I walked toward the ceremony space.
Guests were already taking their seats.
I recognized almost no one.
That hurt more than I expected.
Adrian had built an entire life around whatever he had done, and somehow I had been removed from it completely.
Then I saw Julian.
He was standing near the back row.
For a moment, relief washed all over me.
Julian could explain this.
I crossed the room quickly.
“Julian.”
He turned.
The color drained from his face.
That was all the answer I needed.
“You knew.”
His eyes shifted toward the hallway.
“Meredith, please. This isn’t the place to do…”
“You knew he was alive.”
“Keep your voice down.”
I laughed once.
A wave of nausea hit me.
I nodded slowly.
“So there was no accident.”
“There was an accident.”
“What?”
Julian exhaled.
“Adrian was in the car, but he survived. Someone else didn’t.”
I stared at him.
“He took advantage of the accident to disappear.”
Julian’s expression tightened.
“He panicked.”
“He faked his death.”
“He thought it was the only way to get out.”
“Out of marrying me?”
Julian looked ashamed.
“Out of everything.”
I stepped back.
For months, I had imagined Adrian’s final moments.
I wondered whether he had been afraid. I wondered whether he had thought about me.
Instead, he had survived and decided that death was easier than honesty.
I heard music begin inside the ceremony space.
Julian grabbed my arm.
“Meredith, please don’t do anything.”
I pulled away.
“Don’t touch me.”
Then Colleen appeared.
She looked from Julian to me and closed her eyes.
“You told her.”
“He didn’t have to,” I replied.
“Meredith, please.”
“You held my hand.”
Her face crumpled.
continues on the next page.
