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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe groom\u2019s voice was quiet:
\u2014 You\u2019ve been hiding this from me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tears gathered in her eyes:
\u2014 I wasn\u2019t hiding to deceive you\u2026 I was hiding because I couldn\u2019t face myself. After the fire\u2026 the surgeries\u2026 the scars\u2026 I didn\u2019t believe anyone could look at me with love. I was terrified of the moment you would see me and feel repulsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He looked at her \u2014 not with anger \u2014 with a deep, weary sadness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She continued softly:
\u2014 You said you loved me for who I am inside. I desperately wanted that to be true. But I didn\u2019t dare risk losing you before I had even been loved once in my real skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The guests murmured \u2014 compassion mixed with disbelief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then the groom spoke again. Calmly, almost gently:
\u2014 I would have accepted the truth. I would have accepted your pain. But you never gave me the chance. You chose fear over trust. I can\u2019t build a marriage on something that started with a wall between us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She covered her face with both hands, shoulders shaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A woman near the aisle whispered:
\u2014 The poor thing\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But another guest, older and steadier, shook her head:
\u2014 The tragedy isn\u2019t the scars. It\u2019s that she didn\u2019t believe she was worthy of honest love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The groom took a breath:
\u2014 I\u2019m sorry, but I can\u2019t stay and pretend this was honest from the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He turned and walked out. No drama, no anger \u2014 just the quiet decision of someone who had hoped for openness and found secrecy instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bride stayed kneeling, her gown spread around her like fallen snow. Her parents tried to comfort her, but she only whispered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just wanted to be beautiful\u2026 just once\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The guests left slowly, subdued, thoughtful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the truth of it lingered:
love cannot survive in the dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He chose honesty, even though it hurt.
She chose protection, even though it cost her everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And perhaps \u2014 if she had shown her real face sooner \u2014 things might have been different. Maybe he truly did love her soul. But a soul hidden behind disguises eventually becomes unreachable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n