Inside was a simple gold band with a small diamond.
“Will you marry me?”
I started crying happy tears. The kind I thought I’d never cry again.
“Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He opened the box.
Our wedding was small and sweet.
My daughter and son were there. A few close friends. People who kept saying how beautiful it was that love could come back around.
I wore a cream-colored dress.
I’d spent weeks planning every detail myself. The flowers. The music. The vows I’d written by hand.
I wanted everything to be perfect.
Because this wasn’t just a wedding. It was proof that my life wasn’t over. That I could still choose happiness.
I’d spent weeks planning every detail myself.
Walter wore a navy suit. He looked so handsome yet so nervous.
When the officiant said, “You may kiss the bride,” Walter leaned in and kissed me gently.
Everyone clapped.
For the first time in 12 years, my heart felt full.
Everything felt perfect.
Then, while Walter was across the room, a young woman I didn’t recognize walked straight toward me.
She couldn’t have been more than 30.
A young woman I didn’t recognize walked straight toward me.
Her eyes fixed on mine as if she’d been searching for me.
She stopped close enough that only I could hear.
“Debbie?”
“Yes?”
She glanced over her shoulder at Walter, then back at me.
“He’s not who you think he is.”
My heart raced.
