Three days before my wedding, clearing out some old boxes jogged my memory of the time capsule Julian Brooks and I buried ten years ago. He stiffened at the mention of it and tried to talk me out of going. "It's been a decade. Someone's probably dug it up by now." I brushed him off and drove to our old school alone. But at the spot, I unearthed exactly five tin boxes of varying sizes. Two were rusted shut—the ones Julian and I had buried back then. Of the three extras, one was equally rusted, while the other two were brand new. The old extra box had Lily Miller's name etched into it. Inside, a note read: [My secret crush was a solitary emotional turmoil. I wish you happiness, Julian.] I recalled her—a mousy girl who used to sit behind us. The two pristine boxes bore Julian and Lily's names. The burial date was today. Julian's note: [My life's biggest regret is that I can't give you a wedding.] Lily's note: [My life's biggest regret is that I can't openly wish you a happy wedding.] *** Standing under the same old oak tree, clutching those five freezing tins, I felt like an absolute joke. A gust of wind whipped up some dead leaves, chilling me to the bone. So, another woman had been fighting her secret war, hidden in the shadows. All while my fiancé harbored his unspoken regret. His biggest regret was not getting to marry her. Then what about me? What about our wedding in two days? A monstrous lie? Or just a heartfelt consolation prize for her? I reburied the three boxes that weren't mine and only took the two belonging to Julian and me. It was pitch-black by the time I got home. The living room lights were on. Julian jumped off the couch the second I walked in. "Why are you so late? Where did you go?" I kicked off my shoes, answering flatly, "Went by the old high school." "High school?" A flash of panic crossed his face before he forced a casual look. "What for? You should have told me, I could have tagged along." "Nothing much. Was in the area and dropped in on some old teachers." He relaxed, stepping up to wrap his arms around me from behind. Resting his chin on my shoulder, he murmured sweetly, "You scared me. Thought you made a run for it. The wedding's in two days, no more wandering off." I let him hold me. A suffocating silence hung in the air. After a long beat, I asked softly, "Julian, do you really want to marry me?" He tensed slightly, then squeezed me tighter. "Of course. It's been ten years. What else would we do but get married?" "Audrey, what's gotten into you?" Right. Ten years. Yet my mind kept flashing back to the scrawl on that tin box. [My life's biggest regret is that I can't give you a wedding.] He let go and started buzzing about tomorrow's rehearsal. He even mimicked the priest's vows. "For richer, for poorer... " "To take Audrey Sterling..." "To marry..." Every word pricked my heart like a needle. "Do you like this bouquet? Or would you prefer white roses?" He held up his phone, eyes shining with anticipation. A blind rage flared up, burning away my sanity. "Whatever." I turned away, voice freezing. "Do what you want. I don't care." Julian's smile dropped. "Audrey, what is that supposed to mean? What do you mean you don't care? It's our wedding!" "Our wedding?" I scoffed, turning to glare at him. "Is it really ours?" He blinked, then scowled. "What the hell is wrong with you today? You've been speaking in riddles since you walked in." "I'm busting my ass for our wedding, and you give me this attitude?" "My attitude?" My chest felt dangerously tight. "What about yours? Is your attitude supposed to be..." I cut myself off, biting back the truth. I knew I'd regret it if I laid it all out now. Julian's eyes went red. He snapped: "What about my attitude? Haven't I been running myself ragged for this wedding?" "Are you out of your mind, Audrey? If you don't want to get married, then let's call the whole damn thing off!" He spun around and stormed out, slamming the door so hard the walls shook. I stood alone in the dead-quiet living room, tears finally spilling over.
Julian and I had been together for ten years. Fighting was practically a daily routine. We were both stubborn as hell, neither willing to cave first. But him storming out and leaving me alone like this? That was a first. Wait, no it wasn't. I remembered. There was one other time. It was our high school graduation party. We had just made it official and were joined at the hip. One of the guys, Kevin Smith, got drunk and joked that a wallflower like Lily Miller would never find a husband. Julian's face darkened instantly. I didn't overthink it at the time, assuming he just hated the tasteless joke, and even grabbed his arm to tell him to chill. Instead, he yanked his arm away and walked out without a word. Leaving me stranded, humiliated under the stunned stares of everyone at the table. His mom told me he never came home that night, and his phone was turned off. I finally tracked him down the next day at a local arcade. He brushed it off, saying he was just in a funk, and offered a half-assed apology for ditching me. And I bought it. And now? God, what a joke. Lily's time capsule had contained a diary. One entry was entirely about that night. [Kevin mocked me again today, saying I'm unmarriageable. It hurt, but I'm used to it. What I didn't expect was Julian getting mad for my sake. He actually shook off Audrey and chased after me. He stayed with me on the roof all night, telling me I was a good girl and they were just blind. In that moment, my whole world lit up. Sorry, Audrey. I didn't mean to steal him, even if it was just for one night.] So his "funk" was actually comforting another girl. While I spent the night worried sick, he was playing knight in shining armor on a rooftop for someone else. The tin also held our senior trip group photo. Julian and I were dead center, beaming. Lily stood in the far corner, her eyes glued to Julian, heavy with longing and adoration. On the back, in Julian's handwriting: [May your smile always be as bright as the sun.] The exact same words he wrote in my yearbook. There was a bracelet, too—identical to the one currently on my wrist. He'd sworn he hit up five different stores to find this "couple's set." Turns out, it wasn't a set for two. It was a set for three. Ten years, Julian. My youth, my love, my entire blueprint for our future. A total illusion from day one. I was never your one and only. I was just your official front. The heartache was paralyzing. I curled up on the couch, totally drained. My phone buzzed. A text from Lucas Wright, Julian's old roommate and buddy. It was a photo taken in a VIP club booth. Julian was slouched in the middle, clutching a beer, eyes glazed over. Wasted. And the woman glued to his side, tenderly wiping his face with a damp towel? Who else but Lily Miller.
