Love Ends Before Dawn

I couldn’t believe David to be so hypocritical. He dismissed my condition as mere pretentiousness, yet he completely trusted Claire’s claims. I stared at him, feeling a mix of hurt and disbelief.

“David, what if I said Claire is just pretending? Would you believe me?”

He paused for a moment, then let out a disdainful laugh. “She’s not you.”

As soon as a nurse announced that Claire had woken up, David didn’t hesitate for a second to turn and leave.

“She’s not you.” Those words stabbed deep into my heart like a knife.

I dazedly finished my IV drip and took a taxi back to the villa. With only five days left until our wedding, David had started a unilaterally cold war.

During these five days, Claire remained in the hospital. David spent his days at work and his nights keeping vigil at her bedside, while I was left alone at home, lost in my thoughts.

My anxiety grew with each passing day and I was haunted by nightmares, fearing that David would forget about our upcoming wedding. Finally, I decided to call him and this time he actually answered.

“Do you realize your mistake?”

I bit my lip. “We have the wedding tomorrow. I just want to confirm the guest list and make sure we haven’t missed anyone.”

There was a brief silence before David’s voice suddenly took on an angry tone. “Noria, you don’t need to keep reminding me. I haven’t lost my memory and I haven’t forgotten that we’re getting married!”

His tone was a mix of anger and exasperation, as if marrying me was some kind of obligation he was forced to fulfill.

I tried to rationalize the situation in my mind. After all, I was marrying the man I had pursued for eight years. During those five days, I worked hard to eat healthily and take care of my skin, hoping to become the most beautiful bride on our wedding day.

On the wedding day, I woke up early, bustling around to prepare. However, David was late in coming to pick me up. I anxiously called him, but he replied impatiently, “I’ll be there soon. You should just follow the wedding car to the venue.”

The driver started urging me to get in, so I hurried into the wedding car. But soon, I realized that the route had changed. I knew the way to the outdoor wedding venue so well that I could have done it with my eyes closed and this was definitely not the right direction.

“We’re having an outdoor wedding at Silverleaf Park. Why are we heading to a hotel?” I asked, my voice trembling with confusion.

The wedding planner replied apologetically, “I’m sorry, but Mr. Weston just instructed us to change the venue at the last minute.”

I received photos on my phone showing that the originally arranged outdoor wedding venue had been moved. When I arrived at the hotel, the entire wedding scene was draped in black fabric. I was covered in cold sweat and immediately called David.

He answered impatiently, "I know what you're going to ask. Claire insisted on attending the wedding today and it's too bright outside, so we had to change the venue at the last minute. The wedding is just a formality; it doesn't matter where it's held. Stop making a fuss over nothing."

At that moment, I felt as if a string in my mind had completely snapped. How could he treat me like this? Just for Claire, for her so-called illness, he was willing to ruin my once-in-a-lifetime wedding?

The guests couldn't help but gossip, wondering whose wedding was so dark and inauspicious. It felt like they were slapping me in the face.

As soon as the door opened, David arrived.

Claire, dressed in a black dress, affectionately linked her arm with his and walked slowly toward me, standing at the end of the red carpet.

David was in a black suit and didn't wear the white dress I had picked out for him.

At a glance, they seemed perfectly matched.

“Noria, congratulations on your wedding! Unfortunately, I’m afraid of light, so I can only give you black flowers. I hope you won’t think it’s old-fashioned or that black flowers are inauspicious!"