The Wedding Date Disaster

The first sign that Naomi’s life was about to fall apart arrived in the form of a wedding invitation.

Not because weddings were dangerous.

Not because she hated love.

But because the invitation came with four words handwritten in bold blue ink:

“Plus One Is Mandatory.”

Naomi stared at the card.

Then stared again.

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Then groaned so loudly her neighbor banged on the wall.

Three months.

That was how long it had been since her boyfriend of five years announced he was “finding himself.”

Which, as Naomi had quickly learned, was apparently code for:

“I found somebody else.”

From that point onwards, every auntie, cousin, family friend, church member, and even any stranger who remembered her existence, became intensely interested in her love life.

“You are such a beautiful girl.”

“Have you met someone yet?”

“Don’t worry. Your husband is coming.”

As if husbands were Uber drivers she could simply track on an app.

Now her younger cousin, Bella, was getting married.

And somehow Naomi had become the only single woman in the entire extended family.

Worse still, Bella had added that horrifying note.

Plus One Is Mandatory.

Naomi grabbed her phone.

“Absolutely not.”

She dialed Bella immediately.

Bella answered on the first ring.

“Naomiiiiii!”

“No.”

“What no?”

“I’m not bringing a date.”

“You have to.”

“No.”

“You absolutely have to.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“That’s not a reason.”

Bella laughed.

“It is my wedding.”

Naomi sighed.

“What if I don’t have anyone?”

Bella paused.

Then delivered the most dangerous sentence possible.

“Then rent one.”

---

Three days later Naomi found herself sitting inside a café discussing contractual fake romance with a complete stranger.

Life was unbelievable.

The stranger’s name was Ethan.

He was annoyingly handsome.

The type of handsome that looked expensive.

Perfect smile.

Perfect jawline.

Perfect hair.

And unfortunately—

A terrible human being.

“We need to set boundaries first,” Ethan said.

Naomi frowned.

“Set boundaries?”

“Yes.”

“You are a fake boyfriend.”

“Yeah. That is professional.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Whatever.”

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He took out a notebook.

A notebook.

An actual notebook.

“Rule One,” he said.

“No emotional attachment.”

Naomi burst out laughing.

He didn’t.

“You wrote that down?”

“Experience.”

“What kind of fake-boyfriend experiences are you having?”

“You’d be surprised.”

She leaned forward.

“Wait. How often do you do this?”

Ethan adjusted his glasses.

“Often enough.”

Naomi nearly choked on her coffee.

“You get paid to attend weddings?”

“Corporate events. Family reunions. Engagement dinners.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“It’s lucrative.”

She stared.

He stared back.

Then both started laughing.

For the first time in months, Naomi laughed until tears filled her eyes.

And somehow that scared her more than anything.

---

The wedding weekend arrived.

The venue sat beside a lake surrounded by gardens and fairy lights.

Beautiful.

Romantic.

Terrifying.

The moment Naomi entered holding Ethan’s arm, heads turned.

Not because of her.

Because of him.

Even her mother froze.

“Naomi.”

“Mom.”

“Who is this?”

Ethan smiled.

The smile.

That devastating smile.

“Mrs. Adebayo. It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”

Naomi’s mother blinked.

Then smiled.

Then beamed.

Then practically adopted him.

Traitor.

Absolute traitor.

Within twenty minutes Ethan was helping elderly aunties carry chairs, fixing decorations, and charming every relative in existence.

One uncle tried introducing him to his daughter before remembering Ethan was supposedly dating Naomi.

Another aunt declared he had “good husband forehead.”

Naomi didn’t even know what that meant.

Yet somehow everyone nodded as if it were scientifically measurable.

---

Things became worse that evening.

Because that’s when her ex arrived.

Daniel.

Of course he did.

Life clearly hated her.

Daniel entered holding hands with the woman he had apparently discovered while “finding himself.”

Naomi’s stomach twisted.

Not because she still loved him.

At least she hoped not.

But heartbreak leaves scars.

And seeing him felt like pressing on an old bruise.

Daniel spotted her immediately.

His expression changed.

Then his eyes landed on Ethan.

Confusion.

Shock.

Jealousy.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Ethan leaned close.

Without looking away from Daniel, he whispered:

“Ex-boyfriend?”

Naomi nodded.

“Ah.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

That smile appeared again.

The dangerous one.

---

Dinner became a battlefield.

Daniel somehow ended up at their table.

Coincidence.

Obviously not.

For two hours he asked increasingly annoying questions.

“So what do you do, Ethan?”

“Consulting.”

“What kind?”

“The successful kind.”

Naomi nearly inhaled her drink.

Daniel frowned.

Ethan smiled politely.

The table laughed.

Daniel did not.

By dessert he looked ready to challenge Ethan to mortal combat.

And Ethan appeared to be enjoying every second.

Later that night Naomi cornered him outside.

“What was that?”

“What was what?”

“The whole dinner.”

“I was being charming.”

“You were being impossible.”

He grinned.

“You enjoyed it.”

The annoying thing was—

She had.

---

The next morning everything went wrong.

Naomi woke to forty-three unread messages.

Her eyes widened.

Every message contained the same thing.

Photos.

Dozens of photos.

Photos of her and Ethan laughing.

Walking together.

Holding hands.

Dancing.

Looking suspiciously happy.

Someone had posted them online.

And now everyone believed they were a real couple.

Her phone rang.

It was her mother.

“Oh my goodness,” her mother said.

“We love him.”

Naomi groaned.

“Mom.”

“I’m serious.”

“Mom.”

“I’ve already started planning.”

“PLANNING WHAT?”

“The wedding.”

Naomi screamed into a pillow.

