The Lies He Told Me (Grace and Antonio)

I kept quiet about what Antonio was saying.

"I'm not here to hassle you," he said. "It's my folks who want to meet you."

To Antonio, the wedding was my personal show.

He only reached out when he wanted something from me.

I was too tired to argue, ready to crash.

At home, the table was a mess of leftover chicken and ham.

My dad was chatting with Antonio's dad.

Antonio's mom grabbed my hand, all warm and fuzzy. "So glad to see you. I miss you so much."

I managed a weak grin. She took a look at Stella and then leaned in. "What's the deal with Stella and Antonio? She's not exactly the best company. You should talk to Antonio about it."

I just grunted, not really saying much.

When I raised my head, Antonio was already next to Stella.

He'd brought some wedding and bridesmaid dresses for us to try.

"I know you've got enough on your plate, so I got Stella to pick out your wedding dress. She's

got a better sense of style than you," he said, handing me the dress.

I slipped the simple wedding dress on, only to find a big rip right down

the middle.

Stella, on the other hand, was in a white dress that trailed behind her. She looked more like the bride than I did.

Antonio jumped in. "It's probably a mix-up from the bridal shop. It's not on Stella."

give me a chance to speak. "It's late. We can deal with the dress

I replied, eager

we

way

stand right

as the camera was about to click,

all I got was a blurry figure, too hazy to even tell who it was. Antonio wanted to try

off with a laugh, "Let's do it some other time.

was the

all apologies, her eyes

town tonight, trying to find you the perfect dress,"

shot me a look

11

I just left with the dress that was in

would be settled

place, I

and I stumbled upon Antonio's diary, completely by

diary laid out the tale of

and Stella

darkest days, in

for travelers.

pages that mattered most were

remained was just a note. "This was the

it was filled with his yearning

had a confession. "I can't

love. Please forgive

God."

at myself in the mirror. With my white dress and long, straight hair

together with

connection.