My Parents Said Gas Was Too Expensive To Drive Three Hours To My Wedding, So I Walked Down The Aisle Pretending The Three Empty Seats Didn’t Hurt—But In The Middle Of My Reception I Discovered Photos Of My Entire Family Laughing On A Secret Hawaii Vacation… And Hours Later A Message Revealed My Father Had Paid For That Trip With Money From An Account In My Name

I nodded quickly.

“Yeah,” I said, even though my throat felt tight. “Let’s just get married.”

The ceremony itself was beautiful, the kind of moment people imagine when they think about weddings. Friends laughed during the speeches, music filled the reception hall, and Daniel’s aunt kept insisting everyone try the chocolate cake before it ran out. For a while I managed to forget about the empty chairs.

Then my cousin Lisa approached me near the dessert table holding her phone.

“Hey,” she said carefully. “Can I ask you something?”