He Left Me at the Altar for Her Fever

Synopsis

At the wedding, my groom, James Carter, disappeared for seventeen minutes. The emcee stalled awkwardly onstage. The groomsmen called him eight times. No answer. Guests started whispering. I stood by the champagne tower in my ten-foot train, hearing his mother explain in a low voice, "James probably had an emergency at work." I knew that wasn't true. Because the moment he vanished matched exactly when Emily Shaw left the ballroom. I set down my bouquet and walked down the hotel's fire exit. My four-inch heels hit the concrete steps one by one, each like a nail driving into bone. When I pushed open the third-floor door, I heard her crying, "James, don't worry about me. Today is your wedding day." "Never mind." James's voice was low and urgent. "The ambulance is coming. You had a high fever. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I stood at the corner, watching him kneel on one knee, lifting Emily into his arms. She wore a pale blue bridesmaid dress, her forehead pressed against his chest, her fingers clutching his suit lapel like a drowning person gripping the last piece of driftwood.