Chapter 7: The Wedding Day She Never Returned

I didn't answer Matteo's messages.

By noon, there were eleven missed calls from him.

Then came the messages.

“Please just talk to me.”

“I know you're angry, but you're taking this too far.”

“We were supposed to get married today.”

I read the last one twice.

Today.

He finally understood the date mattered.

Just not why it mattered.

My phone buzzed again.

This time, it was Chiara.

“Celeste, Matteo is really upset. You don't need to punish him like this.”

I almost laughed.

She had spent years inserting herself into every part of our relationship, and now she wanted to lecture me about punishment.

I typed one sentence.

“I’m not punishing anyone. I’m leaving.”

Then I blocked her number.

A few minutes later, my phone rang from a different number.

I ignored it.

Another number called.

Ignored.

By the third call, I knew Matteo had started borrowing other people's phones.

I turned mine off.

Then I opened my laptop.

The apartment I had rented was temporary, but my plans weren't.

I had already accepted a position at a company in another state, something I had secretly applied for months ago.

The offer came with a better salary, relocation assistance, and exactly the kind of work I had wanted to do before my life became centered around Matteo.

Back then, I had declined the interview.

Matteo had told me moving would be inconvenient.

“We’re building a life here, Celeste. Why would you throw everything away for a job?”

I had listened.

This time, I accepted.

I signed the relocation documents and closed my laptop.

For the first time, I wasn't asking Matteo what he thought.

Across town, Matteo was standing outside City Hall.

His parents were there.

A few relatives had arrived.

And Chiara stood beside him in a pale dress, looking increasingly uncomfortable.

His mother looked around the entrance.

“Where is Celeste?”

Matteo didn't answer.

His father frowned. “Son, what is going on?”

Matteo pulled out his phone and showed them the messages.

His mother read them silently.

Then she looked at him.

“What did you do?”

“Nothing.”

His mother stared at him.

“She doesn't disappear on her wedding day because of nothing.”

Chiara immediately stepped in.

“It was a misunderstanding. Celeste has always been sensitive about me and Matteo being close.”

His mother turned toward her.

“Sensitive?”

Chiara's face paled.

“You've been living with my son for years. You stay over constantly. You travel together. And now you're standing here on his wedding day while his fiancée is gone.”

The silence was brutal.

Matteo finally spoke.

“Mom, it's not what you think.”

“Then explain it.”

He couldn't.

For twelve years, he had always had an explanation ready.

This time, every explanation sounded like an admission.

His mother looked at Chiara, then back at him.

“You'd better hope Celeste never comes back.”

Matteo's expression changed.

“Why?”

His mother gave him a disappointed look.

“Because if she does, I hope she's strong enough not to take you back.”

Meanwhile, I was standing beside my new apartment window, watching movers unload the last of my boxes.

My old life was packed away.

My new life was beginning.

I had no idea what Matteo would do next.

But for the first time, I didn't care.