Not yet.
Every part of me wanted to storm into that room, grab him by the collar, and demand to know how a dead man had managed to plan a wedding.
But anger wasn’t the strongest feeling inside me.
Confusion was.
Because pretending to die wasn’t something a person did on impulse.
There had been a funeral.
A death certificate.
Police officers had come to my apartment.
Colleen had sat beside me while I cried.
There had been a coffin.
Flowers.
A burial.
Three months of nightmares.
Three months of waking up and reaching toward Adrian’s empty side of the bed.
Three months of blaming myself for every argument we’d ever had.
And somehow, through all of it, he had been alive.
So I forced myself to think.
If I confronted him immediately, he could lie.
He could run.
And judging by the way Colleen had reacted when she saw me, she already knew I wasn’t supposed to be there.
I needed answers before they realized what I’d discovered.
I cleaned the mascara from beneath my eyes, washed my face with cold water, and walked back into the reception hall.
My assistant, Hannah, hurried toward me.
“Meredith, what happened?”
“Nothing.”
She stared at me.
“You look like you saw a ghost.”
The words nearly made me laugh.
Nearly.
“Something like that.”
I picked up a tray of boutonnieres.
“Where’s the bride?”
“Upstairs. Bridal suite.”
“What’s her name?”
Hannah frowned.
“You don’t know?”
“The other florist handled the client meetings. I was called in this morning, remember?”
“Oh. Right.”
She checked the clipboard.
“Rebecca Lawson.”
The name meant nothing to me.
“How long until the ceremony?”
“Seventeen minutes.”
I nodded.
Seventeen minutes.
That was all I had before Adrian walked down an aisle with another woman wearing the suit he’d bought to marry me.
I carried the flowers upstairs.
My hands were trembling so badly that I almost dropped them twice.
Outside the bridal suite, bridesmaids were laughing and taking pictures.
Nobody looked nervous.
Nobody looked like they were participating in something insane.
Which meant either they didn’t know Adrian was supposedly dead…
Or everyone knew except me.
That thought made my stomach twist.
I knocked.
“Flowers.”
“Come in!”
I opened the door.
Rebecca stood in front of a full-length mirror.
She was beautiful.
Maybe thirty.
Dark hair pinned loosely behind her head.
A simple ivory dress.
She turned when I entered.
And smiled.
“Finally!”
I couldn’t speak for a second.
This was the woman Adrian had chosen instead of me.
The woman he had apparently faked his death to marry.
I expected to hate her immediately.
But something about Rebecca’s expression stopped me.
She looked happy.
Not cruel.
Not secretive.
Just happy.
Almost innocent.
“Sorry,” I said. “Last-minute adjustments.”
“No problem.”
I handed bouquets to the bridesmaids.
Then Rebecca held out her hand for hers.
The moment she saw me properly, her smile disappeared.
Her eyes widened.
“Oh my God.”
My heart stopped.
“You know me?”
Rebecca didn’t answer.
One bridesmaid looked between us.
“Becca?”
Rebecca quickly recovered.
“No. Sorry. I just thought…”
She swallowed.
“You remind me of someone.”
That was a lie.
I knew it immediately.
And apparently, she knew me.
Interesting.
I handed her the bouquet.
“Congratulations.”
Our fingers touched.
Rebecca flinched.
Actually flinched.
Then she whispered so quietly nobody else could hear.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
My blood turned cold.
“What?”
She looked toward her bridesmaids.
Then back at me.
“You need to leave.”
“Why?”
“Please.”
“Rebecca.”
Her eyes filled with panic.
“Just leave.”
Before I could respond, the wedding coordinator appeared in the doorway.
“Five minutes!”
Everyone erupted into excited chatter.
Rebecca turned away from me.
But I caught her looking at me in the mirror.
She wasn’t angry.
She was terrified.
That changed everything.
Maybe Rebecca wasn’t simply the woman Adrian had left me for.
Maybe she was trapped in whatever this was too.
I walked downstairs.
Guests were already taking their seats.
I stayed near the back, pretending to adjust floral arrangements.
Then I started recognizing people.
Adrian’s aunt.
His cousin Matthew.
Two men from his old office.
His childhood friend, Kyle.
People who had attended Adrian’s funeral.
People who had hugged me.
People who had told me how sorry they were.
Now they were sitting calmly at his wedding.
My chest tightened.
They knew.
At least some of them had to know.
How many people had lied to me?
The music changed.
Everyone stood.
Then Adrian appeared.
For the second time that day, the world seemed to stop.
He walked toward the altar.
Alive.
Healthy.
Smiling.
There was no limp.
No scar that I could see.
Nothing suggesting he’d nearly died in a catastrophic accident three months earlier.
And he was wearing our suit.
The navy suit I’d helped him choose.
I remembered standing behind him in the store while he looked into the mirror.
“You like it?” he’d asked.
“I love it.”
“Good. Because this is the last suit I’m ever buying.”
I’d laughed.
Now he was wearing it for someone else.
The doors opened.
Rebecca entered.
Adrian smiled when he saw her.
Then Rebecca looked past him.
Straight at me.
Her steps faltered.
Adrian noticed.
