Dominic and I were supposed to get married that summer. We\u2019d already booked the venue. I\u2019d chosen my dress. We\u2019d argued over the cake flavor and laughed about how ridiculous we were being. Then, six weeks before the wedding, Dominic was killed in a car accident. The crash was so bad that we buried him in a closed casket. I remember standing beside his mother, Evelyn, at the funeral, holding her hand while they lowered Dominic into the ground. I thought that was the worst day of my life. Three months later, I learned I was wrong.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a florist. Weddings had always been my favorite jobs. After Dominic died, I couldn\u2019t even look at a bridal bouquet without thinking about the one I\u2019d chosen for myself. But eventually, I had bills to pay. So three months after his funeral, I finally agreed to start taking wedding jobs again.<\/p>\n
That morning, another florist I sometimes worked with called in sick and asked if I could cover a wedding for her. I agreed.<\/p>\n
A few hours later, I was arranging flowers at a reception venue I\u2019d never worked at before when I saw a familiar woman near the entrance. Evelyn. I almost called out to her. Then she saw me. Her face changed. She immediately turned away and disappeared down a side hallway.<\/p>\n
That was strange. Evelyn and I hadn\u2019t spoken much since Dominic died, but why would she hide from me? I followed her. \u201cEvelyn?\u201d She stopped. For a second, she just stared at me. \u201cAudrey?\u201d \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d She looked nervous. \u201cI could ask you the same thing.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m working. I\u2019m the florist.\u201d \u201cHere?\u201d \u201cYes. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n
Before she could answer, a wedding coordinator hurried toward us. \u201cMrs. Parker, we\u2019ve been looking everywhere for you. The groom needs his mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at Evelyn. For a second, that explained everything. Dominic had an older brother, Nathan. Of course. This must be his wedding. Nathan and I had always gotten along well. I won\u2019t lie \u2014 it hurt a little that he hadn\u2019t invited me. But after Dominic\u2019s death, I\u2019d barely spoken to his family. Maybe they thought a wedding would be too painful for me. I tried not to take it personally.<\/p>\n
Then I noticed the corsage on her wrist. I\u2019d made it myself that morning. It was for the groom\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n
Evelyn glanced at me, then quickly followed the coordinator away. I told myself that explained her strange behavior. Maybe she\u2019d simply felt awkward seeing me here.<\/p>\n
A few minutes later, I spotted her near the groom\u2019s room. This time, I almost walked away. Of course she was there. Her son was getting married. She looked around before slipping inside.<\/p>\n
Then I heard Evelyn\u2019s voice. \u201cYou need to hurry. The ceremony starts in twenty minutes.\u201d A man answered. I stopped. That wasn\u2019t Nathan\u2019s voice. Something about it made my whole body go cold.<\/p>\n
I moved closer to the door. Through the narrow opening, I could see Evelyn. Then the man stepped into view. My hand flew to my mouth.<\/p>\n
Dominic. Alive. And he was wearing the same suit he\u2019d bought for our wedding.<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t move. \u201cDoes everything look okay?\u201d he asked. Evelyn adjusted his tie. \u201cYou look perfect.\u201d Dominic smiled. \u201cGood. I don\u2019t want anything going wrong today.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stumbled backward before either of them could see me. Three months earlier, I\u2019d stood at Dominic\u2019s funeral believing I\u2019d never hear his voice again. Now he was alive. His mother knew. And they had both let me mourn him.<\/p>\n
I turned and ran. I barely made it to the restroom before the tears came. I locked myself inside and cried until I could barely breathe.<\/p>\n
My phone started ringing. It was my assistant. \u201cAudrey? The coordinator\u2019s looking for you. They\u2019re about to start.\u201d I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were swollen. My mascara was ruined. \u201cAudrey? Are you okay?\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cDo you want me to take over?\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about Dominic. Alive. Smiling. Getting ready for a wedding while I\u2019d spent three months grieving him. \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cAre you sure?\u201d I wiped my face and picked up my florist badge. And suddenly, I knew exactly what I was going to do next \u2014 and how I was going to make Dominic regret what he\u2019d done to me\u2026<\/p>\n
Three months after burying my fianc\u00e9, I forced myself to work another wedding. Then I saw his mother slipping away from me, and her reaction made no sense.<\/p>\n
Dominic and I were supposed to get married that summer.<\/p>\n
By spring, almost everything was ready. We\u2019d already booked the venue. I\u2019d chosen my dress. We argued over cake flavors and laughed at how ridiculous we sounded. He wanted chocolate. I wanted lemon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seriously fighting over cake now?\u201d Dominic asked one night, staring at me across our kitchen table. \u201cWe\u2019re not fighting,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m explaining why you\u2019re wrong.\u201d He laughed so hard he nearly spilled his coffee.<\/p>\n
