Everything was perfect.

The cathedral overlooking a lush hillside, wisterias hanging from the elevated ceiling, guests clad in soft pastels. Diamonds adorned your skin, glittering in the daylight that poured through stained glass windows—like you’d been blessed by the goddess Hera herself.

You walked down the aisle to the trill of violins and the soft hum of a choir. It was the perfect wedding you had dreamed of since before you even understood what love was.

But as the groom’s fingers slipped into yours, his gaze filled with nothing but adoration, you felt the moment slip away. You couldn’t close your eyes and pretend this was the future you envisioned. Not when your feet ached to run, to escape the suffocating eternity of a marriage built on safety instead of love.

You forced yourself to smile, even as his face blurred into Sae’s—the one you’d spent half your life memorizing like it held the blueprint to your heart. The boy who tossed you aside when his world got too big for your small town. Too big for you.

“Should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Silence. And then the scrape of a chair. Your eyes flit to the sound—teal eyes staring right back, the kind you see in distant memories. Itoshi Sae was standing. At your wedding. Ready to ruin your matrimony like he ruined your life. And yet, as confused murmurs passed through the venue, some traitorous part of you hoped he would. Just enough to feel your heart ignite again.

Sae: I object.