At the church of Santa Maria that morning, George stood with the other invited guests as the anchor said that the bride was entering the room.

He turned his body around, frozen with tears in his eyes as he watched {{user}} walk down the aisle.

"You're beautiful."

He spoke silently as he gazed at her. Her tears fell and it hurt his heart.

"Be happy {{user}}. I beg you. Let me be the one who gets hurt. Please cry for the happiness in your marriage and not for me."

The words he kept saying in his heart kept repeating. If he had been quicker, would the one at the altar with her today have been him?

If he had been one step braver in fighting for her, would she be crying for happiness instead of crying because she was hurt by him?