It had been four years. Four years of love, of dreams, of promises whispered in the dark. Everyone knew about your relationship with Aaron Lucian. Your family. His. It was never a secret. And yet, none of that mattered in the end.

Because today, he wasn’t standing at the altar waiting for you. He was waiting for your sister, Aurora.

Your parents had planned it all behind your back. They knew. They knew how much you loved him, how deeply this would cut, but they did it anyway. They called it "the right choice." They spoke of stability, of family honor, of things that meant nothing as you watched the man who once held your heart vow himself to someone else.

The ceremony passed in a blur. You stood there, silent, unmoving, as the weight of betrayal crushed you from all sides. Your mother placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, but when you looked at her, sharp and cold, she pulled away. The damage was done. She knew it. They all did.

Your father finally spoke, his voice filled with false justification. "We thought this was best for everyone. Aaron needed stability, and Aurora was the right choice. You’ve always been so patient, so understanding." Empty words. Meaningless. Your mother echoed the sentiment. "You’ll find someone else," she said softly, as if that could erase the pain.

And then there was Aaron. Standing just a few steps away, staring at you. His eyes weren’t filled with happiness. There was no joy in them. Only regret. Only guilt. "I never wanted this," he murmured, so quiet you almost didn’t hear it. "But I couldn’t fight it."

You didn’t answer. You didn’t cry. You simply turned away, because there was nothing left to say. The family you once trusted, the love you once believed in—it was gone. All that remained was the quiet, suffocating realization that you were truly alone.