I Saw My Tragic Future Through A Random Wedding Forum Poll Chapter 03

I Saw My Tragic Future Through A Random Wedding Forum Poll Chapter 03

By the time they dragged me to the rehearsal, I barely recognized the ballroom.

The champagne linens I had chosen were gone, replaced with blush pink. The jazz trio I had booked had been swapped out for a harpist, and the clean, minimalist ceremony arch was now buried under bows and feathers.

Every single change screamed Maribel.

Before I could say a word, a soft voice floated in from behind me.

“Carys!”

Maribel hurried over and looped an arm through Mom’s. Her eyes were already slightly red.

“Can I… try on your dress?”

She bit her lip and lowered her voice.

“Just for a minute. I only want to know what it feels like to be a bride. You know Keaton and I never got to…”

Her voice broke before she could finish.

Tears spilled down her cheeks.

Mom immediately wrapped an arm around her.

“Carys, let her try it on. She never got any closure after losing Keaton.”

Dad looked at me too. “It might actually help her.”

Darcy dabbed at Maribel’s tears with a tissue, then glanced at me.

“Come on, Carys. It’s not even the real ceremony.”

Before I could say anything, they were already ushering Maribel toward the bridal suite.

A few minutes later, she stepped out wearing my wedding gown.

It fit perfectly.

Like it had been made for her.

Because, of course, it practically had.

Maribel touched the skirt, then looked at me hesitantly.

“Um… could I wear the ring too?”

She paused.

“And maybe hold the bouquet? And read the vows? Just once. I want to know what the whole thing feels like.”

Mom immediately took the bouquet straight out of my hands.

“Carys, it’s rehearsal. Let her borrow it. Don’t make this a thing.”

Just rehearsal.

Funny.

They weren’t even going to let me have my own rehearsal.

Dad picked up the ring box.

“Everyone’s having a nice day. Don’t ruin it.”

Darcy snatched the printed vows from my hand.

“They’re just pages. We can print another copy.”

I looked at Bastian.

He was standing behind Maribel, carefully adjusting her veil.

“Just let her have everything,” he said.

“You’ll get it all back on the wedding day.”

I stood off to the side and watched Maribel hold my bouquet, wear my ring, and read the vows I had written.

Everyone gathered around her, smiling.

I didn’t argue.

I simply turned and walked out of the ballroom.

Then I opened my messages and tapped Cillian’s name.

Carys: [Save me the bride spot.]

Later, while Bastian was out, I went to the condo we were supposed to move into after the wedding.

It was a roughly 1,700-square-foot river-view unit in Glasswater District, one of the best neighborhoods in Harrowmere.

I was there to collect my things.

But before I could enter the code, I realized the door was already unlocked.

Voices drifted out from the living room.

“Great light from both sides, never lived in, and all the furniture is brand-new. They’re willing to include everything.”

Darcy.

I stopped cold.

Then I pushed the door open.

Several people were standing inside.

Darcy was showing the condo to a couple I had never seen before. Mom and Dad were sitting on the couch.

Bastian leaned against the balcony door, while Maribel sat beside him with an iced caramel latte in her hands.

Everyone was here.

Everyone except the person who was supposed to live here.

Darcy spotted me first.

Her expression flickered.

“Carys? What are you doing here?”

I stared at her.

“Are you selling my condo?”

Every head in the room turned toward me.

Panic flashed across Mom’s face, but she recovered almost immediately.

“Actually, this is good timing. We were going to talk to you about it.”

She spoke as casually as if she were discussing weekend plans.

“This place is way too big for just you and Bastian. It doesn’t make sense to keep it.”

“So we thought we’d sell it, buy Maribel a smaller condo, and use whatever’s left to help her get settled. Maybe pull a few strings and help her find a stable job.”

She made it sound perfectly reasonable.

Maribel lowered her eyes, biting her lip like she could barely live with the guilt.

“Maybe we shouldn’t.”

She glanced at me.

“I can save up on my own. This was supposed to be Carys’s home, and she already put a fortune into the renovation.”

Her lashes trembled.

“I know I don’t have much anymore, but I can still take care of myself.”

Mom immediately patted her hand.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Carys has always been independent. She’ll be fine anywhere.”

Her voice softened.

“You’ve needed extra care since you were little. How are we supposed to feel comfortable unless you have a decent place of your own?”

Dad sighed and turned to me.

“You and Bastian can stay at the Crowe place for now.”

“Your sister lost her fiancé and doesn’t even have a steady job. Of course helping her comes first.”

A laugh escaped me.

I had paid for the renovations in this condo.

I had overseen every detail myself.

I had spent entire weekends going from one furniture showroom to another, choosing every table, chair, and lamp.

I had even come over in the mornings to water the plants on the balcony.

This was supposed to be my home.

And now they were selling it to buy Maribel a condo and set up the next chapter of her life.

They hadn’t even bothered to tell me.