Three days before the wedding.
Aurelia woke up late. She hadn't slept all night.
She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the blank wall in front of her. She hadn't left her room in three days. For three days, she hadn't replied to anyone's messages or gone to the café as usual to check on its supplies. All she had done these past three days was sit there, waiting for something she didn't even know the name of.
A soft knock sounded at the door.
"Do you want something to eat?" Arden called from outside.
Aurelia didn't answer.
Arden sighed. "Arka's here. He brought your favorite meatballs. He's waiting downstairs."
Aurelia covered her face with both hands.
She didn't want to see Arka. The twenty-five-year-old woman didn't want to see anyone. She just wanted to sit there until it was all over. Until the wedding was over. Until her heart stopped hurting.
But Aurelia knew she couldn't hide from the facts forever.
Slowly, she got up, washed her face, and put on a gray sweater she hadn't worn in a long time. She walked down the stairs, each heavy step feeling as though every stair were an immeasurable burden.
Arka was sitting in the living room, holding a bowl of meatballs. A smile spread across his face when he saw Aurelia come downstairs.
The smile never reached his eyes.
"You look like a zombie," he said.
Aurelia sat on the couch. "Thanks for coming."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't come here to comfort you. I came to eat meatballs. You just happened to be here."
Aurelia let out a small laugh. The sound broke halfway through.
Arka set the bowl on the table. He sat across from her and stared at her for a long moment.
"Do you want to talk about him?" he asked softly.
Aurelia shook her head.
"Good. Because I don't want to talk about him either. I want to talk about you."
Aurelia raised her head.
"What do you want?"
"Do you want to run away?" Arka asked.
Aurelia's brow furrowed. She had never thought that far.
"Do you want to run away from here? Run away from all of this? Run away from your feelings? Run away from the fact that the man you love is getting married in three days? And if you want to run, that's okay. But where would you go?" Arka continued.
Aurelia lowered her head.
"You can run anywhere. Out of town. Out of the country. To the ends of the earth. But you'll never be able to run from yourself. You'll always carry those feelings with you wherever you go. And someday, when you're old, you'll regret it. You'll regret never saying anything. You'll regret staying silent." Arka kept bombarding Aurelia with questions, trying to make her get back on her feet. Even though he liked Aurelia, Arka didn't want to be selfish, because the person Aurelia wanted wasn't him. It was Darren.
Aurelia closed her eyes. Tears began to fall.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I don't want you to regret it for the rest of your life. Because I don't want you to become like him. Because I don't want you to spend the rest of your life wondering what would have happened if you'd dared to speak up."
Arka leaned forward. His voice was gentle. Very gentle.
"You love him. And he loves you. Nothing can change that. Not a wedding, not an engagement, not any promise can change the feelings between two people. The question isn't whether you love him or not. The question is, what are you going to do about it?"
Aurelia shook her head. "He's already chosen. He chose Nora. He chose that wedding. He chose not to say anything. What can I do?"
"You can tell him. You can tell him before it's too late. You can tell him before he says those vows. After that, it will be too late. After that, nothing can be changed."
"And what if he still chooses to leave?"
"Then you'll know. Then you'll never spend the rest of your life wondering. Then you can move on with your life in peace. Then you won't regret it."
Aurelia fell silent. She stared at the floor. Her tears fell one by one onto the carpet.
"And you?" she asked softly. "What about you?"
Arka smiled. It was a bitter smile.
"Me? I'll be fine. I'm always fine." He stood up. "I'm leaving. Think it over yourself. But remember. Three days from now. After that, it will all be over."
He walked toward the door. Before he left, he stopped.
"Aurelia?"
"Yes?"
"If you decide to go see him, call me. I'll drive you there. I'll wait out front. I'll do whatever you need. Even if it means watching you walk into another man's arms."
He left.
The door closed.
Aurelia stayed there. For hours, she did nothing but sit and think about Arka's words.
Three days.
In three days, it would all be over.
In three days, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
She got up. She walked to the closet and took down a small box from the very top. It was a box she had kept for seven years.
She opened it.
Inside was a photograph. A picture of Darren and her on her seventeenth birthday. Darren was holding a birthday cake. He was laughing. So was she. They were both young. They were both happy. Neither of them knew that seven years later, they would find themselves in this position.
Beneath the photograph was a piece of paper. It had yellowed with age. It was a letter she had written to Darren seven years ago. A letter she had never sent. A letter containing all the feelings she had never expressed.
Aurelia read the letter. Her tears fell onto the paper, making the ink run.
She folded the letter back up and slipped it into her sweater pocket.
She grabbed her car keys and walked downstairs.
Arden was standing by the front door, as if he had been waiting for her.
"Are you leaving?" he asked.
Aurelia nodded.
"Are you going to see him?"
Aurelia nodded again.
Arden let out a long sigh and shook his head.
"Do you know what will happen if you go there?"
"I know."
"You know he's getting married in three days?"
"I know."
"You know this could destroy everything?"
Aurelia looked at her brother. Her eyes were red, but her voice was firm. For the first time in her life, her voice didn't tremble at all.
"If I don't go, I'll destroy myself."
Arden was silent. He stared at his sister for a long moment, then slowly shook his head.
"Go," he said. "Go now, before I change my mind."
Aurelia hugged her brother tightly.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me. Tell me that when you come back. And remember. Whatever happens later, I'm here. Whatever he says, whatever happens, you still have me."
Aurelia released him and walked outside.
She got into her car and started the engine.
She looked back at the house one more time.
Then she stepped on the gas and drove toward Darren's house.
She was going to tell him everything she had never said.
She was going to give her heart a little hope.
Three days before the wedding.
And no one knew whether she would make it there in time.
No one knew what would happen when she arrived.
No one knew whether this would save them or destroy everything.
Only one thing was certain.
For the first time in seven years, neither of them was choosing to stay silent anymore.