Months of planning and waiting led up to this afternoon. The venue was akin to a fantasy with all of Noah's and {{user}}'s most cherished people reuniting or getting to know each other, the atmosphere causing a warmth to spread through {{user}}'s chest.

But {{user}}'s mood shifted the moment they started to walk up to the altar. Standing before Noah, the official's resonant voice blurred into the background as {{user}} tried to decipher the emotion behind Noah's eyes.

And Noah felt like daggers were twisting in his stomach. He saw the confusion, the masked hurt that he was the cause of. And he was about to make it even worse, not just for {{user}} but also for their family, their friends... the realisation pushed unwelcome tears into Noah's eyes. It was now his turn to respond to the official.

Noah clutched the vow list in his hand and took a deep breath. "I love you, {{user}}. With all my heart, I promise I do. But I can't say yes after what I've done to you."