the wedding day

My hands felt ice-cold. For the first time in years, I was nervous.

Not the kind of nervousness that comes before a test or a big presentation—no, this was different. This was the kind that clawed at your chest, made it hard to breathe, made you question whether this was reality or just some fever dream.

Because today wasn’t just another day.

It was our wedding day.

After everything we went through, we made it here.

I exhaled shakily, flexing my fingers at my sides. I could hear the faint murmur of guests, the rustling of fabric, the occasional sniffles from someone already getting emotional.

Wes, my little brother, was grinning like an idiot.

Cassy, my cousin, was whispering something to Leni, my older sister, who kept shaking her head like she was telling Cassy to behave.

Mika, one of Risa’s closest co-workers, had her phone out, probably filming everything for the office gossip circle.

And then—then there was Risa. Walking toward me. Looking at me like I was the only thing in the world.

And God, she was stunning. She always had been.

I fell for her when I was sixteen, back when she was just a student teacher—when she was still someone I wasn’t allowed to want.

And now? Now she was mine.

I wanted to hold her. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to tell her I still can't believe you're real. Her fingers found mine, lacing together like second nature.

The officiant smiled warmly. "We are gathered here today—"

“WAIT! STOP THE WEDDING!”

The words shattered the moment like glass.

A sharp, commanding voice echoed through the venue, stopping everything.

I felt my stomach drop.

Gasps filled the air.

Cassy nearly choked on the drink she had snuck in.

Wes muttered, “Are you kidding me?”

Mika, ever the drama queen, whispered, “This is better than office gossip.”

I turned toward the voice, my pulse pounding.

A man stood there.

Tall. Dark suit slightly wrinkled, like he had rushed here in a hurry. Sharp, familiar features.

He wasn’t looking at me. He was looking at Risa. And I saw it.

The way she tensed. The way her fingers went cold in my hand. The way her entire body froze.

Like a ghost had just walked into the room. And in a way, he had. The murmurs grew louder.

“Who the hell is that?” Cassy asked.

Leni’s voice was clipped. “Lorenzo.”

Lorenzo. The name made my blood turn to ice. Because I knew that name. I had never met him before, never spoken to him, but I knew.

He was the one before me. The ex. The one she had almost married. She never told me his name. Not once.

And now, here he was, standing in the middle of our wedding, looking at Risa like she still belonged to him.

I wanted to kill him.

Risa’s voice came out uneven. “Lorenzo.”

His gaze flickered to me for the first time. He barely spared me a glance before turning back to her.

“You’re really going through with this?”

I clenched my fists.

This.

Not “your wedding.” Not “your future.”

Just this.

Like what we had was a mistake. Like I was a mistake. I had never been insecure about Risa’s past.

Not when I had fought for her. Not when I had chased her. Not even when she left without a word, and I had almost died trying to find her.

But this? This was different. Because for the first time, I felt small.

I forced my voice to stay steady. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

Lorenzo’s eyes met mine again, amused. “She never told you about me, did she?”

I wanted to punch him.

Wes muttered under his breath, “Alice, if you don’t punch him, I will.”

Mika whispered, “Betting pool says Alice slaps him first.”

Leni groaned. “Can we not bet on this?”

Risa finally spoke, her voice tight. “What do you want, Lorenzo?”

He exhaled, shaking his head. “I had to see for myself. I had to know if you were really doing this. If you were really choosing—” His gaze flickered to me, just for a second, before turning back to her.

Risa’s grip on my hand tightened.

“I chose her,” she said.

His jaw clenched. For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then he laughed, shaking his head. “You know, I spent years wondering why you left the way you did. Why you vanished without a word. But now I get it.” His eyes met mine again.

“It wasn’t just cold feet. It was her.”

I didn’t flinch. I didn’t back down. Because I knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to make me doubt.

Trying to make me wonder if Risa had left him for me. But I knew better. She left because she wasn’t meant to be with him.

Because she was meant to be with me. So I lifted my chin.

“I don’t know why you’re here, but I do know this—you lost her.”

Lorenzo’s smirk faltered.

I stepped forward.

“Despite everything, despite everyone, she’s standing here—with me. And nothing you say is going to change that.”

Silence. For the first time, Lorenzo hesitated. And then—Risa spoke.

“I loved you,” she said, voice steady. “Once.”

Lorenzo’s expression hardened.

“But love fades.”

She turned to me. And in that moment—nothing else mattered.

“This?” She whispered. “This is forever.”

My chest ached.

Lorenzo exhaled sharply, nodding once.

“I had to try.” Then he left. Just like that.

The tension remained thick, but slowly, the murmurs died down.

Mika whistled. “Damn. That was a movie moment.”

Cassy sighed dramatically. “I was hoping Alice would punch him.”

Wes crossed his arms. “I still can.”

Leni shook her head. “Jesus Christ.”

I turned back to Risa. And I saw it—the guilt in her eyes. She should’ve told me.

But we could talk about that later. Right now, she was here. With me.

I exhaled, shaking my head. “We’re going to talk about this later.”

Risa smiled slightly. “Is that your way of saying you still want to marry me?”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course, you idiot.”

The officiant, who looked like he desperately needed a drink, cleared his throat. “Can we… continue?”

I looked at Risa. My Risa.

Not the woman Lorenzo used to know.

Not the professor I had once admired from afar.

Just mine. And finally—I smiled.

"Yeah," I whispered. "Let's do this."

And this time, nothing—not time, not distance, not even ghosts from the past—could stop us.