He Designed A Dream Dress For Her, He Never Designed One For Me Chapter 03

He Designed A Dream Dress For Her, He Never Designed One For Me Chapter 03

Early the next morning, Nathan came to pick me up for the wedding rehearsal.

When I opened the door, he was waiting with a bouquet of lilies of the valley.

He was already dressed in his wedding suit, standing tall and straight.

I got into his car, and we drove to the venue. The entire way there, he kept studying the speech saved on his phone and quietly rehearsing it.

Fine beads of sweat gathered across his forehead from nerves, and I couldn’t help smiling.

It was the first time I had ever seen anyone take my wedding so seriously.

The moment I stepped out of the car, my phone alerted me to a livestream.

I opened it and immediately heard the voice of one of Julian’s childhood friends.

“Good thing Elise flew home early, or we never would’ve figured out how to keep your wedding to Mia a secret from her.”

“That’s hilarious. She actually thinks you were too busy to design her gown, but Julian never planned to marry her in the first place.”

“Call her devoted if you want. I call her clingy as hell—she just won’t take the hint!”

“Seriously. How can she not see that Julian is in love with Mia? She kept pressuring him to marry her. She’s getting older and desperate for a ring. You can’t blame Julian for not wanting her. I wouldn’t marry someone like that either.”

The voices belonged to Julian’s childhood friends, buddies, coworkers, and even members of his own family.

He had invited all of them to Paris. Every one of them knew he was about to marry Mia.

I was the only fool they’d kept completely in the dark.

The camera panned across the wedding venue, where the romantic setup looked like something out of a fairy tale, with soft pink balloons everywhere.

The seats were neatly arranged, and flowers, drinks, and food had all been set out.

“Julian, what do you think Elise would do if she found out you’ve spent the last six months planning your wedding to Mia? She’d probably lose her mind.”

Julian punched him in the arm. “I’m warning all of you. No one says a word about what happens today.”

“Keep your mouths shut. Elise can never find out.”

His friends laughed.

“We’re all men. We get it. You don’t want to give up either woman.”

“Don’t worry. I hid the livestream from Elise. Only our private circle can see it.”

When the ceremony began, the wedding march started to play.

Julian and Mia walked down the aisle hand in hand, smiling as the guests erupted into thunderous applause.

Confetti cannons went off around them, and streamers filled the air.

So many people had known they were together.

I had waited six years for a wedding Julian never gave me. Mia had gotten hers with ease.

My throat tightened, and tears burned behind my eyes. Before I could stop them, they spilled down my cheeks.

Everyone at the rehearsal noticed something was wrong.

Mom looked at me with concern. “We can call it off if you don’t want to marry him.”

I shook my head. I had simply been blind for far too long.

I wasn’t crying because Julian had betrayed me. I was crying because I had been a fool and wasted so many of my best years on a man who had never deserved them.

I had thought all we were missing was a wedding gown. Now I understood that the love he gave Mia eclipsed anything he had ever felt for me.

But it was over now. Julian and I were finished for good.

I closed the livestream and blocked Julian and everyone connected to him.

“The wedding is going ahead as planned.”

I wiped away my tears and continued the rehearsal.

When I got home, I threw out everything in the house that belonged to Julian.

I eventually fell asleep from exhaustion, only to be awakened by my makeup artist’s call at four in the morning.

Still half-asleep, I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and got ready to have my makeup done and put on my wedding gown.

Nathan came for our first look before we headed to the venue together.

Just then, the airline app on my phone alerted me that Julian’s flight had landed in New York City.

Mia sent me dozens of messages asking where Julian had gone.

I deleted every message. Then I erased all the reminders and notes I had kept about his routines, preferences, and schedule.

As I sat in the back of the car with my bouquet in my hands, happiness finally felt real.

When we reached the venue, Nathan lifted me out of the car.

Mom set off a pair of confetti poppers, and the entrance erupted in cheers. My grandmother sat in her wheelchair, smiling as she watched us.

Dad walked me down the aisle. At the altar, he gave me away to Nathan.

The ring bearer brought us the rings.

Just as Nathan and I were about to exchange them, Julian burst through the doors.