Nancy gets a surprising letter on her wedding day. It’s from someone who vanished five years ago. Wearing her wedding dress, she rushes out to find this person and get the answers she’s been seeking for years.
Nancy stood in the elegantly decorated hotel room, adjusting her flowing lace and silk wedding dress as Sarah, her friend, applied the final touches. “You look absolutely stunning, Nancy,” Sarah complimented, admiring her.
Nancy turned to the mirror. The dress was perfect, but as she saw her reflection, her smile faded to apprehension. “I’m so nervous, Sarah,” she whispered, fidgeting with her dress.
“It’s okay to be nervous,” Sarah reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You and Tom love each other. That’s what matters. Everything will be fine.”
Nancy nodded, comforted. “Tom and I… we’re starting a new chapter.”
“And your dad is really excited about the wedding,” Sarah added.
“Yes, he can’t stop obsessing over every little detail,” Nancy smiled.
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock. A hotel employee stood at the door, holding a colorfully wrapped, unlabeled box. “A man asked me to deliver this to you, ma’am.”
Nancy took the box with a puzzled thank you. Inside, she found a paper rabbit and an unsealed letter. Reading the letter, Nancy’s expression turned to shock, then deep sadness.
Tears fell as she turned and ran away, letter in hand, leaving the paper rabbit behind.
“Nancy, wait!” Sarah chased after her, but Nancy was already driving away in her car, memories and the words of the letter swirling in her mind.
Five years ago…
Nancy’s parents had thrown a grand party. Nancy, in a simple blue dress, moved among guests, her father enjoying his rare time on land. He was a sailor.
The tables were laden with an array of delicious food, reflecting her mother’s love for hosting.
Among the guests, a young sailor named James caught Nancy’s attention. While serving drinks, Nancy’s smile met James’s gaze, and he melted.
Later, seeking a break from the festivities, Nancy stepped into the garden for fresh air. James joined her, unable to keep his mind off her.
Introductions followed, and soon, James was sharing his sea stories while expressing wonder at Nancy’s stationary life.
“There’s a whole world out there to see,” James told her.
As dawn neared, James suggested watching the sunrise. Hand in hand, they moved through the garden to a hill with a perfect horizon view.
At one point, they stood facing each other, looking into each other’s eyes, and the next moment, they kissed.
Reluctantly returning to reality as the sun rose, James asked to keep in touch, to which Nancy eagerly agreed.
The next day, Nancy and her father, Mr. Henderson, ran into Tom, a family friend, during a shopping trip.
“Tom!” Mr. Henderson called out, a wide smile spreading across his face as he approached the young man.
Tom looked up, surprised, and then his face lit up with recognition. “Mr. Henderson! What a pleasant surprise!” he exclaimed, extending his hand for a firm handshake.
Nancy was absorbed in texting on her phone. She remembered seeing Tom several times at her father’s gatherings, but they had never really talked.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Mr. Henderson said, patting Tom on the back. “How are you? How are your parents?”
“I’m good, thanks! Mom and Dad are doing well, too. Just busy as usual,” he said.
Mr. Henderson introduced Tom to Nancy. “Nancy, meet Tom, the son of my very good friends, the Ashers.”
Nancy, distracted by her phone, barely acknowledged him. “Yes, hello,” she mumbled without looking up.
“Nancy, can you put the phone away? It’s rude not to look at people when they’re talking to you,” Mr. Henderson chided.
Sighing, Nancy put her phone down and offered Tom a half-hearted smile. “Nice to meet you, Tom.”
As she shook his hand, her phone buzzed. “I need to go. I have something to take care of,” Nancy said hastily, walking away.
Outside, Nancy smiled at a new message from James. She knew her father wanted her to marry Tom, but her heart was with James.
That evening, at their meeting spot, James greeted her with a hug. “I missed you so much,” she said.
“I missed you too, Nancy. I have something special for you,” James replied, leading her up a creaky staircase to a rooftop dinner under fairy lights.
“This is for us?” Nancy gasped, touched by the romantic setup.
“Yes, I wanted to do something special for you,” James smiled.
They enjoyed dinner, and afterward, James wrapped his arm around her as they admired the city at night. “I’m glad you like it. I wanted to show you how special you are to me,” he said.
They fell asleep under the stars and woke to a beautiful sunrise.
Returning home, Nancy tiptoed through the house, holding her shoes to muffle her footsteps.
As she entered the living room, she froze. Her father, Mr. Henderson, sat in his armchair, alert and waiting. “Where were you?” he asked sternly.
Nancy tried to walk past but stopped when her father mentioned James.
“What if I was with James?” she retorted defiantly.
“That penniless orphan?” Mr. Henderson said, his voice laden with concern. “I know you’re going to say you don’t care about him being poor. But that feeling won’t last, because you’ve never had to worry about money. Think with your head, not your heart.”
“We’ll make it work. Money isn’t everything, Dad,” Nancy argued.
“Easy for you to say. What’s so wonderful about him, Nancy? Tom is a great guy, and he’s from a respectable family. Isn’t that important?” her father pressed.
“So it’s about status and money again? I don’t care about these things like you do! I’m not that shallow!” Nancy shouted, storming off to her room. Her father followed her, and in anger, he declared, “From today, you are not to leave this house without my permission.”
Alone, Nancy felt trapped and misunderstood. Despite her father’s concern, she couldn’t shake her affection for James, who was genuine and passionate.
