I never expected to discover a secret that would cancel my best friend's wedding, but that was exactly what happened four days before she was supposed to become a wife.
My name is Blessing, and Adaeze had been my best friend since our university days. When she announced her wedding to Michael, I was genuinely happy for her. They had dated for almost four years, and she believed she had finally found the man she would spend the rest of her life with.
The wedding was scheduled for Saturday, and everyone was busy preparing for the big day.
On Tuesday afternoon, I went to a supermarket to buy a few things. As I approached the entrance, I noticed two men standing around the corner, talking quietly. One of them was Michael.
I was about to greet him when I heard his friend ask, "Guy, are you sure you want to go ahead with this wedding?"
I stopped walking.
Michael sighed. "What choice do I have? Everything has been paid for. Both families are involved, and people have already made plans to attend. How do I cancel a wedding four days before the date?"
His friend shook his head. "But what about Adaeze? Does she know how you feel?"
"No, and I don't intend to tell her. I just need to get through the wedding first."
My heart started beating faster.
Then Michael said something that made my stomach turn.
"I still love Jennifer. If she had agreed to marry me, I wouldn't be preparing to marry Adaeze. She's a good woman, and I know she loves me, but I don't feel the same way anymore."
His friend looked at him in disbelief.
"Then why are you marrying her?"
"Maybe things will change after the wedding. Maybe I'll learn to love her properly."
I covered my mouth. The man who was supposed to become my best friend's husband was hoping to develop feelings for her after marrying her.
His friend asked, "What if she finds out about Jennifer?"
Michael lowered his voice. "She won't. And please, don't tell anyone about this conversation. You're not supposed to hear it, and neither is anybody else."
I quietly walked away before they noticed me. My hands were shaking, and I had completely forgotten why I came to the supermarket.
On my way home, I kept asking myself what to do. Should I tell Adaeze? The wedding was only four days away. What if she didn't believe me? What if she thought I wanted to ruin her happiness?
But how could I stand beside her on Saturday, smiling in my bridesmaid's dress, while knowing what I had heard?
The following morning, I visited her. She was arranging wedding souvenirs when I arrived.
"Blessing! Thank God you're here. Come and help me check these things. I don't want anything to go wrong on Saturday," she said excitedly.
I tried to smile, but she noticed something was wrong.
"What's the matter?" She asked
I sat beside her and held her hand.
"Adaeze, I need to tell you something, and I need you to listen carefully."
I told her everything I had overheard, including Michael's confession about Jennifer and his hope that he would learn to love her after the wedding.
When I finished, she stared at me silently.
"Are you sure you heard him correctly?" she asked.
"Yes. I'm sorry. I wish I hadn't heard it, but I did."
She wiped her eyes.
"I knew something was wrong. He's been distant for months, but whenever I ask him, he says he's stressed about the wedding. I wanted to believe him."
She removed her engagement ring and stared at it.
"I love him, Blessing, but I can't marry someone who is only choosing me because the woman he wants doesn't want him."
She picked up her phone and called Michael.
"Do you still love Jennifer?" she asked when he answered.
He went silent before saying, "It's not what you think, Adaeze."
"Then why did you tell your friend you were only going ahead with this wedding because everything had been paid for?"
Michael tried to explain, but he couldn't give her a convincing answer.
Finally, Adaeze said, "The wedding is off."
She ended the call before he could respond.
Her family tried to convince her to reconsider, but she stood her ground. On Saturday, the day she was supposed to get married, she stayed home with her family. There was no ceremony, no reception, and no wedding pictures.
That evening, I visited her again. We sat quietly in her room before she finally turned to me.
"Thank you for telling me," she whispered.
I squeezed her hand. "I was afraid you might hate me."
She shook her head. "I'd rather cry today than spend years wondering why my husband doesn't love me," and that would be the beginning of failed marriage.
Image by Google Gemini.