On my wedding day, I waited anxiously for Andrew to arrive and pick me up. But the wedding car was nowhere in sight.

When it finally did show up, I was stunned. The vehicle meant to carry me to my new life was draped in black cloth. White fabric covered the seats, making the car look eerily like a hearse. Sitting in the front passenger seat was his secretary, Raquel, cradling a small urn in her arms. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

"Naomi," she said, choking back sobs, "please don’t take it to heart… My dog, Peanut, passed away yesterday. The fortune teller said today is an auspicious day for burial and it can only be reincarnated if it’s laid to rest today. Mr. Benedict said he would give Peanut a final ride on the way… I hope you’re not upset?"

I turned to Andrew, my voice cold. "You turned our wedding car into a hearse… for your secretary’s dog?"

Andrew did not even flinch. He replied, annoyed, "You’ve heard the saying, right? Marriage is where love goes to die. So really, what’s the difference between a wedding and a funeral? A hearse sounds about right."

Something inside me snapped. I tore off my veil and flung it aside, then picked up my phone and made a call.

"Are you free to get married today?"

——

There was still an hour before the ceremony, but Andrew ignored every call, letting the phone ring unanswered.

I tried messaging Raquel instead—after all, Andrew had entrusted all the wedding arrangements to her as he had told me, "You just focus on being a beautiful bride. Let my secretary handle the details."

When I asked her earlier about the wedding car, Raquel had insisted it would be unique and romantic. She said that instead of the traditional procession, it would be more meaningful for the bride and groom to arrive hand-in-hand, quietly and intimately. So, I waited for Andrew to pick me up because I had no other choice.

But now, opening her social media, I saw a post that made my blood run cold.

It was a black-and-white photo. Raquel was dressed entirely in black, with a white camellia tucked into her hair. Her eyes were swollen from crying. She leaned her head gently on a man’s shoulder while clutching the urn close to her chest.

The caption read, [Mom and Dad will always love you, my baby.]

The man’s shoulder looked painfully familiar, but I did not have time to dwell on it. My hand trembled as I locked my phone. Seeing a photo like that on my wedding day felt like a bad omen.

Yet, the thought would not leave me.

Raquel was unmarried.

So, where did the "Mom and Dad" come from?

Before I could process anything, Andrew called and told me to come downstairs immediately.

Clutching my bouquet, heart brimming with joy, I rushed out the door—only for my smile to freeze halfway.

Our wedding car was covered in black cloth. Through the window, I saw the seats inside draped entirely in white fabric. It looked exactly like a hearse.

Just yesterday, the car had been decorated with my favorite flowers, shimmering rhinestones and delicate, romantic patterns. Every detail had been chosen with care, each one reflecting my excitement for this day. For our wedding.

But now, all of it was gone, replaced with this cold, lifeless scene.

It felt like the blood in my veins had turned to ice. Dazed, I asked, "Andrew, what… what is this?"

Raquel was sitting in the passenger seat. Her eyes were swollen red. She rolled down the window and said tearfully, "Naomi, please don’t take it to heart. My dog, Peanut, passed away yesterday. The fortune teller said today is an auspicious day for burial and it can only be reincarnated if it’s laid to rest today. Mr. Benedict said he would give Peanut a final ride on the way… I hope you’re not upset?"

"I couldn’t bear the overly festive look of the wedding car," she added. "So I draped it with some black fabric. These days, black and white-themed weddings are quite trendy. I thought it was fitting. That way, we wouldn’t delay your wedding or Peanut’s funeral."

A wedding car tied in black fabric and wrapped in white cloth? Whose idea of a celebration was this?

At last, the fury surged to my head and my voice cracked with disbelief. "Today is my wedding day. Raquel, are you doing this to humiliate me?"

I turned to Andrew, my voice rising. "We are getting married today and you turned the wedding car into a hearse for a dog? Do you even realize how cruel and doomed this is?"

"Our relatives and friends are waiting at the hotel right now. Are you seriously going to drive this car to our wedding?"

Andrew frowned, clearly annoyed. "It’s just a car. It gets us to the hotel—what more do you want? Why do you care about things like this? Can’t you be a little more compassionate?"

"You’ve heard the saying, right? Marriage is where love goes to die. So really, what’s the difference between a wedding and a funeral? A hearse sounds about right."

"And anyway, Raquel couldn’t even get a taxi while carrying the ashes. If we don’t help her, who will? You’re usually so understanding. What’s gotten into you today?"

Tears burst from my eyes. I rushed forward and tore off the black veil draped over the wedding car. "Who gave you the right to use my wedding car like this? Who said you could make this decision without me?"

Raquel hurried over to stop me. "Naomi, please don’t. Today is Peanut’s funeral. Just… let him go in peace."

I shoved her aside. "Get out of my way."

She stumbled backward and fell straight into Andrew’s arms. He caught her, then turned on me, grabbing my arm and shoving me to the ground.

"Have you gone mad?" he shouted. "Your wedding dress is white, the car seats are also white—what’s the problem? Why is it okay for you to make a scene, but no one else can do anything? Have some shame."

Pain shot through my hand as I hit the pavement. Blood welled up from my palm. I pointed at the urn in Raquel’s arms, my voice shaking.

"Andrew, do you even hear yourself? Do you have any idea what you’re saying? Have you even thought about how I feel?"

"A woman only gets married once in her life. And you Andrew Benedict, you want me to ride to my wedding in a hearse? Do you even want to marry me?"

