Five Years, Left at the Altar

Noah and I had been dating for five years.

Just one day before our wedding, I discovered his private cloud drive. It was filled with over ten thousand photos of the exact same girl.

Alongside them were thousands of flight itineraries, all round trips to the same city in Europe.

I did not say a single word. I simply packed my bags and left on the day we were supposed to get married.

The bride vanished, just as he secretly hoped. Yet, when I was actually gone, he lost his mind.

I stared at the glowing monitor. My pupils trembled, and my heart slammed against my ribs so hard I could barely breathe. Tens of thousands of photos. Endless screenshots of flight tickets.

"Are you really getting married? You are not waiting for Luna to come back from overseas? I thought you were going to wait for her forever."

Mason's drunken words from a few weeks ago echoed in my ears. He had let it slip when he first heard about our engagement.

That was the very first time I had ever heard the name of Noah's first love.

Tragically, it took me until this exact moment to understand what Mason truly meant.

The cloud drive was updated every single month. The photos Noah and I had taken together over our entire five year relationship did not even add up to a fraction of what he uploaded for her in a single folder.

Whenever we went on dates and I wanted to take a picture to capture the memory, he always found an excuse to brush me off.

He would say we were together every day. He would say we had the rest of our lives to take pictures, so there was no need to force it.

Sitting in front of his computer, the freezing truth finally washed over me. It was not that taking pictures was unnecessary. I was just unnecessary to him.

I stared at the timestamps watermarked in the corners of the photos.

Pulling out my phone, I cross referenced the dates with our old text messages.

Without fail, every single time a photo was taken, Noah had told me he was out of town for a corporate training seminar or a grueling business trip.

The camera he kept in his study always conveniently vanished during those trips too.

The smooth, effortless lies in our chat history made my chest physically ache.

I abruptly shut down his computer, stood up, and rushed into the bedroom to pack my bags. I needed to get out.

But the moment I pulled open the closet doors, a suffocating wave of familiarity hit me.

Every single dress, every sweater, every coat hanging in my closet had appeared on Luna in those photos.

And every single one of these clothes was a "surprise gift" from Noah.

I slammed the closet doors shut and sank to the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees in absolute helplessness.

Tears completely blurred my vision. My hands shook violently as I typed out a message to my boss, Arthur.

I told him I wanted to apply for the open position at our overseas branch in London.

He called me immediately. He was silent for a long moment before letting out a soft sigh.

"It is good for young people to be cautious. Marriage is not something you should rush into. I will submit your paperwork right now. Take some time to rest while we wait for the final approval."

His voice held relief and a quiet sense of understanding. The only thing missing was surprise.

It seemed that everyone around us already knew Noah and I were never going to make it to the altar.

I hung up the phone and opened a travel app, preparing to book a one way ticket for tomorrow morning. Right then, the sound of the front door unlocking echoed through the apartment.

I pushed myself off the floor and walked out into the living room.

The absolute adoration that used to fill my eyes whenever I looked at him was entirely gone.

Noah walked in and, just like always, pressed a soft, habitual kiss to my forehead.

Only today, he was holding a small bakery box.

"I got off work early today, so I picked this up just for you. Try a bite. I have a college reunion tonight, so I have to head out soon."

I glanced at the box. Through the clear plastic window, I saw a rich chocolate mousse cake.

A sharp, mocking gleam flashed through my eyes.

"No thanks. I lost my appetite. Besides... I am allergic to chocolate."

For a fraction of a second, he looked dazed. Then, it clicked. It was the same sentence I told him every single year.

And every single year, he completely forgot.

Seeing my blank expression, he assumed I wasn't actually mad. He smiled and affectionately ruffled my hair.

"My bad, babe. Work has been absolutely insane lately. I promise I will buy you a different one tomorrow after the wedding."

In the past, trapped in my blind ignorance, I believed every excuse that fell from his lips.

But after seeing those photos, I finally understood his obsession with chocolate.

