I’m 35, and Mark has been my entire world for the past six years. We met through mutual friends, fell in love, and eventually built the kind of relationship I thought people only read about. He wasn’t the most romantic guy in the world, but he was reliable and steady.

We’d been planning our wedding for over a year, and everything was coming together perfectly. Or so I thought.

That night, I was at the hotel with my bridesmaids, doing all the usual last-minute wedding prep. You know the drill… laughing, sipping wine, double-checking the seating chart for the hundredth time. The excitement was real. Then, right around 10 p.m., there was a knock at the door.

It was one of the hotel staff carrying a bouquet of roses. Red, fresh, and fragrant. I couldn’t help but smile. Mark.

“Looks like someone’s feeling romantic,” Kelly, my maid of honor, teased as she pulled open the door wider to let them in.

“But he’s not even supposed to be contacting me tonight,” I laughed. We had this whole “not seeing each other before the wedding” thing.

“Well, he broke the rules. Cute, though,” one of my bridesmaids chimed in, looking at the bouquet.

I smiled to myself. Mark wasn’t usually the type to do big romantic gestures, but maybe he was just feeling emotional and sentimental. I reached for the note, expecting something like “I can’t wait to marry you” or “Tomorrow’s going to be perfect.”

But it didn’t say that.

All it said was: I don’t.

My breath caught in my throat. I stared at the words, turning the card over like there had to be something else — some explanation. A part of my brain kept thinking it was a joke. A terrible, cruel joke.

Kelly saw my face and snatched the card from me. “What the hell does this mean?” she said, her voice rising. “I don’t? Is he kidding?”

I didn’t answer. I just stood there, numb, as the panic slowly crawled its way up my spine.

“I… I have to call him,” I whispered, already fumbling for my phone. I called him once. No answer. Twice. Nothing. The third time, I got sent straight to voicemail.

Now, my heart was racing. Kelly was also pacing, swearing under her breath, but I was frozen. What the hell was going on? Six years. No signs of cold feet. We were happy. We were fine. I texted him. No response. That’s when it hit me — this wasn’t a mistake.

By midnight, I was unraveling. My bridesmaids did their best to calm me down, tossing around ideas like, “Maybe it’s a misunderstanding” or “What if it’s some sick prank?”

But come on, who would pull something like this the night before my wedding? Finally, I couldn’t take it. I needed answers.

“I’m going to his place,” I said, throwing on a hoodie and jeans like I was preparing for battle.

Kelly grabbed her purse, shaking her head. “You’re not going alone. Let’s go.”

The drive to Mark’s apartment felt like it took hours. My mind was running through every worst-case scenario — what if he was calling off the wedding? Kelly kept glancing over at me, probably worried I was going to break down at any second.

“You okay?” she asked, her voice soft but tense.

“I just… I don’t know, Kel. What if…” My voice cracked, and I quickly bit down on my lip.

“Don’t even think like that,” she interrupted. “We’re going to get to the bottom of this. Maybe it’s just a stupid mix-up.”

I nodded, but I didn’t believe it. Not really.

When we pulled up to Mark’s apartment, his car was parked outside. Relief mixed with dread. He was home. There was no way he could avoid this conversation.

We walked up to his door, and I banged on it with everything I had. After what felt like an eternity, the door finally creaked open, and there he was — Mark, looking groggy and confused. But he wasn’t alone. His brother, Eric, stood behind him, frowning.

“Carly?” Mark looked at me like I’d just crashed a private party. “What are you doing here? It’s the middle of the night.”

I didn’t say a word at first. I just shoved the note in his face. “What. Is. This?” My voice was shaking, my hands trembling.

Mark blinked, taking the note from my hand. He scanned it quickly, his brows furrowing. “Wait, what? I don’t…” He glanced up at me, looking completely lost. “I didn’t send this, Carly. I swear, I don’t know what this is.”

Eric stepped forward, looking from me to Mark. “Hold on. What’s going on? What’s with the flowers?”

Kelly jumped in before I could respond. “Someone sent her a bouquet with a note that says ‘I don’t.’ The night before your wedding. What kind of sick joke is this?”

Mark shook his head, his eyes wide. “I didn’t send any flowers. Carly, I swear on my life, I don’t know where this came from.”

