“My Fiancé Died Three Weeks Before Our Wedding — Months Later, I Followed His Mother and Discovered She Was Attending Someone Else’s Wedding Wearing the Dress I Never Got to Wear”

“There was an accident.”

“What?”

Julian exhaled.

“Adrian was in the car, but he survived. Someone else didn’t.”

I stared at him.

“He took advantage of the accident to disappear.”

Julian’s expression tightened.

“He panicked.”

“He faked his death.”

“He thought it was the only way to get out.”

“Out of marrying me?”

Julian looked ashamed.

“Out of everything.”

I stepped back.

For months, I had imagined Adrian’s final moments.

I wondered whether he had been afraid. I wondered whether he had thought about me.

Instead, he had survived and decided that death was easier than honesty.

I heard music begin inside the ceremony space.

Julian grabbed my arm.

“Meredith, please don’t do anything.”

I pulled away.

“Don’t touch me.”

Then Colleen appeared.

She looked from Julian to me and closed her eyes.