Nathan sat on the edge of his prison cot, the wedding invitation heavy in his hands. The dim light of his cell cast a long shadow across the letter, as if even the walls around him knew how cruel this was.
Sarah. Getting married.
To another man.
His fingers traced the embossed gold lettering on the invitation. It was elegant, just like her. His stomach twisted as he read her words again, each sentence driving deeper into the hollow space in his chest.
"I don't expect you to come, but I wanted to offer you the choice."
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. A choice? What choice did he have? He was behind bars, stripped of everything, while she was out there moving forward, leaving him behind like a ghost from a life she barely remembered.
Nathan clenched his jaw, folding the letter back into the envelope with shaking hands.
The past wouldn't let him go.
Every night, his dreams took him back—to Sarah's laughter, to the way she once looked at him before everything fell apart. And then, like clockwork, the dream would shift. He would see Lewis, hear the sickening crack of his skull hitting the floor, feel the weight of his brother's blood on his hands.
His stomach twisted with nausea.
He had lost Sarah long before this invitation arrived. Long before Lewis' death. Maybe even before he ever had a chance with her at all.
But seeing her marry another man?
That was something else entirely.
---
Days passed.
Nathan tried to ignore the invitation, to shove it deep inside his pillow and pretend it didn't exist. But the words haunted him, repeating over and over in his head until he couldn't breathe.
"Maybe it's a final goodbye."
He didn't know why that part hurt the most.
Maybe because it meant that Sarah was closing the last door between them.
Maybe because she had already let him go.
But he hadn't let go of her.
He never would.
"Nate?"
The voice broke his thoughts. His cellmate, Marcus, leaned against the bunk, arms crossed. He was a tall man with a rough exterior, but there was a quiet understanding in his gaze.
"You've been staring at that damn letter for days," Marcus said. "You gonna go or not?"
Nathan scoffed. "How the hell would I go?"
Marcus shrugged. "Prisoners get day passes for certain things. Funerals. Family emergencies." He paused, then added, "Weddings."
Nathan shook his head. "Even if I could, what would be the point?"
Marcus gave him a look. "Closure, maybe. Or maybe you just wanna torture yourself."
Nathan exhaled sharply. He had been telling himself that ignoring the letter would make it easier. But nothing was easy when it came to Sarah.
He thought of her standing at the altar in a white dress. Of another man slipping a ring onto her finger. Of Sarah looking at him the way she used to look at—
No.
Not at him.
At Lewis.
His hands curled into fists.
Hadn't it always been like that? Hadn't she always chosen someone else over him? First Lewis, and now this new man—David.
Nathan had spent his entire life wanting Sarah, loving her, losing her.
But this was the final cut.
---
A week later, Nathan sat across from the prison warden.
"I need a temporary release," he said, voice steady.
The warden, a middle-aged man with graying hair, raised a skeptical brow. "For what?"
Nathan hesitated, the words thick in his throat. "A wedding."
The warden sighed. "Inmates don't typically get passes for weddings unless it's immediate family."
Nathan gritted his teeth. Sarah had been my family. She was everything.
He cleared his throat. "I know it's unusual, but… I just need a few hours."
The warden studied him. "This is Sarah Bennett's wedding, isn't it?"
Nathan's stomach dropped.
He shouldn't have been surprised. His trial had been public, his crime infamous. The love triangle that ended in tragedy—it had made headlines for months. The warden likely knew everything.
Nathan nodded.
The warden sighed. "I'll see what I can do. But if you go, I expect you to be on your best behavior."
Nathan exhaled slowly. "I will."
---
The day of the wedding arrived.
Nathan stood in front of the mirror in the prison's visitor area, dressed in plain clothes instead of his jumpsuit. The sight of himself unsettled him. He looked thinner, older. The weight of regret clung to him like a second skin.
A guard approached. "Time to go."
Nathan swallowed hard and followed.
---
The church was beautiful.
It was decorated with white roses, golden accents, and candlelit aisles. The scent of fresh flowers filled the air, mixing with the quiet murmur of guests.
Nathan stood at the back, unnoticed, a shadow among the celebration. His heart pounded as he saw her.
Sarah.
She was breathtaking.
Her white gown hugged her figure gracefully, her dark hair pinned up with delicate pearls. She smiled softly as she stood at the altar, her fingers intertwined with David's.
Nathan's chest constricted.
He shouldn't have come.
Sarah turned, her eyes sweeping the room—and then, for a single moment, they locked onto his.
Her smile faltered.
Shock flickered across her face. Then something softer. Pain? Regret?
Nathan wasn't sure.
But it didn't matter.
Because, in the end, she had still chosen someone else.
And there was nothing he could do to change that.
As the ceremony continued, Nathan quietly slipped out the back.
He had seen enough.
---