So I gently took Nora's hand. My voice was barely a whisper, but steady as stone.
"Nora, I trust him."
Nora drew another deep breath. Finally, she tied the last ribbon into a perfect bow.
Against the glow of the morning sun, I heard her mutter through gritted teeth.
"Jesse Swanson better act like a man this time and protect you."
"If he dares let you down, he'd better pray I never catch another Swanson in my crosshairs."
By the time the clock struck twelve, I had wrinkled the lace hem of my wedding dress beyond recognition.
There was an unspoken rule for weddings in Harbor City: anything past noon was bad luck.
A family like the Swansons, with all their obsession over tradition and propriety, would never allow such a blunder.
My texts went unanswered. My calls rang out.
A bad feeling settled in my gut.
Nora handed me a glass of water, worry etched across her face.
At first, she had been ranting about how unreliable Jesse was. Then she had gone quiet.
Now, somehow, she was the one making excuses for him.
"Addie, don't overthink this. Jesse might be a lot of things, but even he wouldn't joke around with something as serious as a wedding. He'll come."
I tightened my grip on the glass and turned my gaze toward Shoreline Bay in the distance.
Sunlight spilled across the sand. A couple stood by the water's edge, posing for wedding photos, their smiles wide and radiant.
Five years with Jesse, and we had been just like that. No fights, no arguments. Only each other.
The thought steadied me. I nodded at Nora. "You don't need to comfort me. Maybe something happened on the way. Let's just wait a little longer."
But that little longer stretched all the way until dark.
When my phone finally rang, I caught the familiar name on the screen, and the dull ache in my chest cracked open into light.
I pressed answer before the second ring. "Jesse, did something happen? Is that why you didn't come? It's okay, I—"
He cut me off.
His voice was low and hoarse, and it shattered the last sliver of hope I had left.
"I'm sorry, Addie. I tried. I fought for us. But my mother... she still can't accept your background. She won't allow an actress into the Swanson family."
"Let's break up. That's it."
He didn't even wait for my answer. The line went dead.
A beat of silence.
Then Nora erupted. She ripped the corsage off her bridesmaid dress and hurled it to the floor. "Jesse Swanson, that spineless piece of garbage! I am not done with him!"
She was already dialing. I didn't know who she called, but her voice came out like a blade. "Listen up. You've got five minutes. Find out where Jesse Swanson is right now. Don't give me excuses. Yes or no."
The moment she hung up, she tossed her phone aside and pulled me into her arms, her face crumpling with heartbreak. "Addie, stop crying. A man like that isn't worth a single tear. Trust me. I'm going to make him pay."
I was... crying?
I touched my cheek. Only then did I realize that cold tears had been streaming down my face all along.
A sharp ache seized my heart, and the pain that had been slow to arrive now flooded through every limb, every nerve, until I could barely breathe.
Because of the gap between our worlds, I had imagined a hundred different ways Jesse and I might end. But not once, not in any version, had I pictured standing in my wedding dress while he threw me away like I was nothing.
Some time later, Nora's phone buzzed with a message.
"Son of a— He's out at a club right now? He actually has the nerve to be chasing women tonight?" She was shaking with fury. "I'll ruin him before sunrise!"
"Addie, there are too many paparazzi outside. Stay in and keep a low profile for a while." She grabbed her bag and headed for the door. "Don't worry. I'm settling this score tonight."