---

Unfortunately the universe wasn’t finished.

That afternoon a woman arrived.

A beautiful woman.

Tall.

Elegant.

Confident.

Movie-star beautiful.

The kind of woman who made ordinary people question their existence.

She walked straight toward Ethan.

Then hugged him.

Very tightly.

Naomi’s stomach dropped unexpectedly.

Interesting.

Concerning.

Very concerning.

The woman smiled.

“Ethan.”

“Victoria.”

Naomi pretended not to stare.

She failed.

Who was Victoria?

Former girlfriend?

Current girlfriend?

Secret wife?

International spy?

Anything seemed possible.

Victoria looked at Naomi.

Then smiled knowingly.

“Oh.”

Oh?

What did that mean?

Why did women always say “oh” like they possessed classified information?

Ethan introduced them.

Victoria shook Naomi’s hand.

Then said:

“I’ve heard so much about you.”

Naomi blinked.

She had?

From whom?

Why?

How?

Questions multiplied.

Answers did not.

---

That evening Naomi couldn’t stop thinking about Victoria.

Ridiculous.

Absolutely ridiculous.

Ethan wasn’t her boyfriend.

This was a contract.

A business arrangement.

Nothing more.

Yet every time Victoria laughed at something Ethan said, Naomi felt annoyed.

When Victoria touched his arm, she felt annoyed.

When Victoria existed, she felt annoyed.

The realization struck her suddenly.

Hard.

Terribly hard.

“Oh no.”

She liked him.

She actually liked him.

The fake boyfriend.

The rented wedding date.

The professional romance consultant.

Wonderful.

Fantastic.

Perfect disaster.

---

Things became even worse later.

Because Naomi accidentally overheard a conversation.

She wasn’t spying.

Technically.

She was walking.

They happened to be talking.

Nearby.

Very nearby.

Close enough to hear.

“…tell her the truth,” Victoria said.

Naomi froze.

Truth?

What truth?

Ethan sighed.

“I can’t.”

“You have to.”

“Not yet.”

Victoria folded her arms.

“She deserves to know.”

Naomi’s heart pounded.

Know what?

WHAT?

The conversation ended before she heard more.

Naturally.

Because the universe enjoyed suffering.

---

The wedding day arrived.

Sunshine filled the gardens.

Music floated through the air.

Guests gathered.

Everything felt magical.

Except Naomi’s anxiety.

That was thriving.

She found Ethan alone near the lake.

“We need to talk.”

He looked nervous.

Not a good sign.

“About?”

“Victoria.”

He sighed.

Definitely not a good sign.

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Naomi crossed her arms.

“Who is she?”

Ethan hesitated.

Then laughed unexpectedly.

Actually laughed.

“What?”

“You’ve been jealous.”

“I have not.”

“You absolutely have.”

Naomi glared.

He laughed harder.

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

The annoying thing?

She didn’t.

Not even a little.

---

The ceremony began.

Bella looked beautiful.

Everyone cried.

Even people who normally showed no emotions cried.

Halfway through the vows, Naomi glanced at Ethan.

He was watching the couple.

Smiling softly.

For the first time he looked vulnerable.

Real.

Not polished.

Not charming.

Just human.

And something shifted inside her.

Dangerously.

Irreversibly.

---

The reception lasted late into the evening.

Music.

Dancing.

Laughter.

Joy.

Everything felt perfect.

Too perfect.

Because perfection never lasts.

Near midnight Ethan finally found her.

His expression was serious.

“Naomi.”

The tone immediately worried her.

“What happened?”

He took a deep breath.

“I need to tell you something.”

Her stomach tightened.

“What?”

“It’s about why I agreed to be your date.”

The music seemed to fade.

The world narrowed.

Just them.

Just this moment.

Ethan looked genuinely afraid.

And that terrified her.

Because fearless people don’t become afraid without reason.

“Naomi,” he said quietly.

“The day we met wasn’t an accident.”

Her heartbeat stopped.

“What?”

He swallowed.

Then reached into his jacket.

And pulled out a photograph.

An old photograph.

Faded.

Creased.

Years old.

Naomi took it.

Her hands trembled.

The moment she saw it, the blood drained from her face.

Because the picture showed a little girl.

Maybe eight years old.

Standing beside a smiling man.

A man she hadn’t seen since childhood.

A man who had disappeared from her life twenty years ago.

Her father.

And beside him—

Was Ethan.

The same age.

The same smile.

The same eyes.

Naomi looked up slowly.

The lake shimmered behind them.

Music drifted across the night.

Somewhere fireworks exploded.

But all she could hear was her own pulse.

“What is this?” she whispered.

Ethan looked devastated.

The expression of someone carrying a secret for far too long.

“My father knew your father.”

Naomi’s breath caught.

“What?”

“They weren’t just friends.”

The fireworks exploded overhead.

Gold light filled the sky.

Ethan’s next words nearly stopped her heart.

“They disappeared together.”

Silence.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three.

Naomi stared at him.

Unable to breathe.

Unable to think.

Unable to understand.

Then Ethan said the one thing she never expected.

The one thing that changed everything.

The one thing that shattered the entire weekend.

“I didn’t come to this wedding because I was hired.”

He looked directly into her eyes.

“I came because I’ve been looking for you for fifteen years.”

And before Naomi could ask why—

A voice behind them said:

“Then you found her much sooner than I expected.”

They turned.

A man stood beneath the fireworks.

Tall.

Silver-haired.

Smiling.

Holding another photograph.

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A photograph that appeared to show Naomi as a child.

The stranger lifted his gaze.

Then spoke four words that made Ethan go pale.

Four words that changed everything.

“Hello, children. Remember me?”