My Wedding Date Was a Deadly Trap

The moment I was reborn on the beach, my buddy Liam's urgent phone call came through.

Ethan! Where the hell are you?! The bride has been waiting for you for two hours!

I rubbed my throbbing temples and swiped open my phone calendar with a laugh. What are you talking about? Today's the 14th. My wedding is on the 21st. That's a whole seven days away.

"Seven days my ass!" His voice cracked. "All the guests at the hotel are about to leave! Vanessa has torn off her veil. Get over here now."

I looked up at the public screen by the beach. It clearly displayed June 14, 2026.

In my past life, I thought I'd been so busy I'd mixed up the dates. I rushed to the hotel like a madman, only to have a flower pot drop from above and smash through my skull the moment I stepped through the door. I didn't even get a chance to see the killer's face.

This time, I stared at the messages popping up on my phone -- "Today is your wedding" -- my fingertips ice-cold.

The sea breeze carried a faint fishy smell into my nostrils.

I jerked my eyes open, gasping for air, my whole body radiating bone-chilling cold.

In my past life, the flower pot had exploded on my head.

In an instant, intense pain struck. My whole body went numb. Blood pooled everywhere.

In the last second before losing consciousness, I still couldn't figure out why the wedding had been moved up seven days.

I'd spent half a year preparing for this wedding, attending to every detail. I'd even written the date on the invitations myself.

Before I could sort out my thoughts, the piercing phone ringtone pulled me back to reality.

My lock screen showed the countdown to my wedding with Vanessa: [7 days until the wedding]

Liam kept calling. I suppressed my irritation and answered.

His anxious voice came through. "Ethan, today's your wedding. The guests have been waiting for you for two hours. The bride is going crazy. Where did you run off to?"

I suppressed my anger and asked in a low voice, "Say that again. What day is the wedding?"

"June 21st! Did you forget your own wedding day?"

I gripped my phone tightly, my knuckles turning white. "Then check today's date."

Silence on the other end for a few seconds. "Ethan, today is June 21st, Saturday. Are you coming or not?"

I hung up and pulled up the invitation photo.

Black and white, June 21st. That was right.

But my phone calendar, the car display, the screen on the street -- all showed June 14th.

I forced myself to calm down.

In my past life, I'd lost my life because I rushed over impulsively.

I called my grandfather, George. He had raised me. He'd said he would definitely attend my wedding.

"It's Ethan! What made you think to call me? Remember to pick me up next Saturday for your wedding."

George put on his reading glasses and squinted at me affectionately.

Seeing him so calm and composed, I relaxed a bit and asked casually, "George, what's today's date?"

George smoothed his graying hair and said with a smile, "Today's the 14th. Our Ethan's wedding is on the 21st. What's wrong? Getting anxious to marry your bride?"

He had always doted on me most. He would never lie to me about something as important as my wedding.

My tense nerves relaxed slightly.

But then I thought -- why would Vanessa and Liam put on such an elaborate show to deceive me?

I clenched my fist, veins bulging on the back of my hand.

Seeing me zone out, George said gently, "Ethan, make sure you rest well these next few days. You need to be the most handsome groom on your wedding day."

I was silent for a moment, then finally just said "Got it" and hung up.

On the screen by the shore, the date was clearly visible: June 14, Saturday.

I pulled up the invitation photo. June 21st, no mistake.

My phone screen kept flashing. Vanessa was calling again.

Before I could speak, Vanessa's voice came crashing down. "Ethan! You gave my mother a heart attack! She's in the hospital! If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive you! Where are you?"

I took a deep breath, suppressing my anger. "Vanessa, I've been preparing this wedding for half a year. The date is set for June 21st. What's the point of this scene you're making today?"

Vanessa's voice turned cold. "You think I'd use my own mother's health to put on an act? Even if you don't want to get married anymore, we can sit down and talk. You called all the elders here, then left them hanging while you vacation at the beach?" She paused, her voice becoming hoarse. "Ethan, I never realized you had this much nerve."

My heart tightened. "Elders? What elders?"

Vanessa turned the camera.

George was standing in the hotel lobby, his wrinkled face filled with exhaustion.

Seeing that familiar face, my head buzzed. I had to grip the railing to keep from falling.

George faced the camera, his voice carrying a disappointment I'd never heard before. "Ethan, you've been so sensible since you were little. How could you joke about something this important today? You made Vanessa's mother so upset she had to go to the hospital! Come over right now and apologize to everyone properly."

Vanessa took back the phone, her tone ice-cold. "If you have any sense of responsibility left, get over here now."

As soon as she finished speaking, she sent a hotel location.

It was exactly where I'd died in my past life.

My hand holding the phone began to tremble.

I had just talked to George on the phone. He was grilling meat at the farm.

How could he possibly appear at a hotel in the city center in just a few minutes?

I immediately called George again.

"Ethan, sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Hearing such caring words, my heart didn't warm at all. The video background was clearly next to the grill in the farm's backyard.

I steadied my emotions. "Nothing, George. I just missed you."

I hung up and sent the call recording to Vanessa. "My grandfather is at the farm right now. I don't know who that person you found is."

A few minutes later, Vanessa sent a video.

George was pacing back and forth at the hotel entrance, occasionally looking anxiously outside. When he heard any sound, he rushed out anxiously, tripped on a chair, and fell hard.

My heart clenched watching it.

