Years ago, months ago and even weeks ago I would have been super excited to see this sweet gesture coming from him but not anymore. In our previous wedding, he hadn’t even bothered to accompany me to the dress fitting or any of the bridal shopping because his heart wasn’t in it. Even when I said I wanted a lace wedding dress, he didn’t seem to care. When I got to the shop he directed me to and I couldn’t find the one I really wanted, he barked at me over the phone to just pick any dress and stop making a big deal out of it.
And now, he was suddenly getting me an expensive dress out of the blue?
"Selena!" Kieran's voice rang out, sounding almost giddy."You got the package! Do you love it? I picked it out especially for you."
I stared at the dress, my heart pounding. "Kieran, ....l don't understand. What is the meaning of this?"
"Why, it's your wedding dress, my dear!" Kieran exclaimed joyfully. "I wanted everything to be perfect for our special day. I spent time searching for the perfect dress. I know how much you've always loved lace, and the shoes will complement it beautifully."
"Kieran, I think there's been a mistake," I said, my voice strained. "I don’t think this package belongs to me."
"What do you mean? Of course it's for you, my darling. You're my bride-to-be, after all."
I scoffed.
"Your bride-to-be? I think you have the wrong woman. I'm not marrying you."
There was a beat of silence on the other end of the line before he continued, "But Selena, we discussed this. I proposed to you, and you accepted."
"No, Kieran," I said firmly. "I did no such thing. I practically begged you to marry me before now and you left me on the altar and now you think getting me a wedding dress would fix everything? Give it to Nina, it would fit her perfectly."
The previous wedding dress, I had already burnt it so that I wasn’t reminded of how he humiliated me that day. Now I wasn’t going to take another one from him.
"Selena, please," Kieran begged. "Just try it on, see how beautiful you'll look. I know it will fit perfectly."
"I don't want to try it on!" I snapped, my grip tightening on the phone. "I'm not your bride, and I'm not accepting this gift. Please, just leave me alone."
Before Kieran could respond, I ended the call, exhaling loudly.
Tristan stood nearby, looking utterly bewildered by the exchange.