
Growing up, Tristan Lockhart always made it a point to stand on my right side.
"That way, if anyone tries to talk behind your back, I'll be the first to hear it," he used to tell me.
Eventually, we got engaged, and the wedding invitations were already printed and ready to go.
Everyone around us kept saying how incredibly blessed I was to have a childhood sweetheart who had spent over a decade shielding me from the world.
That was until Sunny Pierce joined Tristan’s company.
She was stunning, vibrant, and always spoke with a radiant smile plastered across her face.
The very first time she met me, she stared intently at my hearing aid for a long moment before turning to Tristan with a playful laugh. "With her like that, can she even hear you whisper sweet nothings in her ear at night?"
My face drained of all color, but Tristan merely furrowed his brow slightly. "Sunny just speaks before she thinks. Don't take it to heart."
On the day of our wedding rehearsal.
I stood right outside the heavy chapel doors, listening to Sunny mockingly read my vows aloud.
"Thank you for tolerating me as your constant complication for over a decade. I promise to be your comfort, your constant shadow, and your favorite complication for the rest of my life."
The entire room erupted into a chorus of laughter, and Tristan let out a soft chuckle along with them.
"Stop messing around," he said, his voice carrying a light laugh. "If she overhears you changing the words, she's going to get upset again."
Sunny paused, her tone turning playful. "Are you seriously still going to marry her, then?"
Tristan fell completely silent for two long seconds.
"The invitations have already been sent out," he finally replied, his voice flat. "What else am I supposed to do at this point?"
I stood frozen at the very end of the corridor. The umbrella he had once gifted me was still dripping rainwater onto the tile floor.
But suddenly, I had absolutely no desire to walk through those doors.