“He’d apologize afterward,” she said. “He’d tell me he was afraid of losing me. Sometimes he’d be wonderful for weeks.”
She’d tried ending their engagement twice.
Both times, Daniel promised to change.
“And I loved him,” she whispered.
I remembered something.
Months before the wedding, Daniel had complained that Sophie wanted to visit an old friend.
“She’s acting like she’s single,” he’d said.
I’d laughed and told him marriage didn’t mean spending every minute together.
I’d forgotten that conversation until now.
“Two weeks before the wedding,” Sophie continued, “I told a friend what was happening. She offered me somewhere to stay if I needed to leave.”
Sophie had considered postponing the wedding, but Daniel’s promises kept her hopeful.
“I thought getting married might help us start over.”
On the wedding morning, Daniel saw messages between Sophie and her friend.
He realized she’d arranged somewhere to go if things became unbearable.