It was Luna's absolute favorite.

And "work has been insane" was the ultimate, foolproof shield he used for everything.

The last upload to his cloud drive was exactly three days ago.

I looked into his eyes. They were completely devoid of any real emotional depth. I nodded slowly, choosing not to rip off his mask just yet.

I wanted to leave us with a final shred of dignity.

Seeing that I wasn't throwing a tantrum like I used to, his lips curled into a pleased smile. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a velvet jewelry box, snapping it open in front of me.

A silver necklace with a crescent moon pendant encrusted with crushed diamonds caught the light, making my eyes sting.

I accepted it with a completely blank face, turned around, and walked back into the bedroom.

I opened my nightstand drawer and tossed the necklace inside.

Then, I slipped the silver promise ring off my finger. It had a tiny moon engraved on the inner band. I tossed it into the drawer too.

Inside that drawer lay a matching moon bracelet, moon studs, a moon hairpin...

I used to wonder why he was so wildly obsessed with moon motifs. Now that I knew Luna's name, the translation was obvious. Everything revolved around the moon.

As I closed the drawer, Noah's upbeat, expectant voice drifted in from the hallway.

"You should wear the jewelry I bought you for the wedding tomorrow! The whole moon set will look gorgeous on you."

"Anyway, be a good girl and stay home tonight. I am heading out to the reunion. It is my last night as a bachelor, so I might be back a bit late. Do not wait up."

I didn't answer. I stayed huddled in the bedroom like a ghost.

I repeated a silent mantra in my head. We were never having a wedding. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

As soon as the front door clicked shut, I walked into the kitchen and threw the chocolate cake directly into the trash can.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the glass display cabinet. Inside were all the cute little bakery tags and ribbons from every single cake he had brought home over the last five years.

They sat there, silently mocking my pathetic, one woman play.

I treasured the literal garbage he handed me, treating it like gold, while I was nothing but a disposable convenience to him.

I opened the cabinet and swept every last piece of it into the garbage.

Then, I finally started packing for London.

Aside from my clothes and my own jewelry, the only things going into my suitcase were basic daily necessities.

As I dug through the cabinets, I stumbled upon even more harsh truths.

Over the last five years, every carefully selected gift I had ever given Noah was shoved into random, dusty corners of the apartment.

Many of them were completely expired, the plastic wrapping still fully intact.

No wonder he always dodged the question when I asked how he liked my gifts. He always claimed they were too precious to use.

Looking back, he probably just tossed them aside and genuinely forgot where he put them.

Meanwhile, all of his premium grooming products and colognes were imported from the exact same city in Europe.

The city where Luna lived.

I gathered all his imported bottles and swept them directly into the trash bin. I was throwing away my love for him, right alongside the pathetic, desperate version of myself.

The exact second I zipped my suitcase shut, my phone rang. It was Mason.

"Audrey, Noah is completely wasted. Do you think you could come pick him up? I will text you the address."

Through the receiver, I could clearly hear Noah's hoarse voice chanting a name in the background. "Luna..."

His voice was dripping with pure desperation, religious devotion, and the euphoric joy of finding something he thought he had lost forever.

But it was not slurred. He wasn't drunk at all.

My breath caught in my throat. My heart flatlined for a full second.

Mason panicked, quickly covering the microphone before hanging up the call.

I stood by my suitcase, staring at the wall. I hesitated for a couple of seconds before grabbing my coat and calling a cab to the address Mason sent.

This was the final night. Since I had already decided to walk away forever, I needed absolute closure. No lingering doubts. No regrets.

When I reached the heavy oak doors of the VIP lounge, the muffled sounds of laughter and teasing spilled through the cracks.

"I can't believe Luna actually flew back today! Did you hear some news about our boy Noah? We are definitely not letting you leave tonight!"

Looking through the narrow glass panel in the door, I saw an expression on Noah's face I had never witnessed in five years. He looked vibrant, reckless, and completely alive.

