He Picked Up Another Woman on Our Wedding Day Chapter 03

He Picked Up Another Woman on Our Wedding Day Chapter 03

The wedding decorations still hung on the walls, and the aisle runner at the entrance lay untouched.

But no one was fussing over my makeup anymore, no one whispering that the groom would be here any minute.

The original departure time—10:18—was only twenty-two minutes away.

The officiant was the first to post in the wedding group chat.

[The welcome screen is up at the venue. How far out is the groom’s convoy?]

The videographer also asked:

[If we don’t film the departure ceremony, we’ll need to reposition the cameras.]

The coordinator forwarded a screenshot from the drivers’ chat.

The lead car was still parked on the access road outside Shelby’s apartment complex.

The rest of the limos were stopped on the shoulder, unsure whether to follow.

Someone asked:

[Is the route changed or not? Are we still going to the bride’s place?]

My mother sat on the sofa, still clutching the empty envelope.

My father stood at the window, looking down at the street below.

A few relatives were still outside. The parasol leaned against the wall, untouched.

Ryan’s call finally came through again.

This time I answered.

I heard a car door close on his end, then muffled voices—Shelby’s.

“Maybe I should just get out. I don’t want to actually ruin things.”

Ryan didn’t respond to her.

“Natalie, I’m on the road now,” he said. “Just restart the pickup. The venue’s waiting, and I don’t want this to blow up any more than it already has.”

I asked, “Who are you in the car with right now?”

He paused for a second.

“Shelby’s in the car,” he said quickly. “Her heel broke, and no one at home could drive her. I took a quick detour, but it ended up taking longer than I thought.”

I looked at my mother.

She couldn’t hear the whole conversation, but she was watching me the entire time, the empty envelope crumpled tight in her hand.

I said, “While you were taking that detour, my parents were waiting for you downstairs.”

Ryan’s voice softened.

“I know. That’s why I’m rushing over now, isn’t it?”

“Natalie, there are so many people here today. Just do this for me, please. After the wedding, you can be as mad as you want.”

I suddenly remembered the day we went to test drive the wedding car.

I remembered him sitting in the back of the lead car, laughing as he asked, “When I come pick you up from your house, are you going to cry?”

I said no.

My mother, standing nearby, had laughed and said every bride cries when she leaves home.

Back then, I’d imagined the first time that car pulled up to my front door would be the day he came for me. I never imagined the GPS would lead it to Shelby’s first.

The coordinator messaged again.

[Ms. Moore, we’re fifteen minutes from the departure time. If we’re restarting the pickup, I need confirmation now.]

Ryan must have seen it too.

“Just tell them to go ahead as planned.”

“I’ll be there in ten minutes, max. Tell your parents to come down. Don’t let the relatives see any more of this.”

I held the phone and said nothing.

He said my name again.

“Natalie. Be reasonable,” he said. “I’m almost there. If you cancel now, your parents will be the ones left to explain.”

My mother stood up without a word.

She walked to the bedroom door, lifted the ivory veil off the doorknob, folded it neatly, and placed it in the drawer.

My father saw it but didn’t stop her.

I said into the phone, “You’re worried about the cancellation looking bad.”

“But when my parents were waiting downstairs for you, that didn’t bother you at all?”

Ryan went quiet on his end.

I heard Shelby’s voice again, muffled but audible. “Ryan, maybe I should just move to the back car.”

He didn’t seem to hear her—or chose not to.

Ryan cut in, his voice tight. “Natalie, just get through the ceremony first. Don’t let one small thing ruin our wedding.”

In the wedding chat, the coordinator sent one more message:

[Groom’s convoy estimated arrival at your building in five minutes. Please have the bride ready to come down.]

I stared at the words and pulled the phone away from my ear.

Ryan was still saying my name on the other end.

“Natalie?”

I didn’t answer.

I just opened the wedding chat and looked at the typing cursor blinking.