Those were the moments I kept returning to later. Not the big plans. Not the guest list or the flowers. I remembered his laugh, the way he leaned against the counter, and how certain I had been that we had years ahead of us.<\/p>\n
Then, six weeks before our wedding, Dominic died in a car accident.<\/p>\n
There was no warning. No final conversation. No chance to say anything important. One day, I was deciding where to seat his difficult uncle. The next, I was identifying Dominic\u2019s belongings.<\/p>\n
The crash was so bad that we buried him in a closed casket. I remember standing beside his mother, Evelyn, at the funeral, holding her hand while they lowered Dominic into the ground. She squeezed my fingers so hard they hurt. Neither of us said much. There wasn\u2019t anything useful to say.<\/p>\n
People kept coming up to me afterward, quietly. They hugged me, told me Dominic loved me, and promised that time would make things easier. I nodded because I didn\u2019t know what else to do. I thought that was the worst day of my life. Three months later, I learned I was wrong.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a florist. Before Dominic died, weddings had always been my favorite jobs. I loved arriving before the guests, when venues still felt unfinished. I loved watching empty rooms slowly become celebrations. Flowers could change everything. A plain table became romantic with the right centerpiece. A cold ballroom became warm with greenery and candlelight. A nervous bride could relax the second someone placed a bouquet in her hands.<\/p>\n
After Dominic died, I couldn\u2019t even look at a bridal bouquet without thinking about the one I\u2019d chosen for myself. I stopped accepting weddings. For weeks, I handled birthdays, corporate events, and sympathy arrangements instead. Anything but weddings. Even hearing someone say the word \u201cfianc\u00e9\u201d could make my stomach tighten.<\/p>\n
But eventually, I had bills to pay. Grief did not stop rent from being due. It didn\u2019t pay suppliers or keep my shop running. So three months after his funeral, I finally agreed to start taking wedding jobs again. I told myself work might help.<\/p>\n
That morning, another florist I sometimes worked with called in sick and asked if I could cover a wedding for her. She sounded miserable. \u201cI know it\u2019s last minute,\u201d she said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t ask unless I really needed you.\u201d I looked around my shop. Buckets of roses sat near the cooler. My assistant was already organizing deliveries. Every part of me wanted to say no. \u201cI\u2019ll do it,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
A few hours later, I was arranging flowers at a reception venue I\u2019d never worked at before when I saw a familiar woman near the entrance. Evelyn. For a second, I thought grief was playing another trick on me. Then she turned slightly. It was definitely her. I almost called out to her. Then she saw me. Her expression shifted from neither sadness nor surprise into something resembling fear. She immediately turned away and disappeared down a side hallway.<\/p>\n
That was strange. Evelyn and I hadn\u2019t spoken much since Dominic died, but why would she hide from me? I followed her. \u201cEvelyn?\u201d She stopped. For a second, she just stared at me. \u201cAudrey?\u201d \u201cWhat exactly are you doing here right now?\u201d She looked nervous. \u201cI could ask you the same thing.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m working. I\u2019m the florist.\u201d \u201cHere?\u201d \u201cYes. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n
Before she could answer, a wedding coordinator hurried toward us. \u201cMs. Evelyn, we\u2019ve been looking everywhere for you. The groom needs his mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at Evelyn. For a moment, that seemed to explain everything. Dominic had an older brother, Nathan. Of course. This must be his wedding. Nathan and I had always gotten along well. He had been quieter than Dominic, but he was kind to me. At holidays, he was usually the person helping me carry dishes into the kitchen while everyone else argued over football. I won\u2019t lie \u2014 it hurt a little that he hadn\u2019t invited me. But after Dominic\u2019s death, I\u2019d barely spoken to his family. Maybe they thought a wedding would be too painful for me. Maybe Nathan had decided that seeing him stand at an altar would remind me too much of everything I\u2019d lost. I tried not to take it personally.<\/p>\n
Then I noticed the corsage on her wrist. I\u2019d made it myself that morning. It was for the groom\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n
Evelyn glanced at me, then quickly followed the coordinator away. I watched her leave. Something still felt wrong. I told myself that explained her strange behavior. Maybe she\u2019d simply felt awkward seeing me here. Maybe she thought I would be upset. Maybe she felt guilty that Nathan was getting married only three months after Dominic\u2019s funeral.<\/p>\n
I forced myself back to work. There were arrangements to finish. Candles had to be placed. The ceremony flowers needed one final check.<\/p>\n
A few minutes later, I spotted her near the groom\u2019s room. This time, I almost walked away. Of course she was there. Her son was getting married. Still, something about the way she moved bothered me. She looked around before slipping inside.<\/p>\n
Then I heard Evelyn\u2019s voice. \u201cYou need to hurry. The ceremony starts in 20 minutes.\u201d A man answered. I stopped. That wasn\u2019t Nathan\u2019s voice. Something about it made my whole body go cold. I had heard that voice half asleep in the morning. I had heard it whisper beside me in movie theaters. I had heard it arguing about cake. But that was impossible.<\/p>\n