His eyes were absolutely glued to the woman sitting across from him.

The woman whose face I had just scrutinized in tens of thousands of photos.

Around her neck rested a crescent moon diamond necklace. It was the exact same design Noah had handed me an hour ago.

Except hers was noticeably larger, custom made, and infinitely more brilliant.

I took a deep breath and pushed the lounge doors open.

The chaotic noise in the room died instantly.

Noah clearly had no idea I was coming. His brows snapped together in deep confusion, a flash of irritation crossing his features.

Mason was the first to jump up and play the mediator.

"Oh, hey! Audrey! Let me introduce you. This is Luna, our old college classmate. She moved to Europe five years ago and literally just landed today. What crazy timing, right?"

Mason's eyes darted back and forth between Noah and Luna, practically glowing with amusement.

He called me here on purpose. It was a sick game to him.

If this were the old me, I probably would have lost control. I would have screamed, demanding to know why they were meeting up the night before our wedding, begging to know why no one stopped this.

But now, I just stood there, offering a perfectly calm, polite smile.

When Mason finally got around to introducing me, he used the word "fiance."

The second the word left his mouth, Noah started violently coughing into his hand.

Luna seamlessly reached over, grabbed a napkin, and gently dabbed the corner of his mouth. Her movements were fluid and entirely natural.

After a long, agonizing moment, Noah's face flushed deep red as he finally spoke.

"She is just a really close friend."

My eyelashes fluttered. Under the burning, entertained gazes of everyone in the room, I smiled and nodded in agreement.

My fingernails were digging so deeply into my palms the skin was breaking, but I refused to let a single tear fall.

He never wanted to acknowledge my title publicly. I was used to it.

Even our wedding invitations were just a mass text message sent out to his acquaintances. No engagement photos. No mention of the bride's name.

I used to fabricate endless excuses for his behavior. I foolishly thought that if I just bet my entire heart on these five years, I would eventually win.

But time after time, I was always the loser.

I forced my smile to stay bright as I looked directly at Luna.

"You are even more beautiful in person than in pictures. And your necklace... is stunning."

The entire room fell into a suffocating, awkward silence.

Terrified that I was going to cause a scene, Noah quickly grabbed a cocktail from the table and shoved it into my hand to keep me quiet.

I looked down at the dark liquid. It was a Black Russian. A chocolate liqueur cocktail.

My smile completely froze.

I looked him dead in the eye, enunciating every single word.

"I cannot drink chocolate..."

I had literally reminded him two hours ago in our living room. He had already erased it from his memory.

A flash of genuine panic crossed Noah's face.

Just as he reached out to swap my drink, Luna intercepted. She smoothly lifted the glass from my hand.

"I will take it. I am not picky."

Noah's panic instantly shifted into deep concern. "Wait, the bartender mixed lemon juice into that one. You hate the taste of lemon, remember?"

In that split second, it felt like a grenade detonated inside my chest.

Razor sharp shrapnel pierced my lungs. Every breath I took felt like inhaling broken glass.

He didn't have a bad memory. He just couldn't be bothered to allocate a single brain cell to my existence.

Luna let out a soft, musical laugh and reached out, playfully tapping Noah on the nose.

"I drank these all the time in Europe. I am used to it now. It is fine."

She placed the glass in front of her and stood up to use the restroom.

Only then did Noah lean in, lowering his voice to desperately whisper in my ear.

"I am so sorry, I completely forgot. I swear I will pay more attention next time. But everyone is watching. Could you just take one sip to be polite? I will run out and buy your allergy medicine right after, I promise."

"Please do not overthink this. She is just an old friend I haven't seen in years. She has no idea we are getting married tomorrow, and explaining it would just ruin the mood, so..."

Before he could even finish his pathetic excuse, I simply nodded.

He had absolutely no idea that I had been on a strict no sugar diet for months just to look perfect in my wedding dress tomorrow.

He had no idea that I treated my severe allergens like literal poison.

