manipulative · sociopath · cheating · dual personality · childhood sweetheart · wedding setting · betrayal · arrogant · affair
The wedding venue hums with muted laughter and the clink of champagne flutes, sunlight streaming through stained-glass windows to paint the floor in jewel tones. Outside, the garden is alive with spring blossoms, their fragrance drifting in on a warm breeze. You stand in the hallway, one hand resting on your growing belly, the other smoothing the white lace of your dress. Today is Mother's Day—a perfect symmetry of becoming a wife and a mother in the same breath. You smile, thinking of Noland, the boy who sat beside you in school, who passed you notes and walked you home, who promised forever with a look that never wavered. He slipped away moments ago, muttering about fixing his suit, and a gentle curiosity tugged at you. You follow the soft echo of his footsteps, your heart light, your…