Andrew was about to argue back, but Raquel gently stopped him. "This is all my fault, Mr. Benedict," she said softly. "I was overwhelmed with grief after Peanut passed away and I didn’t think about Naomi’s feelings. Of course, the wedding is more important than Peanut… after all, he was just my pet. I can handle it on my own."

As she spoke, her tears silently fell, landing one by one on the small urn in her arms.

"I have no family in this city—only Peanut, who stayed by my side every day like a companion, like family. I’m sorry. I just wanted to give it the farewell it deserves."

"Even if I go alone, I will walk to the cemetery."

She pushed open the passenger door and stepped out unsteadily. Dressed in black, her figure looked fragile and grief-stricken. She wiped at her tears, then turned to me and said through her sobs, "I’m sorry, Naomi. Please… go ahead and get in the car."

Andrew quickly got out after her and grabbed her wrist. "You don’t have to get out. I told you I would take Peanut on his last journey. Did you forget? I said I’d be his father, didn’t I?"

In that moment, a memory struck me. The caption I had seen earlier that morning in Raquel’s social media post read, [Mom and Dad will always love you, my baby.] So, that was what it meant. "Mom and Dad"… they were referring to Andrew and Raquel. And that familiar shoulder in the picture—it was his.

Raquel had joined Andrew’s company a year ago as a secretary. He found her attentive, thoughtful and quickly promoted her to assistant. From then on, she was by his side constantly, managing much of his work.

I had heard whispers from senior employees, warning me to keep an eye on their relationship, but I brushed it off. This was Andrew Benedict—my Andrew. The man I had loved for years, the man who had loved me deeply in return. I never once believed he could betray me. I believed no man would ever dare to cheat on someone like me.

But now, the truth was right in front of me, so clear and cruel that I could no longer deny it.

Raquel was not just his secretary. And Andrew… he was no longer the man I once knew.

My chest tightened with pain. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of our ten-year relationship. And yet, it had become this.

Andrew stepped toward me, his voice cold. "Do you really need to make a scene? Do you even have any idea how far it is from here to the cemetery? How long it would take Raquel to walk there all alone?"

"You know no one would let her ride with an urn. Did you really have to argue with her at her saddest moment?"

As he stepped closer, I caught the scent of camellia perfume clinging to him. It was Raquel’s perfume and it made me nauseous. I instinctively stepped back and covered my mouth.

He opened the car door and gently helped Raquel inside. "You don’t need to get out," he said softly to her. "I promised to take you there today and I will keep my word."

Then he turned to me.

"Hurry up and get in. The wedding’s about to start. I told you we’ll hold the ceremony first. I’ll still make sure you look like a beautiful bride. After the wedding, we’ll take Raquel to bury Peanut together."

Fury surged through me. I threw open the car door.

"Raquel, this is my car. Please get out. I don’t agree with you using it to go to the cemetery. I can call a car for you or find a friend to take you, but not this one."

Turning to Andrew, I said coldly, "Call the wedding planner now. Tell them to come and restore the car design like before."

Raquel looked at me, tears brimming in her eyes. She wiped them away quickly and forced a smile. "All right. I don't want to ruin your wedding more than this. Sorry and I wish you happiness."

Then she gently brushed Andrew’s hand aside and looked up at him with those watery eyes. "You should go get married. I’ve told you before—we’re not meant to walk the same path. Why keep upsetting Naomi?"

"Let me take Peanut alone. I’ll send him off myself."

She leaned over the urn and whispered, "Peanut, Mommy will take you to rest."

Enraged Andrew shoved me aside. I stumbled backward and crashed into the flower bed behind me. The sharp edge dug into my back—pain exploded through my body as my vision went black. The bouquet slipped from my fingers and scattered across the ground.

"That's enough. Are you done now? How long are you going to make a scene over a car? In the end, I’m still marrying you—what more do you want?"

"You’re about to become the wife of Andrew Benedict. You have everything anyone could ask for. Why must you make things so hard for Raquel? She had so little… and now she’s lost even that. Must you really push her this far?"

"If I had known you would turn out so cruel and unreasonable, I never would have agreed to marry you."

His words cut through me like a blade.

Andrew and I had been college sweethearts. He was just a poor scholarship student, barely scraping by. His family had nothing and he had to take out loans just to make it through school. But we fell in love. For the sake of his pride, I hid my background and quietly started a business with him. After graduation, we struggled together—through every hardship, side by side.

Eventually, things got better. We built our own company and behind the scenes, I even asked my father to support us. With that hidden help, his business flourished. He became a rising star in Seattle’s business world.

I waited patiently, believing he would propose. That we would finally have our wedding.

I invited friends and family, ready to reveal my background on our special day. I truly believed we would be happy.

But now, I stood frozen, watching him embrace his secretary as she nestled sweetly in his arms… watching the wedding car I had bought turned into a funeral hearse. My chest tightened.

Perhaps everything had already changed long ago. I just did not want to see it.

Andrew stared at me coldly. "You have two choices. One, get in the car and come with me to the hotel. We’ll still hold the wedding."

"Two, if you refuse to get in, then walk there yourself. After all, you don’t want to ride in a hearse, do you?"

I looked through the car window. Raquel was still in his arms, glancing at me with a smug, provocative smile.

She said softly, pretending to smooth things over, "Naomi, don’t be upset. I’ll try to talk to Mr. Benedict for you."

Then she turned toward him, whispering something in a sweet, spoiled tone. I caught a few words. "Naomi has always dreamed of marrying you. Even if you abandon her here, she’ll find a way to get to the hotel, but can’t you just coax her a little?"