Lucas's texts rapidly followed: [Audrey, I know the wedding's in two days, but I can't stomach this anymore.] [Julian dragged us all out tonight. Said you two fought and he was upset.] [But then he immediately called Lily.] [Those two... they've been like this for years.] [We've all seen it. We were just too gutless to tell you.] [They're at Neon Sun, Room 302. You need to see this for yourself.] I stared at the photo. Lily's eyes were practically dripping with heartache and devotion. And Julian wasn't pushing her away. I took a deep breath, peeled myself off the couch, and grabbed my keys. I navigated to Neon Sun and found Room 302. The door was cracked open, familiar laughter spilling out. I stopped dead, hesitating to go in. "Come on, Julian, don't sweat it. Audrey's just a spoiled princess. Sweet-talk her a bit and she's fine. You're tying the knot, after all," a guy urged. Another chimed right in. "Exactly. Why even bother arguing with her?" "If you ask me, our Lily is the best. Sweet, attentive, and never gives Julian grief." "Right? Man, if it wasn't for that time when—" "Whatever, man. Julian, honestly, seeing you marry Audrey makes us all feel sorry for Lily." "Feel sorry for what? Isn't it obvious who Julian really wants? He's getting married, but the second they fight, Lily's on speed dial." The room erupted in roars of laughter. I slumped against the wall, my blood running cold. I knew every single one of those voices. Julian's ride-or-die bros. Guys I had considered friends for a decade. Guys I had personally handed wedding invitations to. So to them, I was just a demanding woman, while Lily was the flawless, understanding sweetheart. And Julian? I stared intensely through the crack in the door. He lounged in the center, letting Lily feed him fruit and wipe his mouth. Moving together like honeymooners. He didn't defend me. Not a single word. He just sat there in silence, tacitly endorsing their mockery while soaking up Lily's affection. In that exact moment, it clicked. I finally understood why I never fit into his circle for the past ten years. Because I was the intruder. Lily was the one they had always crowned as "the girlfriend." I couldn't bring myself to push that door open anymore. I pointed my phone at the gap, hit record for a few seconds, and walked away. I bumped into Lucas right around the corner. He took one look at my bloodshot eyes, sighed, and handed me a napkin. "Saw everything?" I nodded. "Thanks." "Don't mention it." Lucas rubbed the back of his neck, looking guilty. "I just thought it was totally messed up. Julian is... ugh. Look, just try not to let it break you." I forced a hollow smile. "I'm fine. Never better." How could I be fine? A decade of love, incinerated in a night. The man I loved had played me for ten years. The friends I trusted had been laughing at my stupidity.
Julian didn't come home. The next morning, a random friend request popped up. The profile picture was Lily's innocent face. We rarely crossed paths. I just knew her as Julian's "platonic bestie." I had no idea what she wanted, but morbid curiosity made me hit accept. Zero preamble. She immediately fired off a photo. A hotel room. Julian was out cold in the bed, shirtless. Lily, wearing nothing but his white dress shirt, was curled up against him, flashing a peace sign at the camera. Her smile was pure, gloating poison. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind them, the sun was blazing. Time, place, players—the ultimate checkmate. Staring at the screen, my heart iced over and shattered. From the club last night straight to a hotel bed this morning—what a seamless transition. I killed the screen, walked into the kitchen with dead eyes, and downed a glass of ice water. The freezing liquid slid down my throat, doing absolutely nothing to kill the inferno inside me. At 10 AM, Julian walked in, reeking of stale beer and cheap perfume. He froze when he saw me on the couch, then quickly plastered on a guilty, boyish grin. "Audrey, come on, you're not still mad, are you?" I looked at him calmly, offering him one final lifeline. "Julian, where were you last night, and what did you do?" His eyes darted away. He reached for my hand. "I drank way too much and crashed at Lucas's place." "Babe, let's stop fighting, okay?" "The wedding's tomorrow. Let's not ruin the vibe over stupid stuff." Still lying through his teeth. That was it. I slapped his hand away and stood up. "Julian, I'm exhausted. Deal with the wedding yourself." I walked into the bedroom and locked the door. I tuned out his confused, irritated pounding on the wood. Pulling up Lily's chat, I typed: [3 PM. Downtown Starbucks. We're talking.] She replied instantly: [Okay.] At 3 PM on the dot, Lily walked in. Seeing me, she pulled a flawless, apologetic face. "Audrey, I am so sorry. Julian was super drunk last night and refused to let me leave. I ended up taking care of him all night." She said sorry, but her eyes were practically screaming victory. "Is that so?" I stirred my coffee casually. "Must have been hard work." My coolness threw her off. She recovered quickly. "Audrey, don't get the wrong idea. We're just friends." "I know you're getting married, and I'm so happy for you guys." "It's just... Julian's been really struggling. He can only vent to me. He said his biggest regret is—" "That he can't give you a wedding, right?" I finished for her. Lily's mask slipped instantly. I looked at her and smiled. "That little time capsule you two buried? I dug it up." She dropped the innocent act entirely. "If you know everything, why are you still clinging to him?" "Audrey, I'm the one he loves. It's always been me." I put down my mug and looked her dead in the eye. "If that's the case, I'll bow out. You can have him." Lily's eyes bugged out in pure shock. "Wh-What did you say?" "I said, tomorrow's wedding? You're the bride."
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