“Private?” My voice was a bitter echo of itself. “You mean like the private decision to lie about their death? To make me believe they were gone forever?”

Isabella stumbled backward, her heel catching on the hem of her gown. She steadied herself against one of the pews, eyes wide with fear and anger. The guests were transfixed, their attention glued to the unraveling drama, a live spectacle more gripping than any wedding.

“Mark, I was scared! You wouldn’t have understood!” she cried, her voice trembling as she attempted to regain control. “They weren’t… they weren’t part of the plan! Our plan!”

“Our plan?” I repeated, the words tasting of acid. “This isn’t about a plan, Isabella. This is about life, about deceit on a scale I can’t even comprehend.”

The truth was a beast, roaring to be acknowledged. I couldn’t believe how blind I’d been, how easily manipulated by those I held dear. Every moment of our relationship flashed before my eyes, tainted now by the knowledge of what she had done.

I looked down at the babies once more, their innocent faces a stark contrast to the chaos around them. They were fragile and vulnerable, yet in that moment, they seemed stronger than anyone else in the room. They had survived against all odds, a testament to their will to live. Could I deny them the justice they deserved?

“I’m not going to ask again,” I said, my voice resonating with determination. “Whose ashes are in that urn?”

Isabella’s lips trembled, her eyes darting around the cathedral, avoiding my gaze. The silence stretched, a taut line ready to snap, as everyone awaited her response. But the answer was clear. She had none.

In that moment, I knew our story was over. The fairytale wedding, the life we had planned—it was all built on deceit and manipulation. I turned towards the door, each step heavy with the realization of what had been lost, and what had been found.

As I walked away from the altar, the twins safe in my arms, the murmurs of the crowd faded into the background. The world seemed to narrow down to the warmth of the small bodies cradled against me, their quiet breaths a reminder of the new path lying ahead.

These children, abandoned and betrayed, needed me more than I’d ever anticipated. And perhaps in being there for them, I would find a part of myself that had been missing all along.