Chapter 2 - THE WEDDING HE THOUGHT I COULDN'T CANCEL
By eight the next morning, Daniel had called eleven times.
By nine, Diane had called four.
At nine-fifteen, Aunt Karen sent a message explaining that mature women didn't make permanent decisions during temporary emotional discomfort.
At nine-thirty, Mia texted me.
I'm sorry I ruined everything. I never wanted Daniel to choose between us.
I stared at that message longer than the others.
Because it sounded apologetic.
But it placed the responsibility for fixing things directly in my hands.
I didn't answer.
Instead, I opened the wedding planning spreadsheet.
There were twenty days left.
A waterfront venue.
One hundred and twelve guests.
A photographer.
A florist.
A string quartet.
A three-tier lemon cake.
And a wedding dress hanging in my mother's guest room.
I had spent fourteen months planning a celebration for a marriage I no longer wanted.
Now I had to dismantle it.
I started with the venue.
The coordinator, a woman named Claire, sounded surprised.
“Are you postponing?”
“No. Canceling.”
“I'm sorry to hear that.”
“Thank you.”
She paused.
“May I ask whether both parties have agreed?”
I looked at the engagement ring sitting beside my laptop.
“No.”
Claire's voice became careful.
“Then I should explain that some vendors have separate contracts and cancellation provisions.”
“I understand.”
I had expected the money to hurt.
It did.
But not as much as the thought of standing at an altar beside Daniel while wondering whether Mia had been given the honeymoon suite's spare key.
I made calls for three hours.
At noon, my best friend, Olivia Chen, arrived carrying sandwiches.
She took one look at my face.
“You did it.”
I nodded.
She set the food down.
“Finally.”
I blinked.
“Finally?”
Olivia sat beside me.
“Emma, I've been waiting for you to realize you're allowed to be unhappy.”
I stared.
She softened.
“I wasn't going to tell you whom to marry. But every time we talked about Daniel, you sounded like you were preparing a legal defense.”
I looked down.
“Maybe I was.”
Olivia squeezed my hand.
“Then let's get you out of court.”
We spent the afternoon canceling appointments.
By five, I had informed my parents.
My mother cried.
Not because the wedding was canceled.
Because when I told her why, she said, “Honey, I thought you knew you could come home.”
That nearly broke me.
At six-thirty, Daniel arrived at my apartment.
He knocked three times.
Then rang the bell.
Then called.
I opened the door but kept the chain in place.
His expression changed.
“Seriously?”
“What do you need?”
“We need to talk.”
“We can talk here.”
He glanced at the chain.
“Emma, don't be ridiculous.”
“Daniel.”
He exhaled.
“Fine. I've had time to think.”
I waited.
“I understand that you felt overlooked at dinner.”
That was more acknowledgment than he'd offered in months.
Then he continued.
“But you humiliated Mia in front of everyone, and you owe her an apology.”
I almost laughed.
Instead, I said, “You came here to ask me to apologize to Mia?”
“She cried all night.”
“Did you ask how I slept?”
Daniel blinked.
“That's not fair.”
“It's a question.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“Look, we can still fix this.”
“How?”
“We get married. We put this behind us. And afterward, I'll make more effort to include you.”
I stared.
“Include me?”
He frowned.
“In family decisions.”
“Daniel, I was supposed to be your wife.”
“And you still can be.”
“No.”
His face hardened.
“Emma, the deposits are already paid.”
“I know.”
“My relatives have booked flights.”
“I know.”
“You're going to waste thousands of dollars.”
I nodded.
“Probably.”
He stared.
Then said quietly, “You can't afford to walk away from everything we've built.”
Something in his tone caught my attention.
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
He hesitated.
“The townhouse, for one thing.”
I felt a small chill.
“My sixty-five thousand dollars?”
Daniel looked away.
“It's not that simple.”
I gripped the door.
“What isn't?”
He sighed.
“Mia's moving in next week.”
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
May you like
Then I asked, very calmly:
“Into whose townhouse?”