He followed her gaze.
And saw me.
I’ve never watched someone’s happiness disappear so quickly.
His face went completely white.
He stopped breathing.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Then Colleen noticed where he was looking.
She turned.
Saw me.
And closed her eyes.
Almost like she’d known this moment was inevitable.
The guests began whispering.
Rebecca reached the altar.
Adrian leaned toward her.
I couldn’t hear what he said.
Rebecca whispered something back.
Then Adrian looked at me again.
The officiant cleared his throat.
“We can begin whenever you’re ready.”
Adrian didn’t answer.
I smiled at him.
Not because I was happy.
Because I wanted him to understand one thing.
I wasn’t running away.
Not anymore.
The ceremony began.
I stayed at the back.
Adrian barely looked at Rebecca.
His eyes kept finding me.
When the officiant asked if anyone knew any reason the marriage shouldn’t proceed, several guests shifted uncomfortably.
My heart pounded.
This was the moment.
Every movie I’d ever seen told me to speak.
To expose him.
To destroy the wedding.
But I didn’t.
Because I still didn’t know why.
And something Rebecca had said kept echoing in my mind.
You shouldn’t be here.
Not “He doesn’t love you.”
Not “He’s marrying me.”
Not even “Please don’t ruin my wedding.”
She had told me to leave.
Like I was in danger.
So I remained silent.
Adrian and Rebecca exchanged vows.
When they kissed, I felt something inside me finally break.
But strangely, it wasn’t my heart.
That had broken three months earlier.
This felt different.
This was the moment I stopped loving the man standing at the altar.
Whatever Adrian had become, he wasn’t the man I’d planned to marry.
The guests moved toward the reception.
I disappeared into the service corridor.
I needed somewhere private.
Somewhere I could call the police.
But before I could take out my phone, someone grabbed my wrist.
I spun around.
Colleen.
“Come with me.”
“Don’t touch me.”
“Meredith, please.”
I pulled my arm away.
“You buried your son.”
She looked toward the hallway.
“Lower your voice.”
“He’s alive!”
“I know.”
“You KNOW?”
Her face crumpled.
“I can explain.”
“You held my hand at his funeral.”
“I know.”
“You watched me collapse beside his grave!”
Tears appeared in her eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?”
My voice cracked.
“I thought he was dead, Colleen!”
“I know.”
“Then tell me why.”
She hesitated.
And that hesitation told me more than any answer could.
“You helped him.”
She whispered, “It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.”
“What wasn’t?”
“You finding him.”
I stared at her.
“So if I hadn’t taken this job today, you were all just going to keep pretending Adrian was dead?”
Colleen didn’t answer.
“How long?”
“Meredith—”
“HOW LONG?”
“Forever.”
The word nearly knocked me backward.
Forever.
Adrian had intended to let me believe he’d died for the rest of my life.
I reached for my phone.
Colleen grabbed my hand.
“Don’t call anyone.”
“Get away from me.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Then make me understand.”
She looked toward the reception doors.
“Not here.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Meredith, there are things about Adrian you don’t know.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Clearly.”
“No.”
Her voice dropped.
“I mean things from before he met you.”
Something in her expression frightened me.
“What things?”
Before she could answer, someone spoke behind us.
“Mom.”
Adrian.
I turned.
For the first time in three months, I stood face-to-face with the man I’d believed was dead.
He looked different up close.
Not physically.
His face was exactly the same.
But his eyes weren’t.
The warmth I’d known was gone.
“Meredith,” he whispered.
I stared at him.
“Don’t say my name.”
“I can explain.”
“Your mother just tried.”
“Mom, leave us alone.”
Colleen shook her head.
“Adrian, don’t.”
“I said leave.”
She hesitated, then walked away.
Adrian and I stood alone.
He took one step toward me.
I stepped back.
That hurt him.
Good.
“You look good,” he said quietly.
I couldn’t believe it.
“You faked your death and that’s what you say to me?”
“I didn’t know what else to say.”
“How about ‘I’m alive’?”
His jaw tightened.
“It’s complicated.”
“No. Taxes are complicated. Pretending to be dead is criminal.”
His eyes flickered.
“Keep your voice down.”
“Why? Worried your wedding guests will discover the groom died three months ago?”
“Meredith.”
“What was in the coffin?”
He froze.
That was the first question that genuinely frightened him.
I stepped closer.
“What did I bury?”
“Don’t.”
“What was in that coffin, Adrian?”
“Nothing you need to know.”
A chill ran through me.
“Was there a body?”
He looked away.
Oh God.
“There was.”
He said nothing.
“Whose body was it?”
“Stop asking questions.”
“WHO DID I BURY?”
Adrian grabbed my shoulders.
Not violently.
But hard enough to scare me.
“You need to leave.”
I stared into his eyes.
“Rebecca said the same thing.”
His grip loosened.
“What?”
“Your wife.”
He looked genuinely alarmed.
“What exactly did she say?”
“Why?”
“Meredith, tell me.”
“She told me I shouldn’t be here.”
Adrian immediately looked toward the reception hall.
Something had changed.
The anger disappeared from his face.
Now he looked afraid.
Not afraid of me.
