Love's Quiet Demise

On my way back, I got a call from the hospital.

Mom's condition had turned critical, and she was rushed into the ICU.

I couldn't bother to continue wallowing in grief. I had the driver change direction and sped toward the hospital.

Mom was safe for now, but the doctor told me that her condition might worsen intermittently. She had at most a month to live.

I collapsed beside her bed and bawled my eyes out. She stroked my hair, her touch as gentle as it always had been.

"Sweetheart, don't cry. It's a good thing that I'm dying. I won't drag you down anymore," she said weakly. "It's just a pity that I can't see you get married."

Wiping my tears, I held Mom's hands tightly and said firmly, "Sean proposed to me a few days ago. I had wanted to tell you this in a few days. Don't worry, Mom. I'll make sure you see me get married."

Right after I left the hospital, I called Sean. Regardless of the things that had happened between us, I hoped he'd cooperate this once.

But I didn't know this was a decision I would regret for the rest of my life.

As soon as the call connected, I quickly said, "Sean, let's get married as soon as possible. Mom's condition has worsened, and I want her to fulfill her last wish."

Sean, however, said nothing.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Sean, are you unwilling to?" I asked, my voice trembling.

He didn't reply to me and asked another question instead. "Did you know Lavender attempted suicide yesterday?

"Someone reported her to the school, saying she had been involved with someone else's relationship. Things escalated, and she attempted to jump off a building to prove her innocence. She was later rescued, but she's emotionally unstable now.

"Janelle, I'll only ask this once. Were you the snitch?"

I was baffled. Realization dawned on me, and I couldn't believe my ears.

"Sean, are you suspecting me? We've been together for eight years! Don't you know what I'm like?" I yelled, feeling wronged.

Rage boiled in me, but Sean sounded particularly calm.

"Since it wasn't you, why are you getting so worked up?" he asked. "I'm fine with bringing forward the wedding. You deal with the preparations."

With that, he hung up.

I texted him to press him about the matter, but he refused to fill me in.

Time flew, and Lavender's suicide attempt soon slipped my mind.

My schedule was packed. I tried my best to make the wedding work in just two weeks.

In those two weeks, Sean and I never met. We tried on the gowns and suits separately, and he only replied to my messages once every three days.

Whenever I asked about it, he'd say he was swamped with work, busy wrapping up his projects. So I stopped asking. I took charge of everything for the wedding, so he didn't have to worry about anything.

Then came our big day.

Dressed in my wedding gown, I waited for Sean from morning till night. Hope turned to despair, but the groom didn't show up.

I called him a hundred times, but he never answered. The only response was a voice message from him.

"Janelle, I already gave you a chance. If you had admitted on the phone that you reported Lavender to the school and apologized to her, I would have shown up at the wedding. I would still marry you.

"But now, it's too late. I won't come, and I won't marry you. This is what you get for bullying Lavender."