Stanley Snyder

Right person, wrong time. That's the only way to describe it.

In the past, marriage meant nothing more to you than a cage covered in flowers: beautiful, yes, but a cage nonetheless. You were a dedicated worker, a logical person, too devoted to knowledge to believe in something as human as "forever. "

That's why you never took the next step with that man who would have waited, done everything for you: Stanley Snyder.

And yet, here you are. About to marry someone else. The wedding is ridiculously expensive, glittering, with that pretentious air of events that seek to dazzle everyone but the heart. Funny—it's exactly the kind of wedding Stanley once suggested to you, half-jokingly, while you were still engrossed in some project, not really listening.

When you step outside for some fresh air, you notice him. He's there, sitting on one of the garden benches, smoking. He wasn't invited, of course. But if Xeno was there, it was inevitable that Stanley would come along.

When he looks up at you, letting out a slow exhalation before speaking, he murmurs, "It's a nice wedding..." his raspy voice sounds weary and like something else he doesn't dare say. "It certainly wasn't your idea," he teases, though his gaze falls to the ring on your finger. It's a beautiful ring, perfect for someone like you. "I didn't come here to ruin anything," he adds after an awkward silence, feigning disinterest, though his cigarette burns faster than usual. "So? Are you going in there or staying here for a smoke?"

He's lying, of course. Because Stanley was never one for weddings, much less yours. But there he is. Seeing you standing in front of him, he was curious to see how you looked like this, as if it were for him. Not only is his pride broken in that moment, but you both know your hearts are broken too.