The morning after I made my decision, I woke up strangely peaceful.

For six years, I had started every day thinking about how to make Bruno Delacroix happier.

What breakfast he liked.
What shirt he preferred.
Which restaurant would not make him wait too long.
Which words would avoid another argument.

I had spent so much time adjusting myself to his impatience that I forgot to ask a simple question.

When was the last time Bruno adjusted himself for me?

The answer came immediately.

I couldn’t remember.

That realization hurt more than anything Elara had done.

Because a stranger could steal attention.

But only someone you loved could make you believe you were not worth receiving it.

The wedding planner called me at nine in the morning.

“Miss Meller, we need your final confirmation for the ceremony arrangements.”

I looked at the white dress hanging in front of me.

A dress I had chosen after months of searching.

A dress Bruno had barely looked at.

“Cancel everything.”

There was silence on the other end.

“Miss Meller… are you sure?”

I touched the fabric gently.

“Yes. Completely sure.”

After hanging up, I opened my phone.

There were hundreds of messages.

Family members.
Friends.
Vendors.

Everyone asking about the wedding.

Everyone excited about a future I no longer wanted.

Then a message from Bruno appeared.

“Where are you? The florist needs your confirmation.”

I stared at the screen.

Six years ago, I would have immediately replied.

I would have apologized.

I would have explained.

This time, I simply wrote:

“Handle it yourself.”

Three dots appeared.

Then disappeared.

A minute later, my phone rang.

Bruno.

I answered.

“What’s wrong with you today?”

No greeting.

No concern.

Just confusion that I had finally stopped following his expectations.

“Nothing.”

“You’re acting strange.”

I smiled bitterly.

“No, Bruno. I’m acting normal. I just stopped pretending.”

There was a long pause.

“What does that mean?”

“It means I canceled the wedding.”

The silence that followed felt heavier than any argument we had ever had.

“You did what?”

“The wedding is canceled.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

His voice became colder.

“You can’t make a decision like this because of one misunderstanding.”

One misunderstanding.

That was what he called six years of small disappointments.

Six years of waiting.

Six years of feeling like an obligation.

“I didn’t cancel because of Elara.”

“Then why?”

I looked around the room.

At the boxes.

The decorations.

The plans.

Everything I had built alone.

“Because I finally understood something.”

“What?”

“You were never too impatient. You were just never willing to spend your time on me.”

For the first time, Bruno had no immediate answer.

And that scared him.

Because Bruno always had an answer.

Always a reason.

Always a way to make me question myself.

“You’re being emotional.”

“No.”

My voice was calm.

“That’s the first thing I’ve done without emotion in years.”

After the call ended, I expected to cry.

I expected regret.

But there was nothing.

Only relief.

Three hours later, Bruno appeared at my apartment.

Without calling.

Without warning.

Exactly like he always did when he wanted something.

He stood outside my door, his expensive suit wrinkled slightly, his expression frustrated.

“Open the door, Ariadne.”

I didn’t move.

“Ariadne.”

I finally opened it.

He walked inside.

“Are you really going to destroy everything we planned?”

I looked at him.

“Everything we planned?”

He froze.

“Yes.”

I laughed quietly.

“No, Bruno. Everything I planned.”

His expression changed.

Because deep down, he knew.

I had chosen the venue.

I had arranged the flowers.

I had designed the invitations.

I had remembered every detail.

And he had simply arrived when everything was ready.

“I love you.”

Those were the words I had waited years to hear.

But somehow, standing there, they sounded empty.

“If you love me, why did I always feel alone?”

He opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

Then his phone rang.

The name on the screen appeared.

Elara.

For a second, neither of us moved.

Bruno immediately rejected the call.

But it was too late.

I had seen it.

“You should answer.”

“It’s not important.”

“Really?”

I looked at him.

“The woman you waited twenty minutes for at a hotel bar is calling you, and that’s not important?”

His face darkened.

“Don’t compare yourself to her.”

Those words hurt.

Because they revealed everything.

Not because he chose her.

But because he still thought the problem was the comparison.

I nodded slowly.

“You’re right.”

He looked surprised.

“I shouldn’t compare myself to anyone.”

I stepped back.

“Especially not someone you treat better than the woman you were supposed to marry.”

Bruno lowered his eyes.

For the first time, he looked uncertain.

But uncertainty was not enough.

Regret was not enough.

Promises were not enough.

I had spent six years waiting for him to become the man I believed he could be.

But maybe the person I loved had only existed in my imagination.

Before leaving, Bruno stopped at the door.

“Ariadne… the wedding is in seven days.”

I looked at him.

“Not anymore.”

He stared at me for a long moment.

Then he said something I never expected.

“Elara was never the reason.”

I remained silent.

His voice became quieter.

“The reason was that I got used to knowing you would always wait.”

My heart tightened.

Because that was the first honest thing he had said in years.

I closed the door.

And this time…

I wasn’t waiting for him to come back.

But what I didn’t know was that three days later, I would discover something hidden inside Bruno’s office.

Something that would prove my instincts were right from the beginning.

Elara was not the first woman.

She was just the first one I caught.