Gina stood at the altar with her heart racing, she felt the weight of everyone's gaze on her as she stood frozen at the altar, her father's grip on her arm was the only thing that kept her standing and from falling on the walk down the aisle to the altar. She could feel the tension in the air, a palpable silence that hung heavily over the chapel. The pastor cleared his throat, breaking the stillness.
"Gina, do you take Toby to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for as long as you both shall live?"
Gina looked into Toby's eyes, but she could no longer feel the love she felt for him. She felt her father's eyes on her, and she looked up to her fathers face to see a mixture of emotions on his face. They were all expecting a positive reply.
But she knew what she had to do. She turned to Toby, and before the pastor could even finish repeating the question again , she interrupted.
"I can't do this. I can't marry you, Toby," she said with a trembling voice, her eyes meeting Toby's.
"What are you talking about? We talked about this. You said you forgive me," Toby pleaded but in a rather harsh tone. "Don't do this, Don't embarrass me here… us here"
"I thought I did, but I can't go through with it. Not after what I saw," Gina replied, trying to hold back the tears.
"What you saw? What you saw was a mistake. I swear it won't happen again," Toby pleaded.
But Gina had made up her mind. She knew she couldn't trust Toby, and she didn't want to spend the rest of her life with someone who would betray her.
Gina's heart raced as she hesitated, her mind flashing back to the image of Toby and Lucia entwined in each other's arms. She couldn't marry him, not after what she had seen yesterday night. She gently took a deep breath and spoke, her voice shaking with emotion.
"I can't be with someone who doesn't have respect for me by cheating on me with my best friend and bridesmaid on the eve of our wedding" she looked from Toby to Lucia, her bridesmaid, while gently saying in tears to the bewilderment of the guests.
"Toby's face fell, and for a moment, he looked like he was about to protest. But then he simply nodded, his eyes downcast. Gina could see the hurt and disappointment etched on his face, but she knew it was for the best. He tried to grab her hand, but Gina pulled away.
She turned to her father and squeezed his hand, grateful for his support. "I'm sorry, Dad," she whispered.
He smiled gently at her, his eyes filled with understanding. "Don't be sorry, my dear. You did the right thing."
Gina felt a weight lift from her shoulders as she stepped away from the altar, the sound of her heels echoing through the quiet chapel. She could hear murmurs and whispers from the guests, but she paid them no mind. All that mattered was that she had listened to her instincts and followed her heart.
The seer was right, she thought.
Few days back, she had gone to the mall with Lucia for some last minute shopping when they had met this seer and Lucia had dragged her into the store in her furious quest of finding her soulmate. Gina was reluctant at first but she knew that Lucia wasn't going to stop until they entered the seers store. So she obliged.
She could recall exactly how the interior of the store was dimly lit, with only a few rays of light filtering in through the windows. The walls are lined with shelves, filled to the brim with curious and obscure objects. There are jars of strange herbs and powders, crystals of all shapes and sizes, and ancient-looking tomes bound in leather.
But instead of the seer telling Lucia if she had a soulmate, the seer had taken interest in her instead. She remembered the strange sensation that had come over her when the seer had taken her hand.
"Hello, my dear," the seer said rubbing her outer palm, "I see a lot of mysteries around you but don't worry. I'm here to help," her voice soft and comforting.
Gina had been skeptical at first, but she decided to listen to what the seer had to say. The seer had taken her hand and closed her eyes for a moment.
"I see a beautiful bride, climbing the stairs of the altar on her wedding day. She looks sad, but I can't see why. There's something blurry, and I can't quite make it out. It feels like illusions yet so real. But I know so well that beyond those blurs are the cause of her sadness," the seer had said.
Gina had tried to brush it off, but now she understood what the seer had meant. She had been warned about today, but she had ignored it.
She looked back at the altar, where Toby and Lucia were now arguing with the pastor. She knew she had made the right decision, and she felt a weight lift off her shoulders.
As she walked out of the church, she felt a sense of freedom she hadn't felt in a long time. She knew it wouldn't be easy, but she also knew that she had made the right choice.