My Shining Light

Chapter 42

It was a warm Sunday afternoon and Lucy was browsing the dress racks in a bridal store, waiting for Aera to re-emerge from the change room.

"What do you think?" Aera asked as she stepped out in a long open-necked dress floating over layers of tulle.

"Oh it's lovely," the store assistant replied, adjusting her thick round glasses and nodding fervently.

"I was asking Lucy, my bridesmaid," Aera replied dryly, rolling her eyes before twirling around in circles.

The assistant peered over her glasses at Lucy and frowned, "Have you been in here before?" she queried.

"Mmm..." Lucy bit her lip and awkwardly shuffled on her feet, wishing she could jump into the sea of dresses and hide underneath the tulle.

"Ahh yes, I remember you! The foreigner-bride marrying the actor! All very hush-hush! How did your wedding turn out?" she asked brightly.

"It didn't end up..." Lucy coughed, choking on her words.

The old woman stared at her, waiting for her to continue but Lucy didn't feel like offering an explanation. After an awkward silence, she glanced down at Lucy's finger, empty of its ring.

Embarrassed, Lucy hid her hands behind her back and realisation finally dawned on the assistant's face.

That's right, Lucy cried inwardly, there's no ring, no fiancé, and no wedding! She envisioned where her engagement ring was right now - gathering dust inside the jewellery box on her bedroom shelf, never to be worn again. When was she going to get rid of it?

"Oh my goodness!" Aera cried, drawing their attention to her, "this dress is digging into my side, please take it off me!"

The assistant jumped up to follow Aera as she stomped back into the change stall, dragging her tulle train behind her.

Lucy suddenly felt claustrophobic surrounded by white dresses and photographs of joyful brides staring down the walls at her. The bride in the frame above her was leaning back on a chair with her husband kneeled before her, fondly clutching her diamond-ringed hand. She smiled down at Lucy as though saying, "See, he loves me and look how happy I am!"

Lucy wasn't happy at all. She found a little pouf and sat down, wondering how she ended up coming back here as a single woman.

"I'm never going to find love again, am I?" she muttered, hiding from the brides with her head in her hands as she tried not to think about all her shattered dreams.

Taeho had hurt her beyond repair, and just when she was starting to think that she could move on, her hopes were immediately dashed.

Eunwoo hadn't returned any of her calls in the last two days. She was surprised because he promised her that he wouldn't shut her out like this! Why did he have to play games? They'd been friends for so long that she didn't worry about waiting for him to call her first. When she wanted to talk to him, she simply picked up the phone and dialled. But if he chose not to answer, she wasn't going to waste her time chasing him. Eunwoo had enough girls chasing him and she was not going to be one of them!

Lucy looked up again at the leaning bride in the photograph and let herself imagine being in her place. She tried to picture Eunwoo as her husband, handsomely dressed in a suit, gazing up at her like she was the only one for him, but she just refused to believe it. Somehow, deep down, she knew that it would never happen.

After a few minutes, she heard the assistant's heels clomp away and Aera call out to her.

"Lucy!" she waved, beckoning her into the change stall, "are you okay? I am so sorry! I shouldn't have brought you here!"