"The bride and groom are here!"
The guests gathered on the steps of the City Hall joyfully cheered as the wedding car pulled up. Mark opened the door and offered his hand to his future wife. Megan stepped out, playfully adjusting her airy veil.
"The Miller party! You're scheduled in twenty minutes," a clerk called out from the doorway.
"Yes, we're all here," Mark replied with a bright smile, nodding to her.
The group ascended the wide stone steps toward the ceremony hall. In just a few moments, the previous couple would exit, and Megan's dream would finally come true: the most wonderful man in the world would become her husband. Suddenly, a young girl, about ten years old, approached her.
"Ma'am? Someone is calling for you over there," she said, pointing toward the bridal suite.
"For me?" Megan's perfectly groomed brows shot up in surprise.
"The lady said it was urgent. She gave me this note." The girl handed her a scrap of paper.
Megan quickly scanned the lines and whispered to Mark, "I'll be just a minute." She hurried toward a back room tucked away behind a large marble column.
Ten minutes passed. Mark began glancing around, looking for his fiancée. Both sets of parents and the guests started to grow restless.
"Where is Megan?" Mark's mother asked, taking a nervous breath. "Oh, these modern brides!"
"She went into the side room with a little girl," Megan's father added, gesturing toward the column.
Just then, the heavy doors of the hall swung open. A shower of laughter followed as the previous newlyweds and their party exited.
"Miller party, are you ready?" the officiant asked, stepping forward.
"Yes, yes! Just a second! The bride stepped away, she'll be right back," Megan's mother said, her voice trembling with anxiety.
"Please don't delay. We have five more ceremonies after yours," the clerk said, frowning. "Fine, I'll give you five minutes, or I have to call the next couple."
Mark was already sprinting toward the bridal suite. "She went this way, I think!" He threw open the door, but the room was empty. He tried calling her, but Megan didn't pick up. Her bridesmaids tried as well—nothing.
"We found the girl," someone shouted. "She said some old woman asked her to get the bride..."
At that moment, everyone saw Megan's mother slowly walking up the stairs. In her hands, she clutched the bridal veil.
"This is Megan's... it was lying on a chair in the lobby," she whispered, her face pale with dread.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Miller?" the clerk asked, the sharp tap of her heels echoing as she approached the confused groom.
"Our bride is missing..." Megan's father said, his voice cracking. "We need to call the police."
"Folks!" the clerk exclaimed. "If we called the police every time someone got cold feet, we'd be here until midnight every single day. That's it; I'm calling the next group. You call her, and if she turns up, I'll try to fit you in later today."
"Thank you," Mark managed to say.
Mark was completely reeling. Why would Megan vanish like this? What was he supposed to tell the guests? More importantly, what now?
Suddenly, he heard a sharp cry from his future mother-in-law.
"How could you, Megan?"
The woman was on the phone. Mark rushed over to her.
"Where is she?" he asked hoarsely.
"Mark, I don't understand any of it," the woman sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "She said... she said the wedding is off."
The guests gasped in unison. Mark's jaw tightened, the muscles in his face twitching.
"Give me the phone!" he demanded.
"She already hung up," the mother said, handing him the device with a trembling hand.
Mark felt as if he'd been spit on. Why would she do this to him?
He gathered his strength and turned to the crowd.
"Friends, I am so sorry, but the bride has left. Unfortunately, the wedding is canceled." Without another word, he turned and marched toward the exit.
Behind him, he could hear his parents starting an argument with Megan's parents about how they'd raised their daughter. The guests broke into frantic, hushed conversations.
The clerk's final question—"Wait, it's officially canceled?"—reached him just as he reached the street. Mark slammed the car door shut.
That evening, he sat alone at a dive bar. He drank with a particular kind of bitter fury. What stung the most was that this was the second time this had happened to him. Two years ago, on the eve of their wedding, his first fiancée, Sarah, had called to say she wouldn't go through with it. Then, too, the guests had been invited and the restaurant booked. And then, just like today, the bride hadn't even bothered to explain herself in person.
As he got drunker, he kept dialing Megan's number. She didn't answer. Then, suddenly, she picked up.
"Mark, please don't torture me," she said after a long silence. "I'm not marrying you."
"Why? Why today of all days? Couldn't you have told me sooner?" Mark was crushed.
"It just happened," she whispered, and the line went dead.
His friends, Jason and Brian, walked into the bar.
