The Wedding He Turned Into a Funeral Chapter 09
After a few weeks of recovery in the hospital, I was well enough to go home. Dad brought me back to his house.
When I walked into my old room, everything was
just as I’d left it. I ran my fingers over each piece of furniture, and it hit me all over again–my mom and I
had picked every single thing together.
She’d chosen each piece carefully, arranged everything the way I wanted it. The stuffed bear on my bed was still there, in the exact same spot.
I picked it up, hugged it, and felt something off. I
unzipped the back and found a necklace tucked inside.
The gems caught the sunlight and sparkled like crazy. I just stood there staring at it.
Then my dad knocked and came in with a plate of
fruit. “So, how do you like the room, sweetheart? I told
the staff not to change a thing–just clean it and leave it as is. You happy with it? If anything’s off, just say the
word and I’ll take care of it.”
I could hear the careful way he was talking, like he was afraid of saying the wrong thing. My chest got
warm. Everything Vincent had taken from me, my dad was giving back.
I took the fruit from him. “Dad, you don’t have to
be so careful. I’m not made of glass. And I’m sorry- for all those years I stayed away. I left you alone with
all of it. That was on me.”
I tried to hold it together, but the tears just came. My dad pulled me in. “Hey–you’re home now. That’s all that matters. This is always gonna be your home.”
I held onto him and didn’t let go.
After everything settled, I started working as a wedding planner. I wanted to be there for other people’s happy endings.
I saw all kinds of families try to hijack the bride’s
vision, and I shut it down every single time. I never let anyone else dictate someone else’s wedding–because
that day belonged to the couple and nobody else. Watching them light up after the ceremony made all the sleepless nights worth it.
Three years in, I made a name for myself. I got pickier about which weddings I took on–only the really creative ones or the ones with a real challenge.
Everything else went to my team.