Bitter Vows, Sweet Deceptions
850 Views · Ongoing · Daisy Swift
I can smell emotions.
Love is sweet. Grief is bitter. Anger burns like cracked pepper.
For ten years, my fiancé, Jasper, smelled like pure sugar.
The only exception was the day my older sister, Maren, moved to Europe three years ago. He came home reeking of bitter ash.
Back then, I was too naive to connect the dots.
Until today. Maren's wedding day.
When Jasper brushed past me at the reception, the scent hit me—a harsh, burning rot of pepper and grief.
I followed his trail out of the ballroom, cracking the stairwell door.
"This is insane, Maren!" Jasper's voice was raw and desperate. "You're marrying a stranger just to make me give up?"
"What else can I do?" my sister sobbed. "You're marrying Celandine! We can't keep doing this!"
I stopped dead, unable to pull a single breath into my lungs.
My phone buzzed. A calendar alert: [Celandine & Jasper's Wedding – 7 Days.]
I stared at the screen, unable to feel my own fingers.
Then, I canceled my wedding.
Love is sweet. Grief is bitter. Anger burns like cracked pepper.
For ten years, my fiancé, Jasper, smelled like pure sugar.
The only exception was the day my older sister, Maren, moved to Europe three years ago. He came home reeking of bitter ash.
Back then, I was too naive to connect the dots.
Until today. Maren's wedding day.
When Jasper brushed past me at the reception, the scent hit me—a harsh, burning rot of pepper and grief.
I followed his trail out of the ballroom, cracking the stairwell door.
"This is insane, Maren!" Jasper's voice was raw and desperate. "You're marrying a stranger just to make me give up?"
"What else can I do?" my sister sobbed. "You're marrying Celandine! We can't keep doing this!"
I stopped dead, unable to pull a single breath into my lungs.
My phone buzzed. A calendar alert: [Celandine & Jasper's Wedding – 7 Days.]
I stared at the screen, unable to feel my own fingers.
Then, I canceled my wedding.
















