The next evening, Mr. Henderson had invited Tom for dinner. Despite her reluctance, Nancy sat through the meal, responding politely to Tom’s attempts at conversation. He gifted her a gold bracelet, which she accepted with distant thanks.
After dinner, Mr. Henderson approached her. “He’s a nice young man. Give him a chance,” he said.
In her room, Nancy held the gold bracelet, a symbol of her father’s expectations, and dialed James’s number.
Her voice shook as she spoke, “James, it’s me. Dad’s put me under house arrest and is trying to make me date Tom. It’s like he doesn’t care what I want.”
James’s tense reply came, “Nancy, I understand, but can you wait a moment? I’ve got to go.” The line went dead, leaving her in tears.
Later, a tapping sound drew her to the window where James stood under the moonlight. He climbed in silently and enveloped her in a comforting hug. “I needed to see you,” he whispered.
“I thought you didn’t care.”
“I care more than you know,” James assured her, sitting beside her on the bed. “We’ll figure this out together.”
Their conversation turned grave when James revealed, “I’ve been assigned to a voyage. It’s for nine months.”
“Can’t you just say no?” Nancy pleaded.
“It’s my job,” James explained. “This voyage means I can earn enough to prove to your father that I’m not just some poor guy.”
“Do you love the sea more than me?”
“Of course not. But I need to do this for us,” James reassured her, promising to stay in touch. He crafted a paper rabbit for her to remember him by.
They shared a long embrace before James climbed out the window, disappearing into the night, leaving Nancy with the promise of his return.
Nancy sat on her bed clutching the paper rabbit, a symbol of the love James promised before he set sail.
Initially, his letters arrived with similar tokens, but over time, they dwindled, leaving her filled with doubt and worry.
As months passed, her father, Mr. Henderson, saw an opportunity to connect her with Tom. Gradually, Nancy started to appreciate Tom’s company, thanks to their similar taste in books and music.
“Are you okay?” Tom asked her one evening, noticing a change in her demeanor.
“Yes, I’m okay. Better than okay, thanks to you,” Nancy smiled, feeling a readiness to move forward.
The tranquility was shattered when Mr. Henderson delivered devastating news. “Nancy, I need to tell you something about James,” he began solemnly. “He didn’t return from his voyage. There was a storm, and… they think James might have died.”
“What?” Nancy gasped. “No! He’s out there somewhere. He has to be!”
Despite her efforts to find any trace of James, every lead turned into a dead end, plunging her into deeper despair.
Tom remained a steadfast presence, supporting her without pressing for more. “Thank you for being here,” Nancy often said.
“I’m here for you, Nancy. As long as you need me,” Tom replied each time.
Days turned into weeks and weeks into months after James’s disappearance. The pain Nancy felt morphed into a constant dull ache. The only thing that comforted her was Tom’s constant support.
One evening, as they sat together, Nancy asked him in tears, “How do you stay by my side, even when I have nothing to give?”
Tom replied gently, “Because I care about you, Nancy. I always have. It hurts me to see you in pain. I just want to be here for you, however you need.”
Three years later, Nancy had begun to heal. Tom had become a significant part of her life, their friendship deepening into something more.
On a crisp autumn evening, Tom went down on one knee and popped the question to her. “I love you, Nancy. I want to support you and make you happy for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?” he asked, offering her a ring.
“Yes, Tom, I will marry you,” Nancy answered, overwhelmed by love and gratitude.
Present-time…
With a deep breath, Nancy stepped out of the car. She approached the door of a modest house, her mind a tumult of thoughts.
The door opened, and a housekeeper greeted her, leading her into the living room. There, sitting across the room, was James. Nancy’s heart skipped a beat.
“Why did you send this letter now, James?” she asked, her voice a whisper. “And you’re alive?”
“Nancy, everything I wanted to say is in that letter. I had to tell you how much I still love you.” James’s face was marked with pain. “I fell off the ship during the storm. I didn’t know who I was; I had lost my memory.”
Nancy’s heart ached as she listened. “And your memory came back?”
“Yes, piece by piece. When I remembered you, I had to find you,” James said, his eyes locked on hers.
“Well, your memory didn’t exactly come back at the best time. I’m getting married today,” Nancy replied, her voice tinged with desperation.
“I only found out today morning that you were getting married. I had to see you, and tell you in person how much I love you,” James insisted earnestly.
Nancy struggled with her emotions. “James, I mourned for you, waited, then had to move on.”
“I understand, but I had to let you know I never stopped loving you,” he said softly.
Nancy held the letter, her thoughts swirling. “You were gone, and now you’re here.”
“We can still be together.”
“How can you say that? I’m marrying Tom today—he’s been supportive and caring. He’s been so wonderful to me.”
“Do you love him?” James asked quietly.
“If I said no, I’d be lying,” Nancy confessed.
“I thought you only loved me,” James said, his voice filled with regret.
“I did, James. But I couldn’t wait forever,” Nancy replied firmly.
James offered her a plane ticket. “I’ll be waiting at the airport at 4 p.m. It’s your choice.”
But Nancy had made her choice: Tom.
“I, Nancy, take you, Tom, to be my husband… to love and to cherish until death do us part,” Nancy declared confidently at the church, knowing she had made the right choice.
Tom was someone who never left her side, treated her as the important thing in his life, and loved her even when she didn’t love him back.
He had become everything to her in the past few years and helped her understand that love was not about looks or money; it was indeed about a person’s dedication to their loved one.
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