I stared at him, trying to read his face, looking for any hint of guilt. But all I saw was confusion. My mind was racing. “Mark, who else could’ve sent it? Who would do something like this?”

Eric sighed, crossing his arms. “Look, maybe someone’s screwing with you guys. I mean, people do dumb stuff when weddings are involved. Could be a prank.”

Kelly snorted. “A prank? This isn’t high school, Eric. This is her wedding!”

I cut her off. “Mark, you’re telling me you had nothing to do with this? Because this note, these flowers, they’re messing with my head. I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for hours!”

“I was asleep,” he said, looking at his phone. “I didn’t even see your calls. Carly, I would never do something like this to you. You have to believe me.”

Kelly put a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go back to the hotel, okay? We’ll figure this out in the morning.”

The next morning, after my bridesmaids went down for breakfast, I stayed behind in the hotel room to finish getting ready. I needed a quiet moment to clear my head. The wedding was in just a few hours. Then, there was a knock at the door.

Thinking it was one of the girls, I called out, “Come in!” but when the door opened, it was Eric.

“Eric? What are you doing here?”

He closed the door behind him, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Carly, I need to tell you something,” he said quietly.

Something about his tone made me uneasy. “What is it?”

He avoided my eyes, his gaze drifting to the floor. “I sent the flowers.”

For a second, I just stared at him, trying to process what he’d said. “You…what? Eric, why would you do that?” My voice came out louder than I intended, filled with disbelief.

He sighed, leaning against the doorframe like he couldn’t bear to stand up straight. “Because, Carly… I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you for years.”

I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. This was a joke. It had to be.

“I thought… if you saw that Mark wasn’t right for you, maybe you’d finally realize it. Realize that I’m the one who…”

He stopped, rubbing the back of his neck like he regretted every word coming out of his mouth. “I know this sounds crazy, but I couldn’t just keep pretending anymore.”

I felt like I’d been punched. Hard. “Eric… you’re my future brother-in-law. Mark’s brother. Do you even realize what you’re saying?”

“I know, I know. But I had to try. I thought….” His voice cracked. “I thought if I said nothing, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”

My hands shook as I stood there, trying to comprehend the level of betrayal. “You sent me that note the night before my wedding? You thought ruining the biggest day of my life would somehow make me choose you?”

His face fell, and he looked more desperate than I’d ever seen him. “Please don’t tell Mark. I know it was wrong. I don’t want to ruin your day… I just couldn’t hold it in anymore.”

I stared at him, my mind racing. How could I not tell Mark? How could I pretend this never happened?

“Eric, you need to leave,” I said, my voice cold. “Now.”

He hesitated, then nodded, leaving without another word. The door closed behind him, but the tension in the room stayed.

I spent the next hour in a daze, trying to figure out what to do. But I knew keeping this from Mark wasn’t an option.

When Mark arrived to pick me up for the ceremony, I took a deep breath and pulled him aside. “Mark, we need to talk.”

He frowned, concern all over his face. “What’s wrong?”

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to speak. “Eric… he’s the one who sent the flowers last night. He — he told me this morning that he’s in love with me. He’s been in love with me for years.”

For a second, Mark just stood there as if the words hadn’t registered. Then, his face twisted in anger. “Eric did what?” he practically shouted, his eyes darkening. “He said that to you?”

I nodded, my stomach churning. “He asked me not to tell you, but I couldn’t keep it from you. Not today.”

Mark stormed out of the hotel without another word, heading straight for the venue. I followed behind him, my heart racing. Eric was already there when we arrived, lingering awkwardly by the entrance.

Mark didn’t hesitate. He marched right up to him, voice low but deadly. “You’re not welcome here. You’re not coming to this wedding, and if you ever try something like this again, you’re out of my life for good. Do you hear me?”

Eric, looking pale and panicked, tried to explain. “Mark, it was a mistake. I… I didn’t mean to…”

“No,” Mark cut him off, his voice firm. “You crossed a line. Now get out.”

Eric’s eyes darted between us, but there was no saving it. He turned and walked away, and just like that, he was gone.

Despite everything, Mark and I got married that day, and it was beautiful. But during the vows, there were moments where my mind flashed back to how close I came to losing it all.

After the ceremony, Mark pulled me close, his voice soft but steady.

“We made it through this,” he said, looking into my eyes. “And nothing… no one… is going to come between us again.”