A Boy in the Video Called My Late Fiance Dad, Standing Before My Bestie’s Wedding Photo Chapter 01
On the day of my wedding, I was supposed to become a bride.
Instead, my groom died.
For an entire month afterward, I barely functioned. I cried myself to sleep every night and woke up feeling hollow.
One evening, lost in a haze of grief, I accidentally tapped on Julian’s old WhatsApp account.
It wasn’t even an account he used much.
Still, I had gotten into the habit of sending messages there whenever I missed him. It was easier than accepting he was gone.
I typed out another message.
Another confession of how much I missed him.
Then, without thinking, I hit the video call button.
The call rang twice.
And connected.
My breath caught.
The face that appeared on the screen wasn’t Julian’s.
It was a little boy, maybe seven or eight years old.
He blinked at me with bright eyes and asked cheerfully, “Ma’am, are you looking for my dad?”
Before I could respond, he excitedly held up an elaborate greeting card.
“Dad made this for Mom!”
He proudly showed it to the camera.
Written across the front were the words:
[To My Darling Vivian. Happy 2033. Happy Seventh Anniversary.]
“My dad’s getting Mom’s anniversary gift right now!” the boy said happily.
I froze.
2033?
My heart nearly stopped.
A horrifying realization crashed into me.
The timeline on the other side of the screen wasn’t mine.
It was seven years in the future.
I swallowed hard, forcing down the shock and bitterness threatening to overwhelm me.
There had to be another explanation.
Maybe Julian’s old account had long since been reassigned to someone else.
Maybe this was just some bizarre coincidence.
Forcing a smile, I said softly, “Then I hope your parents stay happy forever.”
The boy beamed.
The next second, he started waving the phone around excitedly.
The camera spun.
Then swept across the wall behind him.
My blood instantly ran cold.
A massive wedding portrait hung in the center of the room.
The woman in the photograph was my best friend.
Vivian Rhodes.
And the man standing beside her…
Was Julian.
Not someone who looked like him.
Not a distant resemblance.
Julian Thorne.
Every feature was identical.
Even the tiny beauty mark beneath the corner of his eye.
…
I stared at the screen, struggling to breathe.
Julian wasn’t dead.
Seven years from now, not only was he alive…
He was married to Vivian.
Why?
Why would they lie to me?
My thoughts spiraled out of control.
My hands shook so violently I nearly dropped my phone.
I immediately opened my chat history with Vivian.
Our last conversation was from a month ago.
Back when I’d told her I was getting married.
She’d sent me a long voice message.
Her voice had sounded strained.
[Hazel, I wish you all the happiness in the world. I just flew overseas. My first love needs me right now, and I’m helping him through something. I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to make it to your wedding.]
At the time, I’d felt terrible for her.
I knew she’d never gotten over her first love.
She used to get drunk over him all the time.
More than once, I’d told her, “If you love him that much, why don’t you go get him back?”
She had laughed bitterly.
“Because I was the one who left him. I hurt him badly. He’s getting married now. There’s no way he’d ever forgive me.”
Now, looking back, I remembered something else she’d said.
The look in her eyes hadn’t been regret.
It had been hope.
“He came to say goodbye before his wedding. But I couldn’t let him go. I hugged him and told him I regretted everything. I told him I didn’t want to give up this time. I told him he’d already walked ninety-nine steps toward me.”
Her voice had trembled.
“So I’d walk the last step myself.”
My stomach dropped.
The man she was talking about…
Had been Julian?
Ice spread through my veins.
I turned and rushed toward the box of Julian’s belongings I’d been sorting through earlier.
Inside an old leather case, I found something I’d never seen before.
A photograph.
A high school photograph.
Julian and Vivian stood side by side.
Vivian’s arm was wrapped around his.
Both of them were smiling at the camera like they belonged together.
Because they had.
They’d been a couple.
Suddenly everything started making sense.
When Julian and I first started dating, Vivian constantly criticized him.
She complained about his temper.
Said he wasn’t thoughtful.
Said he wasn’t boyfriend material.
I’d assumed she was just looking out for me.
Now I realized the truth.
They were exes.
Two people who couldn’t let each other go.
Two people who hated each other because they’d once loved each other too much.
And somehow…
I’d gotten caught in the middle.
What had I been?
A rebound?
A pawn?
A tool they used to make each other jealous?
Another memory surfaced.
Six months ago, Julian had returned from an overseas business trip.
I’d noticed fresh scratches on his neck.
When I asked about them, he’d looked away briefly.
Then he’d smiled.
“A wild cat got me.”
At the time, I’d laughed and believed him.
Now I knew exactly whose claws had left those marks.
“Huh?”
The little boy’s voice came through the phone.
“Ma’am, are you okay? You’re crying.”
I looked up.
My gaze landed on his face.
Julian’s eyes.
Vivian’s mouth.
Their son.
I swallowed the metallic taste rising in my throat.
Then I forced myself to ask, “Can you tell me about your parents? I think I might know them.”
The boy tilted his head.
“You know my mom and dad?”
I nodded.
“Are your parents Julian Thorne and Vivian Rhodes? We went to college together.”
The boy’s eyes immediately lit up.
“You knew them?”
Then he asked excitedly,
“Do you know Ms. Hazel Whitlock?”
