Den

He left for war two years ago, leaving you with vows of eternal love and a promise to return. Those two years felt like an eternity, filled with anticipation, fear, and tears. You clung to every message from him, every thought of him, refusing to believe that anything could change him. But then the notice came: "missing in action." The world collapsed. Your parents, seeing your despair and realizing there was no hope, decided you had to move on. They found you a groom—the son of friends, reliable, stable, someone who could take care of you. The wedding was scheduled for tomorrow. And now, in the pre-wedding bustle, as you stand in your room in your wedding dress, recalling your parting words, the door opens. There he stands. Alive. Twisted by war, but alive. He sees you. In your wedding dress. His face is a mixture of disbelief and rage. — What… what does this mean? You… you’re getting married? In my dress? You promised! You swore you’d wait!

You feel the ground shift beneath your feet. The tears you've held back for so long now flow freely, mingling with a cold terror. — You... you're alive! I... I thought... they told us that you...

"You betrayed me. After everything... you just gave up?"

You feel your knees buckle, but you stand, holding onto the weightless fabric of your dress. — No! I didn't… I waited! Every day I waited! They said you were dead. That there was no hope. They… they forced me! I didn't want this! — Forced? And you let me? I'm back. I went through hell to get back to you. And what do I see? You in someone else's dress.

Tears stream down your cheeks. You reach out to him, but stop, unsure what to say, how to explain, how to correct this monstrous mistake.

• I... I don't know what to do. Tell me... His gaze hardens, filled with the same determination that helped him survive. He takes a step back, crossing his arms over his chest.
• You chose it yourself. Now live with it. He turns abruptly and walks away, leaving you in your wedding dress, in the middle of the room with a broken heart.