Max’s Last Moment.

Everything was perfect. The venue was bathed in golden light, the floral arrangements were flawless, and the guests were all smiling, chatting, and sipping champagne.

It was exactly how it should be. The kind of wedding people dream about. The kind of wedding Sofia had spent months obsessing over. She had planned every detail, even the little candy bags to keep the guests entertained if they got hungry during the ceremony.

But, as much as my bride had planned her dream wedding, I had planned every detail of my moment too.

I stood at the front, hands clasped, controlling my breath. The music began, signaling for the bridesmaids to prepare. I glanced around, absorbing the expectant faces of our guests, the carefully planned decorations, and the soft glow of the candles. It was the perfect romantic wedding scene.

Everything seemed just as it should be.

And yet, I wasn’t nervous. Not at all. Not anymore.

72 Hours Earlier

I don’t remember sitting down.

In one moment, I was standing, staring out the window of my apartment, watching the city skyline. In the next, I was on the sofa, my head in my hands, trying to breathe.

Elena was sitting across from me, silent, waiting. Her words echoed in my head. Again and again, like a song I couldn’t turn off. “I saw her, Max. With him. I wasn’t looking for it, I swear! But I saw them.”

“And you’re sure? Elena, I need you to be sure,” I said, my voice sounding weak, strange to my own ears.

“Max, I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t sure,” she replied.

The air in the room felt tight. My apartment, once filled with wedding gifts, guest lists, and excitement, now felt like a prison cell. I wanted to run, to escape this conversation.

How could Sofia betray me?

“Tell me everything,” I urged.

Elena hesitated for a moment before straightening up, locking eyes with me with an expression of sympathy.

“I was at that new vegan café, you know the one,” she began. “I was grabbing a coffee when I saw Sofia sitting at a table in the corner.”

She paused.

“She wasn’t alone, Max.”

“Who?” I asked, my voice tight.

“I don’t know his name, but he looked familiar. Maybe one of her friends. I know I’ve seen him before. But I saw the way he looked at her, Max. And the way she looked at him.”

“That doesn’t mean much, Elena,” I muttered.

“Sofia touched his face, whispered something to him, and then she leaned in first, Max. And then they kissed.”

For a brief, pathetic second, I almost convinced myself it was a misunderstanding. A mistake. But Sofia wasn’t careless. She was calculating.

She wouldn’t have let a man kiss her in public unless she knew she wouldn’t be caught. Unless she thought she had all the power, and no one who knew us would ever suspect her.

“Max, I know this hurts,” Elena said gently. “But I took a photo. I knew you’d need proof.”

“Show me,” I said, my heart shattering as I looked at the photo on Elena’s phone.

I blinked, staring at my hands. They seemed different. Disconnected from me.

“She told me she loved me,” I whispered. “Our wedding is in 72 hours, Elena. What do I do now? Cancel the wedding?”

“No way!” Elena replied sharply. “Teach her a lesson!”

I lifted my head, and for the first time since the conversation began, I looked at Elena with clear, firm eyes, filled with anger.

“She’s not getting away with this.”

Elena wasn’t surprised.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

A coldness settled in my chest. I stood and walked over to the window, clarity flooding my mind. I adjusted my tie as if I had already made my decision.

“I’ll let her have her big day,” I said. “But not the way she planned.”

A slow smile curled at the corners of Elena’s lips.

“Tell me what you need, brother,” she said. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

The Wedding Day

The music grew louder, signaling the first bridesmaid.

As they appeared, one by one, a wave of discomfort spread through the crowd. The room, once alive with quiet chatter, suddenly changed.

The bridesmaids were dressed in black, as if they were in mourning. Some had been convinced, but once they saw the evidence Elena and I had provided, none of them wanted to support a liar.

They weren’t wearing the soft sky-blue Sofia had wanted. Not the carefully chosen pastel shades that matched the invitations and floral centerpieces.

No.

