Tonight. After you left? She said nothing. I took a breath. Here's how this works.
You walk out that door, the wedding is canceled. Her eyes widened. You can't be serious. I'm completely serious. You'd throw away 6 years because I want one night?
No, I'd cancel a wedding because the woman I'm supposed to marry has already decided what she wants and it isn't the marriage we agreed to. She shook her head. You'll regret this. Maybe. I stepped aside and pointed toward the door.
But I'm not stopping you. She stood there for several seconds. Then she opened the door. Before walking out, she turned around. You're really doing this?
I already made my decision. She stared at me, waiting for me to soften. I didn't. Finally, she walked outside. The door closed.
I sat on the couch and opened the wedding planner's contact list. Deborah had made her choice. Now I was going to make mine. I spent the rest of Saturday night at home. I didn't call Deborah.
I didn't ask where she was. At 10:15, I started dealing with the wedding. The first call was to the venue. "Our wedding is canceled. " I said. The coordinator went silent.
"Are you sure? You're only 7 weeks out. " "I'm sure. There were cancellation fees, but I didn't care. I asked her to send everything in writing and ended the call. Then I called the photographer, then the caterer, then the hotel where our families were supposed to stay.
Each conversation was short. By midnight, most of the major arrangements were canceled. I called William. He answered after the second ring. "Steven? " "I canceled the wedding. " There was a long pause.
"What happened? " "Deborah went to the party. " Another pause. "You're serious? " "Completely. " "You want to talk about it? " "Not tonight. " "All right. I just wanted you to hear it from me. " "I understand. " I ended the call, put my phone down, and went to bed. I slept better than I expected. At 2:17 a.m., my phone started ringing.
Deborah. I watched it vibrate across the nightstand. I didn't answer. A minute later, another call came. Then another.
Finally, a text appeared. "Please answer me. We need to talk. " I ignored it. A second message followed. "Steven, something happened.
Please don't do anything until I get home. " I almost laughed. She was already asking me to wait. I had spent 6 years building a future with her. She had spent one night throwing it away. There was nothing left to wait for.
At 3:06, I heard her key in the front door. I stayed downstairs. She walked into the living room and stopped when she saw me sitting there. Her dress was wrinkled. Her makeup was mostly gone.
She looked exhausted. Why didn't you answer? I didn't want to. She stared at me. Steven, please.
No. You wanted tonight. You got tonight. Her eyes filled with tears. It wasn't what I thought it would be.