I moved closer to the door. Through the narrow opening, I could see Evelyn. Then the man stepped into view. My hand flew to my mouth.<\/p>\n
Dominic. Alive. And he was wearing the same suit he\u2019d bought for our wedding.<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t move. For one terrible second, my mind rejected what my eyes were showing me. \u201cDoes everything look okay?\u201d he asked. Evelyn adjusted his tie. \u201cYou look perfect.\u201d Dominic smiled. \u201cGood. I don\u2019t want anything going wrong today.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stumbled backward before either of them could see me. My heart was pounding so hard that I could hear it. Three months earlier, I\u2019d stood at Dominic\u2019s funeral believing I\u2019d never hear his voice again. Now he was alive. His mother knew. And they had both let me mourn him.<\/p>\n
I turned and ran. I barely made it to the restroom before the tears came. I locked myself inside and cried until I could barely breathe. My phone started ringing. It was my assistant. \u201cAudrey? The coordinator\u2019s looking for you. They\u2019re about to start.\u201d I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were swollen. My mascara was ruined. \u201cAudrey? Are you okay?\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cDo you want me to take over?\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about Dominic. Alive. Smiling. Getting ready for a wedding while I\u2019d spent three months grieving him. \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cAre you sure?\u201d I wiped my face and picked up my florist badge. And suddenly, I knew exactly what I was going to do next \u2014 and how I was going to make Dominic regret what he\u2019d done to me.<\/p>\n
I stood in front of the mirror for another few seconds. My hands were still shaking. Part of me wanted to leave. Another part wanted to find Dominic and demand an explanation. But somehow, neither option felt remotely possible anymore.<\/p>\n
He had watched me bury him. His mother had held my hand while I cried. Someone had arranged a funeral. Someone had put a coffin in the ground. People had brought food to my apartment and sat beside me while I stared at walls. Dominic had let all of that happen. Now he was 20 minutes away from marrying someone else.<\/p>\n
I washed the mascara from under my eyes and walked out of the restroom. My assistant, Hannah, found me near the service hallway. She frowned when she saw my face. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d \u201cI need you to do something for me.\u201d \u201cAnything.\u201d \u201cStay with the flowers. Don\u2019t let anyone move the arrangements.\u201d She studied me. \u201cAudrey, you\u2019re scaring me.\u201d \u201cI know.\u201d \u201cShould I call someone to come help us?\u201d \u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked toward the ceremony space. Guests were already taking their seats. I recognized almost no one. That hurt more than I expected. Dominic had built an entire life around whatever he had done, and somehow I had been removed from it completely.<\/p>\n
Then I saw Nathan. He was standing near the back row. For a moment, relief washed all over me. Nathan could explain this. I crossed the room quickly. \u201cNathan.\u201d He turned. The color drained from his face. That was all the answer I needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d His eyes shifted toward the hallway. \u201cAudrey, please. This isn\u2019t the place to do\u2026\u201d \u201cYou knew he was alive.\u201d \u201cKeep your voice down.\u201d I laughed once. It sounded ugly. \u201cI stood beside your family at his funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan rubbed his forehead. \u201cPlease. Let me explain after the ceremony.\u201d \u201cThe ceremony?\u201d He lowered his voice until it was barely audible. \u201cIt\u2019s complicated.\u201d \u201cNo. Complicated is changing a wedding date. Complicated is finding out your fianc\u00e9 cheated on you. This is something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few guests looked over. Nathan stepped closer. \u201cDominic was going to tell you.\u201d \u201cWhen?\u201d He didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
I felt something inside me settle. The grief was still there, but another feeling had moved beside it. Clarity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s the bride?\u201d Nathan looked away. \u201cHer name is Gwen.\u201d \u201cHow long?\u201d \u201cAudrey.\u201d \u201cHow long has she been with him?\u201d His silence lasted too long. \u201cBefore the accident,\u201d he finally confessed in a low voice.<\/p>\n
A wave of nausea hit me. I nodded slowly. \u201cSo there was no accident.\u201d \u201cThere was an accident.\u201d \u201cWhat?\u201d Nathan exhaled. \u201cDominic was in the car, but he survived. Someone else didn\u2019t.\u201d I stared at him. \u201cHe took advantage of the accident to disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan\u2019s expression tightened. \u201cHe panicked.\u201d \u201cHe faked his death.\u201d \u201cHe thought it was the only way to get out.\u201d \u201cOut of marrying me?\u201d Nathan looked ashamed. \u201cOut of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped back. For months, I had imagined Dominic\u2019s final moments. I wondered whether he had been afraid. I wondered whether he had thought about me. Instead, he had survived and decided that death was easier than honesty.<\/p>\n
