4. Adam

4

ADAM

M y hands trembled as I looked for the car keys before remembering Victoria had kept them when she moved to the bridal suite. I looked out the window toward the parking lot. The sleek rental car that had sat pretentiously in the lot yesterday was now gone.

Victoria had taken that too.

“Come on, I’ll drive,” River said.

As I slid into the passenger seat, my pulse thrummed in my ears. I took a moment to lean against the seat, allowing myself one deep, shuddering breath.

I kept my head down as River drove us out of the vineyard.

Victoria had picked this place, the date, the flowers, the food, everything. I had been involved in the wedding planning, but Victoria had been very particular about what she wanted.

I’d taken all the ribbing from my family about not helping Victoria when, in fact, there was very little I could do right in her eyes.

And now…

“Are you sure you want to do this?” River asked for the hundredth time.

I let out a breath. “What would you do in my place?”

“I don’t know.”

He kept his eyes on the road, but his presence alone was enough to ground me.

It sucked that my brothers and their partners had found out about the collapse of my almost marriage before I did, but I don’t think I could have heard it from anyone except River. I also couldn't blame River for going to my brothers for help. Victoria put him in an impossible position.

He was my best friend, the guy who had my back. Always. He knew how to read me as if he’d written the words of my book himself.

People made fun of us all the time, saying he was mine and Lex’s triplet, but he wasn’t. Lex and I were twins. We had a bond I could never describe to anyone in a way they’d understand. What River and I had was a deep friendship. The kind that would survive anything and last forever. It was almost the same but different.

The drive back to Cliffborough was a blur—the winding roads, once a picturesque journey, now felt like an endless loop of confusion and speculation. What had gone wrong? Had there been signs I missed, words unspoken, feelings ignored? I riffled through my memories, trying to find a trigger, anything that might give me an answer.

Fuck, less than twenty-four hours ago, she’d given no indication that anything but our perfect wedding would be happening. Or had I missed it?

We'd barely seen each other between the multiple events Victoria had organized this weekend. By the time she returned to the room each night, I was already asleep. The excuse in the morning was that she’d been up late with her bridesmaids.

Before she moved to the bridal suite, she’d kissed me. Had there been any clues in the kiss? Was it longer or shorter than usual? I couldn’t remember.

Arriving at our place, the familiarity of the setting offered no answers. The apartment where we’d planned our future together, where we laughed and sometimes cried, now felt hollow in the wake of her absence.

“Victoria?” My voice sounded foreign in the quiet hallway as I opened the front door, the sound of my call bouncing off the walls, unanswered. I scanned the space frantically, searching each room meticulously with rising desperation. Her belongings seemed untouched, the silence of the apartment amplifying my racing thoughts.

When I stepped into the living room, I was faced with my honeymoon suitcases. Where four suitcases had been left, now there were only two. And a note.

Adam, this is on me. Please don’t feel pressured to move out.

I’m going away for a while to reset.

We can talk when I return. Maybe then I’ll have the courage to explain what I’ve done.

My knees gave out, and I fell to the floor, the piece of paper crumbling in my hands.

“Adam, what’s wrong?” River asked, kneeling on the floor beside me.

“It’s happening. It’s true.”

“What is?”

“She’s really gone.” My voice failed as a sob wrenched out of me. Tears streamed down my cheeks, blurring my vision as I looked at the crumpled note in my trembling hands.

River’s arms came around me, his steady grip anchoring me. We stayed in that position until my feet became numb from sitting on them.

I shifted so I was against the wall with my knees drawn up to my chest. I moved my feet to get rid of the pins and needles. River sat beside me.

“I don’t know what to do next, River. Maybe it’s the final piece of evidence that proves how desperate and gullible I am. I really thought she’d be here. That I’d get some answers or closure. I don’t know.”

“You are none of those things, Adam. You are an amazing guy. Anyone would be lucky to be with you.”

“It seems Victoria doesn’t feel the same way.”

River’s silence was louder than any words he could have said. There’d always been an unspoken tension between Victoria and River. I suspected it came from both, but Victoria was more outspoken about it, going as far as telling me I should stop hanging out with my best friend because he was a bad influence.