"Man, you had us worried. You just vanished. We've been looking for you for hours. Your parents are a wreck," Brian said, looking closely at Mark.
"Why aren't you answering your phone?" Jason asked, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Guys, I've never felt this low. I don't want to talk to anyone. I just called Megan... God knows why... just to hear her say she doesn't want me," Mark confessed.
"Forget her, man. Just walk away," Jason advised.
They sat there until late into the night, trying to figure out what to do next.
"Mark, this is crazy," Brian said, shrugging. "I know you're going to laugh at me, but maybe you should see someone? A psychic? A medium? Two brides running away at the altar?"
"My mom would say you're cursed," Jason chuckled. "But honestly, Brian might be right. It couldn't hurt."
"Are you serious? You guys actually believe in that?" Mark laughed, the first genuine sound he'd made all day. "Well, thanks for the laugh. I needed that. But no, I'm not going to see any psychics."
And so ended that long, incomprehensible day.
***
A year passed.
Mark continued his work as a dentist at a private clinic. One day, just before closing, a young woman came in. She was as pale as a ghost and was clutching her cheek.
"Doctor, I know you're about to close, but could you please see me?" she asked imploringly.
"An acute toothache? Of course I'll see you. I can't send you away in that kind of pain," he said with an encouraging smile.
the dental assistant sighed heavily; she wouldn't be getting home on time tonight. It was a serious issue—a major abscess.
"How long have you been dealing with this?" Mark asked as he examined her.
"Almost a week," she whispered.
"I don't understand how people can wait so long. A little longer and that infection could have spread to your brain," the assistant grumbled.
"That's enough, Carol. Let's get the instruments ready," Mark said, cutting her off. He could see the patient was on the verge of fainting. He glanced at her chart. "Don't worry, Claire. It'll be a little uncomfortable for a moment, but you'll feel much better soon."
Mark worked quickly and efficiently. Claire looked at him with deep gratitude before saying goodbye and heading out. The lights in the office went out. The assistant hurried away to her husband, who was waiting in the lobby. Mark locked up and stepped outside.
It was late autumn, nearly dark. As he walked toward the parking lot, the thin ice crunched under his feet and a biting wind blew. Under a streetlamp, he saw a familiar silhouette. It was Claire. He sped up to catch her.
"Do you have a car?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I'm heading to the bus stop. There should be one soon."
"At this hour? It might not even come. And you shouldn't be standing out in the cold after that procedure. Let me give you a ride."
Mark surprised even himself. He just really liked her.
"Oh, is that okay?" Claire asked, hesitant.
She could see the doctor was a decent, professional young man, but getting into a car with him so soon...
"Don't worry, I don't bite," he smiled. "Where are you headed?"
Claire gave him her address. They drove in silence. As the anesthesia began to wear off, she wasn't much for talking, and Mark was simply exhausted after a long day of patients. Yet, the silence felt comfortable.
"Claire, would it be alright if I called you?" Mark asked as they pulled up to her house.
"I'd like that," she said, happy that he'd asked first. She gave him her number.
Mark saved it and then gave her a quick ring.
"There. Now you have my number, too," he smiled.
***
Mark called two days later. Claire was thrilled to hear his voice; she hadn't been able to get the young doctor out of her head. They met at a coffee shop, then went for a walk in the park. Their quick acquaintance blossomed into something much deeper.
***
"Mom," Claire confessed just before New Year's, "I'm getting married."
Her mother was stunned, then overjoyed. The groom-to-be was a perfectly respectable young man. Mark met her family over the holidays, and that same night, he introduced Claire to his parents.
"Mark," his mother whispered anxiously in the hallway as the couple was leaving. "You take care of Claire. She's a wonderful girl."
"Mom, everything is going to be fine this time. I'm sure of it," he said. He knew she was thinking about his two previous failed trips to the altar. "It's different with Claire."
"I hope so. God, I hope so," his mother whispered.
The big day approached. The rings were bought, the outfits were ready, the guests invited, and the reception booked. Claire stepped out of the library where she worked and headed toward the bus stop. It was a warm April evening. The scent of blooming apple trees in the park filled the air, and she was in high spirits. She was a bride-to-be.
Suddenly, an old woman appeared in front of her. It seemed as though she had been standing there waiting for Claire. She was small, thin, and dressed entirely in black. Claire involuntarily shuddered.
"You're planning to marry Mark Miller, aren't you?" the woman asked, using his full name.
"Yes," Claire said before she could stop herself. Then she caught herself. "But what is it to you? Who are you?"