I heard music begin inside the ceremony space. Nathan grabbed my arm. \u201cAudrey, please don\u2019t do anything.\u201d I pulled away. \u201cDon\u2019t touch me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Evelyn appeared. She looked from Nathan to me and closed her eyes. \u201cYou told her.\u201d \u201cHe didn\u2019t have to,\u201d I replied. \u201cAudrey, please.\u201d \u201cYou held my hand.\u201d Her face crumpled. \u201cI know.\u201d \u201cYou watched me cry over your son.\u201d \u201cI know.\u201d \u201cYou let me stand in front of that coffin.\u201d Tears filled her eyes. \u201cI thought I was protecting him.\u201d \u201cFrom what?\u201d She looked toward the groom\u2019s room. \u201cFrom ruining his life.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt my throat tighten. \u201cSo you ruined mine instead?\u201d She had no answer.<\/p>\n
As the ceremony music changed, I finally saw the bride. Gwen stood near the entrance with an older man beside her. She looked nervous and happy. She also looked completely unaware.<\/p>\n
That changed everything. I had imagined storming into the ceremony and humiliating Dominic. But Gwen wasn\u2019t my enemy. If she knew the truth, that was one thing. If she didn\u2019t, she was about to marry the same liar I had almost married.<\/p>\n
I slowly made my way toward her then. Evelyn followed me. \u201cAudrey, don\u2019t.\u201d Gwen looked up. \u201cCan I help you?\u201d \u201cI\u2019m the florist.\u201d She smiled faintly. \u201cThe flowers are beautiful.\u201d \u201cThank you.\u201d \u201cBefore you walk down that aisle, there\u2019s something you need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her smile disappeared. Evelyn whispered my name. I ignored her. Gwen glanced between us. \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
I told her. Not loudly. Not dramatically. I told her Dominic had been engaged to me three months earlier. I told her about the accident. I told her about the closed casket. I told her that I had attended his funeral.<\/p>\n
Gwen stared at me. \u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d \u201cI wish it were.\u201d She looked at Evelyn. \u201cIs she lying?\u201d Evelyn said nothing, and Gwen\u2019s face immediately changed. \u201cMs. Evelyn?\u201d Still nothing.<\/p>\n
Then Dominic appeared at the far end of the hallway. He stopped when he saw me. For the first time that day, he looked terrified. \u201cAudrey.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward him. \u201cYou finally remembered my name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gwen stepped forward. \u201cPlease tell me she\u2019s lying.\u201d Dominic looked at his mother. Then Nathan. Nobody helped him.<\/p>\n
\u201cGwen, I can explain.\u201d She slapped him. The sound echoed through the hallway. Guests began standing inside the ceremony room. Dominic touched his cheek. \u201cGwen.\u201d \u201cYou told me that she knew about everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze. Dominic looked at her sharply. Gwen started crying. \u201cYou said Audrey knew you wanted out. You said the funeral was some legal mess your family couldn\u2019t stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him. He had lied to her too. Different lie. Same cowardice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know anything,\u201d I told her. Gwen covered her mouth. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Audrey.\u201d \u201cSo am I.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dominic stepped toward me. \u201cAudrey, please listen.\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cI never wanted to hurt you.\u201d That almost made me laugh. \u201cYou let me bury you.\u201d His face twisted. \u201cI just didn\u2019t know how to end things.\u201d \u201cSo you died?\u201d He had nothing to say.<\/p>\n
I removed my florist badge and looked at him. \u201cYou were right about one thing.\u201d He frowned. \u201cWhat?\u201d \u201cSomething went wrong today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then I walked away. I neither destroyed the flowers nor made a speech because neither mattered. Gwen left through the front doors with her father. Guests began whispering. Nathan disappeared into the ceremony room to explain whatever he could. Evelyn sat down against the hallway wall and cried. Dominic stood alone in the suit he\u2019d bought for our wedding.<\/p>\n
For months, I had believed losing him was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. Walking out of that venue, I finally understood something. I hadn\u2019t lost the man I was supposed to marry. I had discovered who he really was before I married him.<\/p>\n
There was a difference. And for the first time since the funeral, I didn\u2019t feel like a grieving fianc\u00e9e. I felt like Audrey again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PART 1 Dominic and I were supposed to get married that summer. We\u2019d already booked the venue. I\u2019d chosen my dress. We\u2019d argued over the cake flavor and laughed about … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","category-inspiration","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=52145"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52147,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52145\/revisions\/52147"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=52145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=52145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=52145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}