That should have been a red flag right there. Further proof that I was even more oblivious than gullible.

“I don’t know what to say right now, Adam. Nothing I’m thinking is honestly a nice thing. I don’t want to add to your stress and grief, so I’m just going to ask what I can do for you. What do you need right now?”

“I need to get out of here.”

River stood and held his hand out to me, pulling me to my feet. He grabbed the suitcases and dragged them to his car.

I kept my eyes down as I left the apartment, locking the door behind me because I couldn’t face looking at the place that had been home for the last year as Victoria and I built our dream life. What I’d thought was our dream life. Only to now see nothing but deception. I would have to return for my stuff, but it didn’t need to be on my wedding day.

“Where do you want to go?” River asked.

“The last place I want to be. Take us back to the vineyard.”

He put a reassuring hand on my leg. “Adam, your family can take care of everything. Your brothers will do anything for?—”

“I know, but I’m not Victoria. I’m not going to run.”

“Okay.” That’s all he said before pulling out of the driveway and heading back toward the venue. I pulled out my phone and messaged Lex.

Me

I need your help.

Lex

Is this a CODE RED situation?

Me

No. She doesn’t get to ruin CODE RED for me. Can you tell Mom, Dad, and Grandma?

Lex

I can. Where are you? We’ve been to your room and you’re not there. It’s been hard trying to keep Mom calm. She thinks you got cold feet.

Now that was funny.

Me

No cold feet, just the rug pulled from under them.

Lex

Oh, Adam. I’m really sorry about this.

Me

Yeah. Can’t say I had this on my Bingo card for today. Can you and Noah gather all the guests in the reception hall? I’m on my way there.

Lex

Leave it with us.

Seeing everyone inside the large room beautifully decorated for the reception was a hit to the gut. This was really happening. Or not happening, as was the case.

As soon as my mom saw me, she came straight over. Confusion and worry were etched all over her face.

“Adam, honey. What’s going on?”

“I wish I knew, Mom. I have to make the announcement, okay?”

She hugged me tight and then went back to where the rest of my family sat together. The looks my brothers were sending Victoria’s side of the family made me smile a little. Victoria’s sister Ellie sent me a reassuring look.

Ellie was Emery’s best friend, and I knew she and Victoria didn’t have the best relationship. Just another flag I’d ignored.

“I’m not sure about this,” River said in a low voice. “Noah looks like he might be ready to murder someone.”

“Lior will keep him on a leash. Don’t worry.” I grabbed a chair and stood on it, clearing my throat.

Hundreds of faces turned in my direction. There were smiles, followed by confusion, when it dawned on them that this wasn’t the good type of announcement.

“Hello, everyone. You might be wondering why you were asked to come to this room instead of heading outside to the garden where the ceremony should take place. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. The truth is that this morning, Victoria decided she no longer wanted to go ahead with the wedding.”

The collective gasp gave me a weird sense of comfort. Since Victoria hadn’t included me in her decision, there was no way I was going to take the fall for it. This was her decision and her decision alone.

I raised my hand before people started asking questions.

“I understand you may have questions. Frankly, I was in my room getting ready to marry the woman I love when I found out from a piece of paper that she no longer wants the same. I haven’t spoken to her because I haven’t seen her. No words can accurately describe how I feel right now. I hope you can find it in you to not give in to the curiosity you may feel or to feed the gossip mill, which I’m sure is already running wild. Whatever Victoria’s reasons for doing this, they are her reasons, and it’ll be up to her to tell her story when and if she wants to. As far as I’m concerned, our relationship is over because that’s what this”—I held up the two pieces of paper with Victoria’s messages—“tells me. Everything else is as much a mystery to you as it is to me.

“Right now, I want to be alone to process what has happened today. I apologize from the bottom of my heart for what has happened. While the wedding is no longer going ahead, there’s no point in wasting a perfectly good party. Please feel free to enjoy the catering and the facilities. The team at the vineyard has been amazing, and I’m sure they will continue to do their best to accommodate you. Please forgive me for not joining you.”