The Bride She Should've Been

The Bride She Should've Been — A man marries his wedding-day rival's abandoned bride after Eleanor Vance leaves him for her terminally ill true love.

The narrator stands at the altar beside Eleanor Vance when the groom from the ceremony next door bursts in, red-eyed and shaking, declaring that Eleanor is the only woman he has ever loved and that he cannot marry his terminally ill fiancee while carrying that torch. Eleanor pulls her hand from his and runs after him. His mother collapses from anger and is hospitalized. Standing among the wreckage, the narrator meets the other deserted bride and quietly asks whether she wants to switch grooms. They marry and have two children. Three years later Eleanor returns, tearful and full of regret, but the narrator is already carrying both children toward the car, telling her he must collect his wife from work.

Quick answers

Why does Eleanor leave her wedding?

She runs after the neighboring groom, who confesses he loves her and cannot marry his dying fiancee.

Who does the narrator marry after being jilted?

He marries the bride abandoned by the groom next door, and they raise two children together.

Recommended for

Stories about marriage pacts formed after public rejection and the return of a first love years later.