The first time someone mentioned Amber\u2019s wedding, I laughed, thinking it was a joke.<\/p>\n
\u201cWait, Amber who?\u201d I asked, sipping my coffee, more focused on the giant slice of cheesecake in front of me than whatever my friends were talking about.<\/p>\n
The table went dead silent. Four pairs of eyes locked on me like I\u2019d just confessed to a crime.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you serious, Ivy?\u201d Lauren finally asked. \u201cAmber Amber. Our Amber.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach twisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo way. She would have told me,\u201d I said, shaking my head. \u201cYou guys are just messing with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack shifted uncomfortably, nearly knocking over his coffee cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cIvy, she\u2026 she sent the invitations weeks ago. Almost a month, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nearly dropped my coffee. My invitation never came.<\/p>\n
At first, I told myself it had to be a mistake. Maybe it got lost in the mail? Maybe she wanted to tell me in person? But the more I thought about it, the less sense it made. We always talked about being in each other\u2019s weddings. We used to stay up late planning everything down to the last detail\u2014what dresses we\u2019d wear, what songs we\u2019d dance to, how we\u2019d always be there for each other. And now she was getting married without me?<\/p>\n
The weeks passed, and I saw posts all over social media. Friends gushed about how excited they were for Amber\u2019s big day.<\/p>\n
Can\u2019t wait to celebrate you!<\/p>\n
You\u2019re going to be the most beautiful bride, Amber!<\/p>\n
Bachelorette party!!<\/p>\n
I tried not to let it get to me. Maybe she had a reason. Maybe she just got so busy she forgot. But when Lauren called me, bubbling with excitement about the dress she\u2019d bought for the wedding, reality hit me like a truck.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got this gorgeous midnight blue dress, Ives! And my grandmother\u2019s earrings will go perfectly with it. Have you decided what you\u2019re wearing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLauren, she still hasn\u2019t invited me,\u201d I said flatly.<\/p>\n
The silence on the line stretched.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t ask Amber why. I waited, hoping she\u2019d tell me herself. I gave her every opportunity. But she never said a word\u2014not even when we got our nails done together.<\/p>\n
I almost didn\u2019t go to that appointment, but a part of me wanted to see if she\u2019d say something. I was hoping for a clue, a hint, anything that would make this make sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going with a neutral color,\u201d Amber said, smiling as she admired her hands.<\/p>\n
I glanced down. No engagement ring. That was weird.<\/p>\n
\u201cPretty,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m doing fiery red.\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t even flinch. No guilt, no hesitation. Just casual conversation, like nothing was wrong.<\/p>\n
Had I done something to hurt her? Had I upset her without realizing it?<\/p>\n
Did she actually think I was going to crash her wedding and steal her groom?<\/p>\n
Something wasn\u2019t right. Deep down, I knew it. Amber was hiding something. And I was going to find out what.<\/p>\n
So, I crashed the wedding.<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t spoken to Amber since that day at the salon, but Lauren kept me updated, sending me screenshots of posts Amber had made, carefully hiding them from me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, Ives,\u201d she said one afternoon as we sat in the park, eating ice cream. \u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s gotten into her. Have you tried talking to her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got our nails done, but she never said a word,\u201d I admitted. \u201cShe wasn\u2019t even wearing a ring.\u201d<\/p>\n
But now, I stood in front of the wedding venue, watching guests arrive, their laughter and excitement filling the air.<\/p>\n
I felt out of place. I knew these people. Amber\u2019s family had been like a second family to me growing up.<\/p>\n
She should have told me.<\/p>\n
I thought back to our last real conversation, before the wedding rumors started. We had been sitting in her apartment, sharing a bottle of wine, flipping through wedding magazines.<\/p>\n
I had circled a dress I thought she\u2019d love. She had been quiet, tense. I had brushed it off, assuming she was stressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do you have so many wedding magazines, anyway?\u201d I had asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s for a project,\u201d she had said carefully. \u201cI\u2019m designing a wedding dress. If I get this right, I\u2019ll get more clients.\u201d<\/p>\n
Had she been lying?<\/p>\n
Now, I remembered how she had gripped her wine glass a little too tightly when I asked about her dream wedding dress. How she had shut down completely when I asked about her dream groom.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou live in your head too much, Ivy,\u201d she had said.<\/p>\n
I should have known then.<\/p>\n
I walked into the wedding like I belonged there, head high, heart pounding.<\/p>\n
The venue was stunning. Soft golden lights, elegant d\u00e9cor\u2014Amber had poured herself into every detail. It was perfect.<\/p>\n
For a second, I thought maybe this was all a misunderstanding.<\/p>\n
Until I stepped into the main hall.<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
People turned to look at me. Some whispered. Others gave me looks of pity, like I had just walked into something tragic.<\/p>\n
My stomach twisted.<\/p>\n
Then, I saw her.<\/p>\n
Amber stood at the front of the room, frozen in place, her beautiful white dress flowing around her like a cloud.<\/p>\n
And then I saw him.<\/p>\n
Standing beside her, in a sleek black tux, was my father.<\/p>\n
My father. The man who abandoned me when I was ten years old. The man I hadn\u2019t seen since.<\/p>\n
Amber knew.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why I wasn\u2019t invited.<\/p>\n
She had been hiding this from me.<\/p>\n
The world blurred. My breath caught. My mind screamed at me to run, to get out, to forget I ever saw this.<\/p>\n
But I wasn\u2019t that little girl waiting by the window anymore.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou,\u201d I said, voice steady despite the storm inside me.<\/p>\n
My father hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cIvy\u2026\u201d his voice was deeper, unfamiliar. \u201cI\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber rushed forward. \u201cI was going to tell you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d I snapped. \u201cBefore or after the honeymoon? Maybe when you were pregnant with my half-sibling?\u201d<\/p>\n
She winced. \u201cI didn\u2019t know how to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow to what? Tell me you were marrying the man who walked out on me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gasps rippled through the crowd, but I barely noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy now? After all these years, why her?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father sighed. \u201cI know I owe you an explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed bitterly. \u201cYou owe me a lot more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI left because I had to, not because I wanted to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I stared at him, heart pounding. \u201cYou let me believe you were dead. You let me think I wasn\u2019t even worth a goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amber wiped at her tears like she was the one who had lost something.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you,\u201d I said, turning on her. \u201cWhen did you think this was okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongratulations,\u201d I said coldly. \u201cYou\u2019re officially family now. I hope it was worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned and walked out.<\/p>\n
\u201cIvy, please,\u201d my father called. \u201cI don\u2019t want to lose you again.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped, but I didn\u2019t turn around.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease, Philip,\u201d I said, voice cold. \u201cYou lost me years ago. You just never cared enough to look.\u201d<\/p>\n
That night, I sat in my car, staring at Amber\u2019s text.<\/p>\n
Ivy, I\u2019m so sorry. Please talk to me.<\/p>\n
I deleted it.<\/p>\n
For the first time in years, I felt like I had finally stopped waiting by the window.<\/p>\n
I was done.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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