I was minutes away from marrying the man I loved when my father suddenly froze beside me. One terrified look from him shattered everything I thought I knew.
I always thought I'd cry from happiness on my wedding day. More than anything, I wanted my father, Daniel, to walk me down the aisle. He'd raised me on his own and never complained. My mother disappeared from our lives when I was very little.
He braided my hair before school, worked night shifts, and sat beside my bed when I was sick. My dad always told me, "Your life will be better than mine. I'll do everything to make sure of it."
He'd raised me on his own.
My fiancé, Julian, had only seen my dad a few times on video calls while we lived in Europe for three years. The connection always froze, and somehow, they never really saw each other clearly.
When we returned home for the wedding, Dad came down with a fever and missed the rehearsal dinner.
"I'll see him tomorrow, when I walk you down the aisle to him," he told me over the phone. "That's the proper way."
But I never anticipated what would happen that day.
The connection always froze.
***
The following morning, I stood beside my dad at the church entrance, trying not to cry before the ceremony had even started. I could hear the rustle of my dress and feel my dad's uneven breathing.
The doors opened.
Music filled the church. White roses lined the aisle.
Julian stood at the altar, tall and calm in a black suit. He smiled the moment he saw me.
Then my dad suddenly stopped walking.
I could hear the rustle.
His grip tightened painfully around my arm, fingers digging in.
He took a step back, and I barely managed to hold him up.
"Dad?" I whispered. "What's wrong?"
The music faded. Even the candles seemed to burn lower.
My dad stared at Julian as if he'd seen a ghost.
"No..." he breathed. "No, this can't be."
The smile vanished from Julian's face.
I barely managed to hold him up.
My fiancé rushed toward us, clearly concerned.
But when he stopped in front of us, Dad raised a shaking hand toward him.
"How can it be you?!" he shouted. "I was sure you disappeared 30 years ago!"
I felt the floor vanish beneath me as the music faltered awkwardly.
Guests immediately started whispering.
I looked between them in confusion. "Do you know each other?"
Dad whispered a name I'd never heard before.
"Adrian..."
"How can it be you?!"
Julian looked directly at me.
"It's too late to change anything," he said quietly. "Now you can finally learn the truth about why I'm marrying you."
My stomach dropped.
My maid of honor, Elise, hurried toward us while the priest awkwardly tried to calm the guests.
"Dad," I whispered desperately, "what is happening?"
But he wasn't listening to me anymore.
"It's too late to change anything."
He kept staring at Julian in disbelief.
"You're Leonard's son," he said hoarsely before giving his last name, which happened to be the same as my fiancé's.
Julian gave a slow nod.
The church exploded with whispers.
Elise quickly stepped between us. "Everyone, please stay seated. We just need a few minutes."
I grabbed my dad's hand and practically pulled him into a small office beside the lobby. Julian followed behind us while Elise stood guard outside.
He kept staring at Julian in disbelief.
The second the door closed, I turned toward my fiancé.
"Start talking!"
"My real name is Adrian Julian, and you already know my last name. I started using my middle name years ago."
"You lied to me?"
"Not about loving you."
Dad let out a bitter laugh.
"You had no right coming near her."
"We just need a few minutes."
Julian ignored him and looked at me instead.
"My family knew your father years ago."
"Dad?" I asked shakily.
He sat heavily in a chair and rubbed his face.
"Before you were born, I was engaged to a woman named Claire, my first love."
I frowned.
