The officiant continued speaking, his voice steady, calm, carrying across the hall as if nothing had shifted.
But Zara could feel it clearly now.
Something was wrong.
She didn't look again, but she didn't need to. The awareness stayed with her, sitting quietly in her chest, refusing to leave.
Beside her, Tunde's hand remained around hers, but it wasn't the same anymore. The grip was firmer now. Not just reassuring. Something else.
Zara swallowed lightly and tried to focus on the ceremony.
This was her moment.
It had to stay that way.
"Repeat after me," the officiant said again.
Zara nodded slightly, her voice coming out steady as she followed the words. To anyone watching, nothing had changed. She looked calm. In control.
But her thoughts kept drifting.
She could feel movement.
Closer.
Closer than before.
A soft shift in the air, like someone moving with intention, not just passing by.
Zara's fingers tightened around the bouquet again.
Beside her, Tunde's posture changed just slightly. His shoulders straightened, his attention no longer fully on the officiant.
He knew.
Or at least—
He sensed it too.
Zara's heart beat faster.
She didn't turn her head.
Not yet.
She tried to hold on to the moment, to pretend everything was still normal.
But the feeling kept growing.
The quiet tension.
The awareness.
The certainty that something was about to happen.
From the corner of her eye—
Movement.
Zara's breath slowed.
Just a little.
She didn't fully look.
But she saw enough.
Simi was no longer standing among the guests.
She was walking forward.
Not rushed.
Not hesitant.
Just steady.
Step by step.
Zara's chest tightened.
Why was she coming forward?
This wasn't part of anything.
No one else was moving.
No one else was stepping out.
Just her.
The officiant kept speaking, unaware.
The guests remained seated, focused, calm.
Everything still looked perfect.
But it wasn't.
Not anymore.
Beside her, Tunde shifted again.
This time, more noticeable.
His jaw tightened slightly.
His grip on her hand firm.
Zara finally turned her eyes just a little.
Just enough.
Simi was closer now.
Much closer.
Close enough that her presence could no longer be ignored.
Zara quickly looked forward again, her breathing controlled but uneven inside.
"Tunde," she whispered, barely moving her lips.
He leaned slightly toward her.
"I see her," he said quietly.
Zara's heart dropped.
That was all she needed to hear.
Not confusion.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
Zara didn't respond.
She just stood still, her thoughts racing.
The officiant's voice continued, steady, uninterrupted.
"Marriage is a journey…"
The words felt distant now.
Almost irrelevant.
Because right now—
Something else was happening.
Something bigger than the ceremony.
Zara's fingers tightened again around the bouquet.
Her eyes stayed forward.
But her entire body was aware.
Waiting.
Watching.
Simi took another step.
And another.
No one stopped her.
No one questioned her.
It was like the moment hadn't caught up with her yet.
Like everything was still moving normally—
Except her.
She was no longer part of the audience.
She was part of the front now.
Close enough.
Too close.
Zara's heartbeat echoed in her ears.
Tunde's hand tightened again.
This time, Zara felt it clearly.
Not just tension.
Not just awareness.
Something else.
Something heavier.
Simi slowed.
Then stopped.
Just a few steps away from them.
Close enough to be seen.
Close enough to be heard.
The officiant paused briefly, glancing up for a second, noticing movement at the front.
A few guests shifted in their seats.
Whispers began to rise.
Soft at first.
Confused.
Uncertain.
Zara didn't move.
She couldn't.
Her body felt still, but her mind was racing.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Not here.
Not now.
The hall, once calm, began to change.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Like something was about to break.
And Simi—
Just stood there.