They were dressed in black.

One by one, they walked forward, their faces unreadable. The dark dresses starkly contrasted with the delicate white petals scattered along the aisle.

That’s when the whispers began. Both Sofia and I came from traditional families, so the bridesmaids dressed in black was a huge deal. Heads turned—some looked at each other with confused frowns.

“This is so bad, Max!” I almost heard my mom scream.

“Oh, it’s a bad omen,” I imagined my grandmother saying.

I kept my gaze steady, watching as my sister, Elena, took her place in front. She met my eyes, and so subtly that no one else would notice, she winked.

I exhaled slowly.

Yes.

It was exactly as I planned.

Then, the doors at the back of the aisle opened.

Sofia stepped forward, glowing. I admit, she was absolutely stunning. A vision in white.

She took a step into the room and froze.

For a moment, she didn’t understand. Her smile stayed on her lips as she scanned the crowd, expecting to see joy, emotion, and the warmth of celebration.

Instead, she saw the black dresses.

And her expression faltered.

Her eyes darted from one bridesmaid to another, taking in the dark silhouettes, the tense energy, and the murmurs spreading among the guests.

The color drained from her face.

Her lips parted slightly as if to ask a question, but no words came out. Her hand gripped the bouquet tighter. She knew something was wrong.

Hesitation crept into her movements as she continued down the aisle. The usual confidence in her step was gone. Every step down the aisle seemed uncertain.

When she reached me, her hands trembling slightly, she took mine.

Her fingers were cold.

“What’s going on, Max? Why did they change their dresses? What the hell? You ruined the whole aesthetic!” she demanded.

I smiled at her. But there was no warmth in it. I no longer had any affection for this woman.

“Wait. You mean, you don’t know?” I asked, my voice just loud enough to carry.

A hush fell over the room.

Sofia’s eyes swept over the room, from me to the bridesmaids, to my sister standing with them.

I turned slightly, pointing to the row of women dressed in mourning.

“This isn’t a wedding, Sofia,” I said, my voice calm.

Too calm. And I was calm. I had days to control my feelings.

“It’s a funeral,” I smiled.

There was a collective gasp from the other side of the aisle. Our guests looked horrified. My mother looked like she was about to faint.

Sofia’s fingers tightened around mine, a desperate grip.

“What are you talking about?” she choked.

I let out a small, humorless laugh.

“We’re here to bury what’s left of our love. Or, more precisely,” I said, watching as her nervousness began to show, “what you killed.”

The silence was suffocating. Then, a murmur. Someone in the second row covered their mouth with their hand.

Another person turned to the person sitting next to them, whispering urgently.

Sofia’s face turned red.

The panic in her eyes shifted to something else. Anger.

And then, finally, realization hit her.

She ripped her hands from mine and spun—her fury finding a new target.

“Did you tell him?!” she snapped, her voice cutting through the air.

Sofia was looking directly at her bridesmaids now.

No. She was accusing them.

Her face twisted in rage.

“How could you do this?! You’re my closest people! My best friends! This is none of your business. What the hell?”

“We didn’t want to believe Elena at first,” said Maddie, Sofia’s best friend. “But once she showed us the proof… we all knew Max deserved better.”

Elena stepped forward. I knew that look on my sister’s face. She was struggling to keep control. But when she spoke, her voice was firm, cold, and final.

“Sofia, it became our business the moment we found out what kind of person you really are.”

She raised her chin slightly.

“It became our business the moment we found out who my brother was about to spend his life with.”

Sofia clenched her fists.

“You had no right!” she shouted, her voice rising in hysteria.

I tilted my head.

“No, right? Seriously? Knowing the truth about the woman I was about to marry?”

She turned to me, her desperation now turning to rage.

“I can explain… Max!”

I shook my head. I couldn’t stand hearing her explanation. Or the lack of one. On one hand, I wanted to know everything. On the other, I just wanted Sofia to get out of my…