MidReal Story
The protagonist , Lily , is a bridesmaid in her
Scenario: The protagonist, Lily, is a bridesmaid in her sister's wedding, where her ex-fianc is the groom, and she begins to form a connection with a mysterious stranger named Ethan.
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I moved on because there was nothing else I could do.
And now I’m about to watch the man I loved marry my sister, and I have no idea how I’m going to make it through the day.
I stand in the house Jack and I used to share, in the same room where I got ready for my wedding three years ago, and I watch my sister in the white dress she’s about to wear down the aisle.
I said I would help her get ready, and even though it’s the last thing I want to do, I can’t back out now.
This is one of the most important days of her life, and I would do anything for her.
I’m happy for her.
I really am.
I’m happy that she found a man who loves her and treats her well.
I’m happy that she gets to have the wedding I never had.
I’m happy that today is going to be perfect for her.
Even if it isn’t for me.
“How are you doing?”
my sister asks as she finishes her makeup.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
I give her a smile and pretend like I haven’t been crying since the moment I woke up this morning.
“I’m fine,” I say, even though everything inside me is screaming that I’m not.
I keep it together long enough to get her dressed and ready, but once she walks downstairs to take pictures, I can’t pretend anymore.
I collapse onto the bed where Jack left me three years ago and let the tears fall for the first time today as memories of that day come flooding back.
I had been so happy that morning as I got ready to marry the man of my dreams, even though he was somehow running late.
I should have known then something was wrong.
But I ignored all the signs because everything was going to be perfect.
The flowers were perfect and the dress was perfect and my hair was perfect and Jack was perfect.
He’d told me he loved me over and over again, even as he took his sweet time getting dressed and making his way back to our house.
And he’d promised me that he would love me forever.
But when he finally showed up an hour late, he told me he didn’t love me anymore and that he’d been sleeping with another woman for the past year.
And then he left me standing at the altar all by myself while all of our family and friends looked on in horror.
It was one of the most humiliating moments of my life, but nothing compared to the way my heart felt like it was shattering into a million pieces as he walked out of my life forever.
And nothing compared to how much it hurt when he told me he’d been sleeping with my best friend for an entire year.
I’ll never forget the look on his face when he walked away, knowing that he was leaving a piece of himself behind with me.
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I’ll never forget the look on his face when he walked away, knowing that he was leaving a piece of himself behind with me.
I’ll never forget the look on his face when he walked away, knowing that he’d just made the biggest mistake of his life.
I stand up and wipe my tears away, but a few still manage to escape.
I wish I could say that watching my sister get married wasn’t hard, but it is.
It really fucking is.
She’s the one who’s supposed to be helping Jack get ready, but since they didn’t want him to see her before the wedding, that job fell to me and my dad.
So here we are, in my parents’ living room, getting Jack dressed for the wedding.
And it’s taking everything in me not to rip off his head.
I know it isn’t his fault he doesn’t love me anymore, but it still hurts.
Because I still love him.
I’ve tried so hard not to, but a piece of my heart will always belong to Jack, no matter how much he hurt me.
And no matter how much time goes by.
“Are you almost done?”
he asks as he checks his watch for the millionth time.
My dad straightens Jack’s tie and gives him a smile.
One more minute, and then you’ll be a married man.”
I can’t believe this is happening,” Jack says with a look on his face that I can’t quite decipher.
It’s a mix of excitement and nerves and happiness.
But there’s something else there, too.
Something that looks a lot like regret.
It’s hard to believe it’s been three years already,” my dad says as he finishes up with Jack’s tie.
“I’m just glad everything worked out in the end.”
Jack gives him a small smile.
“Me too,” he says softly.
I have to force myself not to roll my eyes at him.
Because while he might be glad everything worked out in the end, I’m not.
I’m not glad that he left me at the altar and broke my heart into a million pieces.
I’m not glad that he told me he’d been sleeping with another woman for the entire year we were together.
I’m not glad that we spent six months trying to put the pieces back together only to realize that our relationship was broken beyond repair.
But most of all, I’m not glad that he broke my heart and left me behind, alone and miserable.
I might have survived, but a piece of me will always be missing.
And that piece will always belong to him.
I watch from the window as the car pulls up to the house and stops out front.
My sister climbs out of the car first and waits on the sidewalk while my parents help Jack out of the car.
He looks handsome in his tuxedo, even though it’s nothing like what he wore three years ago.
He looks happy, even though he doesn’t look like he wants to be here at all.
He looks perfect, even though everything in me is screaming that this is all a mistake.
He has no idea how perfect he would have been if he’d just stayed and married me.
The tears are threatening again, so I take a deep breath and blink them away.
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I can still remember every moment of my wedding day, down to the song that was playing in the background as Jack stood me up for another woman.
I can still remember the way my breath caught in my throat when I saw him walking toward me in his handsome tuxedo.
I can still remember how my stomach did a little flip when our eyes met and a huge grin appeared on his face.
I can still remember how my knees wobbled as he took my hands in his, how his strong arms held me up, how my whole body felt warm and tingly as we stood there in front of our family and friends, promising to love each other forever.
It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life.
And then Jack had to go and ruin everything.
“Lily, are you okay in there?”
My mom knocks on the bathroom door, pulling me out of my memories.
“Is everything okay?”
I take another deep breath to steady myself before I answer her.
“Everything’s fine, Mom,” I call back to her.
“I’ll be out in just a minute.”
I bend over and splash some cold water on my face before pulling some more paper towels out of the dispenser and dabbing them against my skin.
I didn’t mean to space out like that.
But even three years later, it’s hard not to think about what might have been.
What my life would be like now if Jack hadn’t left me on my wedding day.
Would we be married with kids by now?
Would we be happy together?
Would he be with me instead of my little sister?
I finish drying my face and stuff the paper towels into the trash can before I turn to look at myself in the mirror.
The last thing I need right now is for everyone to see how upset I am.
I need to get it together and be there for my sister, no matter what.
I hear footsteps coming closer, and then Emily appears in front of me, giving me a worried look.
“Are you sure everything’s okay?”
she asks, reaching out to put her hand against my cheek.
“You don’t look so good.”
I smile at her and take a step back so she can’t see the truth in my eyes.
“I’m fine,” I say, keeping my voice steady even though it feels like my entire world is starting to crumble around me.
“I was just feeling a little sick, that’s all.”
She gives me another worried look, but after a moment, she nods.
“You’re not getting sick, are you?”
I shake my head and give her a smile.
“I’ll be fine,” I say.
“Just need to give myself a little pep talk, that’s all.”
She takes a deep breath and gives me another small nod.
“Okay,” she says.
“Just don’t keep us waiting too long, okay?”
I’ll be right there with you,” I promise her.
I can tell that she still isn’t entirely convinced that I’m telling the truth, but after a moment, she nods again and gives me a smile and a quick hug before she leaves me alone.
I let out a sigh of relief as soon as the door closes behind her.
I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up.
I’ve been trying so hard for so long to pretend like none of this bothers me.
Like I’m okay even though I’m not.
Like I’ve moved on even though I haven’t.
It’s been three years since Jack left me at the altar, and I’ve spent every single day since then trying to forget about him and move on with my life.
It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve done it.