Then Vanessa's messages kept popping up. "Ethan, you're really something, using AI video to deceive me. Your grandfather is at the hotel right now. He's been waiting all morning!"

George said his only wish was to see me get married and see me happy.

He'd prepared the family heirloom for me half a year in advance and even handcrafted a small wooden cradle.

No matter what method Vanessa used to get George to the hotel, I had to go and ask him face to face.

Recalling my past life when I rushed to the hotel entrance, the welcome sign clearly read June 21st. What was going on with all this?

I organized the information I'd collected and sent it to Vanessa.

After a few seconds, Vanessa video called me. Her eyes were slightly red, her voice carrying suppressed trembling. "Ethan, you're still hung up on the date at this point? I don't care what day it is today. I want you at the wedding venue right now." After a few seconds of silence, her tone softened slightly. "Ethan, whatever happened, just come over first. Your family is all here. We'll apologize to everyone properly, and it'll be over. Your grandfather is old. He can't handle this much stress."

My parents also crowded into the frame.

My mother, Sarah, looked exhausted but still tried to sound calm. "Ethan, just come over. Even if you mixed up the dates, your father and I won't blame you."

My throat tightened. "But today is the 14th. The wedding is the 21st."

My father, David, snatched the phone when he heard that, his face livid. "How did I raise you? When you make a mistake, you own up to it. Where did your manners go? How can you not even know what day it is? Get over here right now and apologize to everyone!"

He hung up after saying that.

Regardless, with my past life's experience, I could definitely avoid the danger.

I steeled myself. I wanted to see exactly what Vanessa was up to.

With that thought, I picked up my pace and returned to the hotel to change clothes.

When I got in the Uber, the first thing I looked at was the display screen.

Just like my past life, the electronic screen showed June 14th.

As soon as I sat down, I urgently said to the driver, "The Ritz Hotel, please."

The driver was clearly taken aback and glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "Are you sure?"

I nodded.

The car sped down the road, scenery flying past the windows.

The driver put on some soothing light music.

Once my tense nerves relaxed, drowsiness slowly crept in.

I don't know how long passed. I rubbed my eyes, and when I saw the news notification on my phone clearly, I broke out in a cold sweat.

A news story had shot to the top of Twitter's trending topics.

#Groom forgets wedding date and goes missing, bride's mother dies of heart attack#

I stared at my phone screen. The comments section had exploded.

[Is this guy sick? If you don't want to get married, just say so. Is this really necessary?]

[The bride's mom was literally killed by stress. He needs to pay with his life!]

[I heard the groom is still vacationing at the beach. Unbelievable.]

[Wedding turned into a funeral. This guy's life is over.]

My finger scrolling through the screen trembled uncontrollably.

Vanessa's mother... was dead?

That was impossible.

In my past life, when I rushed to the hotel entrance and the flower pot fell, I clearly saw her screaming in horror from the second floor.

I suddenly looked up at the taxi display screen.

June 14th, 2:23 PM.

The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "Young man, you don't look so good."

"Sir, can you go any faster?"

"This is already the fastest." The driver paused. "The Ritz Hotel... I'd advise you to mentally prepare yourself."

My heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"

The driver didn't answer. He just silently turned up the music volume.

It was an old song, "The Wedding March."

The gentle, melodious tune felt especially eerie now, giving me goosebumps.

My phone rang again. It was Liam.

"Ethan, where are you? Vanessa's mother... she's really gone." His voice was low. "Come quickly. Vanessa's in bad shape."

I gripped my phone tightly. "Liam, tell me, what day is it today?"

Silence on the other end for a few seconds. "June 21st. Ethan, do you... really need to see a doctor?"

I hung up, opened my camera, and aimed it at a road sign outside the window.

Seaside Boulevard, 15 kilometers from the Ritz Hotel.

The electronic screen on the sign clearly displayed: June 14, Saturday.

I took a photo and sent it to Liam.

He replied quickly. "Is photoshopping fun?" Then another message. "And you're still hung up on the date at this point!"

I turned off my phone and looked out the window.

In the distance, the spire of the Ritz Hotel was faintly visible.

In my past life, the flower pot had fallen from the curved balcony on the fourth floor.

The taxi stopped at the hotel entrance.

I paid, and the driver suddenly called out to me.

"Young man," he lowered his voice, looking at me in the rearview mirror, "don't trust your eyes too much about some things."

I stared at him. "What do you mean?"

The driver had already started the car and only left me with, "Sometimes people even lie to themselves with their own memories."

I stood in front of the hotel's revolving door and took a deep breath.

The lobby was empty. Unexpectedly quiet.

In the distance, I could see a huge welcome sign standing in the center.

The background was a wedding photo of Vanessa and me, with gold lettering:

Groom: Ethan & Bride: Vanessa

Wedding Date: June 21

Seeing this scene, my breathing suddenly quickened. The fear from my past life rampaged through my rationality.

I was certain the accident in my past life was deliberate.

If so, the killer wouldn't show themselves unless I went over.

They might even kill me another way.

My back was already soaked with sweat. I gritted my teeth and charged forward.

Bang!

The flower pot exploded behind me.

Flying ceramic shards cut bloody gashes on my leg.

I had no time to care. I stepped back half a step and glanced up.

The person hurriedly retreated, but I still caught sight of her face.

I thought I knew what was going on.

I steadied myself and quickly scanned my surroundings.

Then a hand pressed on my shoulder from behind.