I drove three hours in a navy dress I had found at a thrift store, the fabric still smelling faintly of detergent and effort, just to watch my son get married.
By the time I reached the address he sent me, I knew.
There was no wedding.
The building stood empty—windows clouded, paint peeling, a rusted gate locked tight as if even time had stopped trying to enter. I sat behind the wheel of my old car, hands resting on the steering wheel, waiting for something—music, laughter, even the wrong kind of decoration—to prove I had simply misunderstood.
But nothing came.
No guests.
No flowers.
No life.
I checked the message again. The same cheerful location pin. The same address Mark had sent so quickly when I told him I truly wanted to be there.