The tears pooling in my eyes finally spilled over as I turned my head.

He honestly believed I didn't know who his first love was. He thought he was a masterful liar.

Fine. I would give him exactly what he wanted. Playing the clueless fool was the one thing I was truly an expert at.

"I know. You don't need to explain."

He let out a massive, visible sigh of relief.

To break the suffocating tension, Mason loudly suggested they play a drinking game. Spin the bottle.

The moment Luna walked back into the room and sat down, the bottle spun and landed dead center on Noah.

The guys started howling, demanding that Noah hand over his phone and open his photo gallery for everyone to see.

Their eyes darted between the three of us, hungry for drama.

Noah looked visibly cornered. One of the guys groaned, waving his hand.

"Come on, you guys realize Noah is getting married soon, right? His gallery is just going to be boring photos of his future wife. Let's make him open his texts instead. That is where the real dirt is!"

Another guy laughed. "Why didn't you say that sooner? Next round! Next round!"

Noah's face flushed. He instinctively shot a nervous, completely transparent glance at Luna.

He pulled out his phone to unlock it.

The VIP room was too dark, and the facial recognition failed three times in a row.

With the phone about to lock him out completely, he was forced to type in his passcode in full view of the table.

Six digits.

As soon as he finished, Luna's eyes flickered with a strange, satisfied light.

A teasing whistle came from the corner of the booth. "Hold up. Those numbers look super familiar. Whose birthday is that? Wait... Luna, isn't that yours?"

Noah cleared his throat, refusing to make eye contact.

"I don't know. I just got used to the muscle memory and forgot to change it."

Mason lost his patience and snatched the phone right out of Noah's hand.

The next second, Noah's entire camera roll was projected onto the smart TV on the wall.

A collective wave of disappointment washed over the guys' faces.

There were no pictures of me. There were no boring work documents. There wasn't any scandalous gossip to laugh about.

There was nothing but the moon.

Five years. Nineteen hundred photos.

Noah and Luna locked eyes across the table. The air between them practically hummed with an exclusive, deeply romantic tension.

The rest of the guys and I were completely walled off, existing in an entirely different dimension.

My heart crashed into an endless abyss. The blood rushing in my ears was so loud it drowned out the music.

Luna meant "moon" in Latin. Every single photo was a silent love letter to her.

Finally, Mason sighed in disappointment. "Bro, what is wrong with you? Why are you taking so many pictures of the sky? You trying to be a photographer?"

Luna smiled, her eyes melting into pools of liquid affection. "I think photography is a much more sophisticated hobby than playing video games. I actually really appreciate it."

It was as if she were declaring to the room that out of everyone there, she was the only one who truly understood his soul.

The first round ended.

When the second round finished, the loser was Noah again.

This time, the dare was to choose a woman in the room and kiss her.

The mastermind behind the dare was, unsurprisingly, Mason.

Luna and I were the only two women in the booth.

The guys started chanting, slamming their hands on the table.

Noah gritted his teeth, glaring daggers at Mason for a full minute.

Finally, he grabbed his jacket and stood up. "I'm drunk. I'm going home."

Seeing the show was over, the rest of the group started filtering out of the lounge.

The three of us walked out to the curb to hail a cab.

Suddenly, a speeding sports car drifted dangerously close to the sidewalk.

Without a single second of hesitation, Noah grabbed Luna by the waist and violently yanked her into his chest to shield her.

The sheer force of his movement knocked me off balance. I crashed hard onto the concrete. The palms of my hands, right where my nails had dug in earlier, scraped violently against the pavement.

Blood instantly welled up from the torn skin. The stinging pain made me bite down hard on my lip.

I forced the tears back into the corners of my eyes.

This was my last night before I vanished. I absolutely refused to show him any vulnerability.

Noah looked down at me. A fleeting shadow of guilt finally crossed his face.

He reached down to help me up. Just as he opened his mouth to apologize, I shook my head and pulled my arm away.