Forever Goodbye

The crowd was dead silent.

Everyone was waiting for that picture-perfect moment, including my mom. She held her hands over her mouth, desperately holding back tears of joy.

I just stood there frozen, like all the life had been drained out of me.

"Why… why did it have to be today?"

My hands and feet went ice-cold. That ring felt like it weighed a ton, suffocating me.

Charlotte looked at me, completely unbothered by how pathetic I was, almost as if she were relieved.

"Don't blame Josh. He actually told me never to tell you.

"But I'm tired of sneaking around, Dean. I'm sick of having to make up fake excuses and check in with you every single time I want to see him.

"And I hate that Josh always looks so guilty whenever we sleep together."

When she talked about Josh, her eyes softened with sympathy for him.

It was as if marrying me were just some tragic, unavoidable sacrifice on her part, which was crazy because just yesterday she was so thrilled that she couldn't sleep a wink.

She had curled up under the covers with me, blushing and smiling. "Dean, I can't believe I'm finally marrying you. This feels like a dream."

Now, though? She was impatiently demanding that I make a choice.

"Charlotte, you shameless b*tch!"

With tears in my eyes, I hurled the ring straight into her face, turned around, and bolted, leaving the gasping crowd behind me.

Nobody could believe I was suddenly ditching my own wedding.

Josh sprinted after me and grabbed my arm, breathless. "Dean! What the hell is wrong with you?! Did Charlotte throw another tantrum?!"

His eyes were full of anger and concern, acting as if he had no idea what was going on.

That's when I noticed the hickey on his neck. It was so glaringly obvious.

I remembered when I first suspected he was seeing someone.

My very first reaction was to congratulate him. Even when he flirted on the phone right in front of me or bragged about how many rounds they went in one night, I never, ever connected the dots to Charlotte.

My eyes stung, and a bitter smile pulled at my lips.

"Did it feel good, Josh, sleeping with my woman?"

His face instantly drained of all color. And just like that, I had my answer.

A sharp sting hit the back of my throat, making my eyes water. I suddenly just wanted to ask why.

Just three hours ago, during our pre-wedding shots, he had been the most energetic guy in the room. When the groomsmen were stalling and the timeline was slipping, he had rallied everyone and cleared the way to get me to the altar on time.

He beamed at me with total pride and yelled, "With me here, nobody stops Dean from getting his bride! You guys better stay together and live happily ever after!"

I really thought I had it all. The perfect love, the truest friendship, and a future where happiness was finally mine.

How foolish was I?