"Me?" the old woman smirked. "I'm his mother-in-law. You see, many years ago, when his family lived in our town, he was with my daughter."
"What are you talking about?" Claire said, offended. "Please, let me pass."
"Go ahead," the woman hissed. "But just so you know, your groom is already married. He just forged new papers. He has a wife and two children back in the village. He abandoned them when his parents moved to the city and he went off to become a doctor. My daughter, Linda, is struggling to raise those two kids on her own. His kids. He hasn't sent a single dime in all these years."
"Then why hasn't she sued for child support?" Claire was staggered.
"She's proud. She doesn't want to prove anything to anyone. I'm just angry for my daughter, and I'm telling you so you know exactly who you're tying your life to." With that, the woman walked away.
The news made Claire feel physically ill. Her head spun—not just from the shock, but because she had found out only that morning that she was pregnant.
Mark is married? He abandoned his children? How could I live with him? Claire began to cry.
It grew dark. The streetlights flickered on, and her phone started buzzing. Mark had called at least ten times. Finally, she answered.
"Claire, where are you? I'm at the library, but they said you left. You're not answering your phone—is everything okay?" Mark sounded panicked.
"We need to talk. I'm in the park by the library," she said shortly.
Mark was there in five minutes. Claire didn't hide anything; she told him about the conversation with the stranger. Mark listened in silence, his face turning to stone. He clenched his fists tighter and tighter.
"And you believe that?!" he finally interrupted.
"I don't want to, but you told me yourself that two brides left you. They must have found out the truth," Claire said, her eyes filling with tears.
"It's not true!" Mark shouted. "Now it all makes sense... she must have whispered the same thing to them. But the truth is something else entirely."
And he began his story.
In high school, Mark had been in love with a classmate named Linda. They lived in a small town, and everyone said they were the perfect match. Perhaps they were. But at their graduation party, the whole class went down to the river to watch the sunrise. Everyone was a bit lightheaded from the champagne. They climbed up onto a high bank for a better view. Suddenly, Linda tripped and fell into the river. Mark was standing right there, but he couldn't catch her in time. He dove in immediately, trying to reach her, but the current was too strong. Linda couldn't swim, and she was swept away in an instant. Mark eventually pulled her out, but she wasn't breathing. At the funeral, Linda's mother blamed Mark for everything. She cursed him, telling him he would never have a life of his own. That was why his family moved away shortly after. He tried to forget, but it turned out Linda's mother had been following his life all this time.
"She's insane! A family? Abandoned children?" Claire gasped.
"She's just a very unhappy woman who lost her daughter," Mark said, trying to find some mercy for her.
"I almost believed her. I almost did something stupid," Claire said, shaking her head.
"You did the right thing by asking me," Mark said, pulling her close.
"How could I not? I love you!" Claire wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered into his ear, "Mark, we're going to have a baby."
"Claire! Oh, Claire!" Mark was over the moon.
A few months later, the wedding took place. The newlyweds were radiant, and their parents and friends celebrated with them. Finally, everything was right.
A week after the wedding, Claire convinced Mark to drive back to the village where the girl's mother lived. Mark was reluctant at first, but he eventually agreed. Their first stop was the cemetery, where Claire placed a massive bouquet of roses on Linda's grave.
"Rest in peace. I didn't take him from you; it just happened this way."
Then they went to the mother's house. The same old woman from the park opened the gate.
"Hello, Mrs. Gable. Do you remember me?" Mark asked, watching her closely.
"I remember. So, you got married after all?" The old woman's eyes flicked to Claire's hand. "Well, I suppose everything will change now."
"Mrs. Gable, why did you make all that up?" Mark asked, his voice rising. "A secret family? Children?"
"Don't get worked up. After Linda's funeral, I blamed you for everything. But then I realized you were the only thing I had left in this world. Linda loved you, after all. So I started following your life. I went to the city; I looked into things. Don't be mad at me for lying to those other girls. It was a test. The first one seemed almost happy for an excuse to leave you. The second one? As soon as she heard about children and child support, she ran from the ceremony. But the third one... the third one was heartbroken, but she didn't give up on you. She's the real one. She'll love you her whole life, just like my daughter would have."
The couple stood there, stunned. Some test, they thought.
But they calmed down and even stayed to visit with Mrs. Gable until evening. As they left, they promised to come back and see her. The old woman was happy; her heart was finally at peace. May they be happy!
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