Afraid for me.
He leaned closer.
“Listen carefully.”
I tried to pull away.
“Don’t touch me.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
“You need to leave this building.”
“Why?”
“Because if certain people realize who you are—”
He stopped.
My heart began pounding.
“What people?”
A door opened at the end of the corridor.
A tall man in a gray suit stepped through.
I’d noticed him earlier near the ceremony.
He wasn’t smiling.
He looked at Adrian.
Then at me.
Adrian immediately released my shoulders.
The man approached.
“Everything okay?”
“Fine,” Adrian said.
The man looked at me.
“Who’s this?”
Adrian hesitated.
Just half a second.
But it was enough.
“I’m the florist,” I said.
The man’s eyes remained on my face.
“I’ve seen you somewhere.”
“No, you haven’t.”
He smiled.
It wasn’t friendly.
“Maybe.”
Then he walked away.
Adrian waited until the man disappeared.
His voice became a whisper.
“Go.”
“Who is he?”
“Meredith, for once in your life, don’t argue with me.”
“For once in my life?”
Anger surged through me.
“You let me mourn you for three months!”
“I did it to protect you.”
I laughed.
“Protect me from what?”
Adrian stared toward the door the man had disappeared through.
Then he said something I wasn’t prepared for.
“The accident wasn’t an accident.”
I stopped breathing.
Adrian continued.
“Someone tried to kill me.”
“Who?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Then why fake your funeral?”
“Because they needed to believe they succeeded.”
My mind raced.
“And Rebecca?”
His face changed.
“Rebecca is part of the reason.”
“Are you in love with her?”
He didn’t answer.
“Are you?”
Before he could respond, his phone vibrated.
He looked at the screen.
His face went pale.
“What?”
He didn’t answer.
“Adrian?”
He grabbed my hand.
This time I didn’t pull away.
“Come with me.”
He dragged me into an empty storage room and locked the door.
“What are you doing?”
“Quiet.”
He showed me his phone.
A photograph had been sent from an unknown number.
It was a picture of me.
Standing at the back of the ceremony.
Taken less than thirty minutes earlier.
Underneath were six words.
SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO THINK YOU DIED.
My stomach dropped.
“Who sent that?”
“I don’t know.”
Another message appeared.
Adrian read it.
His expression changed completely.
“What does it say?”
He turned the phone away.
“Nothing.”
“Adrian.”
“Nothing.”
I grabbed the phone from him.
The second message was shorter.
Much shorter.
YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES.
I looked at Adrian.
“Ten minutes until what?”
He didn’t answer.
Then someone knocked on the storage-room door.
Three slow knocks.
Adrian went completely still.
“Who is it?” I whispered.
He put one finger against his lips.
Another three knocks.
Then a woman’s voice came through the door.
“Adrian?”
Rebecca.
He unlocked it.
She slipped inside and immediately locked it again.
Her veil was gone.
Her face was pale.
“We have a problem,” she said.
“No kidding.”
Rebecca looked at me.
“I’m sorry, Meredith.”
I stared at her.
“For what?”
“For knowing.”
My throat tightened.
“You knew he was alive?”
“Yes.”
“And you knew about me?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me what the hell is happening.”
Rebecca looked at Adrian.
He shook his head.
She ignored him.
“She deserves to know.”
“Rebecca.”
“No. This has gone far enough.”
She turned toward me.
“Adrian didn’t fake his death so he could marry me.”
I folded my arms.
“Then why did he marry you?”
Rebecca swallowed.
“Because of my father.”
“The man in the gray suit?”
Her face changed.
“No.”
She shook her head.
“That man works for him.”
Adrian moved toward the door.
“We need to leave.”
But Rebecca grabbed my hand.
“There is one more thing.”
“What?”
She looked terrified to say it.
“The man who died in Adrian’s car…”
My heart stopped.
Adrian spun around.
“Rebecca, don’t.”
She continued anyway.
“He wasn’t a stranger.”
I could barely get the words out.
“Who was he?”
Rebecca stared into my eyes.
“He was carrying your photograph.”
The room went silent.
My mouth went dry.
“My photograph?”
“And your address.”
I looked at Adrian.
“What is she talking about?”
Adrian closed his eyes.
Rebecca answered for him.
“The man who died that night wasn’t trying to kill Adrian.”
My heart hammered.
“Then what was he doing?”
Rebecca squeezed my hand.
“He was coming for you.”
Before I could speak, something crashed outside.
People screamed.
Adrian rushed to the door.
“Stay here.”
He opened it slightly.
Then immediately slammed it shut again.
“What?”
Rebecca whispered.
Adrian turned toward us.
For the first time since I’d found him alive, I saw genuine terror on his face.
“They found us.”
Another bang echoed through the reception hall.
Then my phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
One message.
I opened it.
A photograph appeared.
It had been taken three months earlier.
It showed Adrian’s wrecked car.
Beside it stood a man I’d never seen before.
But the terrifying part wasn’t the man.
It was what he was holding.
A photograph from my engagement shoot.
My face had been circled in red.
Below the picture was a message.
ADRIAN WAS NEVER THE TARGET.
YOU WERE.
