Where Fireworks Faded to Embers

25 days left.

Those past five days, his social life was buzzing more than ever.

They had been setting doves free in the plaza by day and watching the parade from the amusement park's hotel at night.

I had not missed a single step they took together.

The promise he made to me? Probably long forgotten.

I got up to pack my bags. Looking around, my room was a total mess.

That's when Yvan's assistant, Kent Rogers, called. "Mrs. Ellison, don't forget the eight o'clock fireworks at Fairy Bridge. If anything goes wrong, Mr. Ellison will never let me hear the end of it."

In five years of marriage, only his assistant still called me Mrs. Ellison.

He was the only one in on the secret of my marriage to Yvan.

I did not want to put Kent in a tough spot, so I agreed to head out.

However, as I made my way to Fairy Bridge, I felt like I was in a trance.

It was five years ago that Yvan and I tied the knot.

He surprised me with a secret fireworks display, a secret Kent had slipped to me.

Then, five years later, I was going back to that same place.

However, my heart was in a completely different place.

As I approached Fairy Bridge, it was swarming with tourists and swamped with media.

Something felt off, so I tried calling Yvan.

All I got was an endless busy signal.

I tried again, not even sure what I was hoping for.

However, the calls would not go through, and Yvan was nowhere to be seen.

Glancing at the time, it was nearly eight.

People in the crowd were getting hyped. "The fireworks are about to kick off!"

"They say it's Mr. Ellison's big show for Mrs. Ellison. We're just crashing their party."

I froze.

In the public eye, Yvan was the eternal bachelor.

The Mrs. Ellison they were talking about could not be me. It had to be someone else.

I knew the prime spot for fireworks was on the north end of the bridge.

I figured since I was there, I might as well watch.

The fireworks did not do anything wrong, after all.

However, man, the place was packed.

I got swept up in the crowd, right to the front line.

There was Yvan.

In the prime spot, with his arms wrapped around Wren.

The fireworks were lighting up the sky, one dazzling burst after another.

I heard the booms echoing in my ears.

Over the noise of the crowd and the fireworks, I heard Yvan's love pouring out to Wren.

A reporter shoved a mic in Wren's face, asking her, "Mrs. Ellison, we're all waiting. What's your answer?"

Yvan wrapped his arms around Wren's shoulders, his eyes shining with hope.

Wren blushed as she reached for the mic, her lips parting to speak.

That's when my eyes locked with Yvan's.

He froze, a name slipping out unintentionally. "Lucille…"

Just like that, the whole scene went quiet.

The fireworks above us might as well have been whispers.

All eyes were on him, and on me, the girl he could not look away from.

Wren glanced my way with one eyebrow quirked up. "And who might you be?"

Yvan's face went through fifty shades of red as he licked his lips, trying to figure out his next move.

I smiled, feeling the weight of everyone's stares, and said, "I'm Lucille Shaw, Mr. Ellison's…"

Yvan was on edge, about to cut me off, but I finished with "Cousin."

The tension in my clenched hand eased as the word hung in the air.

"My aunt sent me to check out the girl, make sure she's as stunning as promised. Didn't mean to give anyone a fright."

Yvan's face relaxed into a grateful smile, and he gave me a nod of approval.

He had always been clear about keeping my identity under wraps, and his mother was on the same page.

That's why she had always insisted I call her 'aunt' whenever we were out.