Summary: The woman she loves will soon be betrothed to another, and she realizes she shouldn’t have attended the wedding.
Word Count: 1.23k
Content + Warnings: A continuation of #4, longing/pining, heartbreak, cliffhanger ending (although I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this considering these short stories haven't been doing very well), sorrow, partial acceptance
This wasn't right.
She shouldn't be here.
You shouldn't be here. Not like this.
You were walking down the aisle in such a beautiful dress with an equally beautiful smile to match, your excitement clear as day as you grew closer to the love of your life — as you grew closer to making your love permanent and official.
Only it wasn't her, it was someone completely knew. A woman Sera hardly knew a thing about.
It was a mental war in her mind when walking in. She didn't know if it would have been better to sit at the very back so it wouldn't be noticeable if she had to step out or if she should sit at the front to see you properly. She ached so badly to see you again without the anger present on your face like last time.
You held no anger towards this new lover, that much was clear. There was only love and admiration. A stark, brutal contrast to how you once looked at Sera, one that deepened the frigidness in her chest so much it felt as though it grazed her heart. Every shaky breath left her ribs jolting with pain as they constricted her lungs.
You looked so happy.
She should be happy too — happy for you.
But she doesn't want this new woman to be the one to make you that happy.
It should be her. That's what it was meant to be. Why else would you have talked so joyously about your future together during those late-night talks? Had you not been genuine when talking about everything you intended to share with her?
Maybe you were like her and knew the relationship was fated to fail from the start. Maybe it was just a way to pass the time for you. Maybe you only made her believe you cherished her so she would stick around long enough for you to find someone else — someone better.
No.
No, that wasn't like you at all.
She knew that, but her mind was grasping for any possibility of a facade that would make it easier to accept that you had moved on. In her mind, if you were only pretending to be in love with her, it would take away the sting in her heart at the sight of you nearing the other woman waiting just as eagerly for you to join her at the front of the room.
Only it didn't make her feel better. If anything, it made her feel worse.
So much worse.
She'd loved you so deeply, even if she hadn't been the best at proving that to you. She cared about you more than anyone else, even herself, and she wished she could tell you that she loved you before she lost the chance.
Because even as she sat in the pews among the others you had invited, even as she watched you give your heart away to someone else, she couldn't lie to herself.
She still loved you.
She wanted you back more than anything, and she was willing to do whatever it took, but what could she possibly do now? It was far too late. In just a few moments, you would be gone forever. She would never get the privilege of holding you close, kissing you, admiring you so shamelessly, or proclaiming her love for you again. Not once you said those two little words.
Her hand came to grasp at her chest as you joined hands and the officiant began to speak.
Never again would she get to wake up to you curled into her side, the morning sun cascaded masterfully over you, nor would she get to share soft nothings and promises before being forced to part and take care of her duties. There wouldn't be any more intimate dinners or chaste kisses while cuddled together in bed with visions of the future you hoped you would get to share.
She couldn't look forward to coming home to you at the end of the day anymore.
She couldn't confide in you about the worries no one else new about anymore.
She couldn't feel lucky about you being her girlfriend anymore because you weren't, and you never would be again.
Now you would be someone else's wife, and by god, did Sera envy her.
She was lucky to have you, anyone would be. So many parts of you made it so easy to love you. Sera knew there was no such thing as a perfect being, but if she had to choose someone who came the closest, it would be you. You were perfect.
Just maybe not for her.
Or, rather, she wasn't perfect for you.
You were shortchanged while you were with her: always putting in the effort and receiving so little in return. You were the only reason things had lasted as long as they did. If you hadn't been so patient and forgiving of her unintentional neglect, things would've fallen apart even before you'd gotten together.
Or maybe it would've been better if you had just stayed friends. There wouldn't have been as high of an expectation for company, and you wouldn't have felt so abandoned in your own relationship. You wouldn't have gotten so hurt. You wouldn't have felt like you weren't loved, or taken care of, or seen.
But she could do better, she really could. She could alleviate her burdens and learn to trust more in the others. She could finally be the woman you deserved — the woman you wanted to be with all those years ago. She could do it.
She knew she could.
Should she object when the officiant calls for it? The embarrassment of begging before others was far more desirable than the emptiness that would follow if you didn't hear her out.
Her eyes drifted up to the front of the room again. She already had the entire speech memorized — she knew the time to call for any objection was coming soon.
She could object.
But would you hate her more for that?
You looked so happy with this new woman. For goodness sake, you stammered through your vows because of how excited you were.
It wouldn't be fair to take that away from you, even if it felt like her heart was ripping into two with every word that brought the ceremony closer to its end. You deserved to be happy. That was all she wanted.
Maybe her dreams of sharing the rest of eternity with you were worth forgetting about if it meant you were with the one you were truly meant to be with.
She stood, grateful she had chosen to sit in the back, and made her way to the large doors you'd walked through just a few minutes before. She couldn't bring herself to look back, otherwise she might regret leaving. It wasn't like she could bear to watch you kiss another anyway.
No, she couldn't watch you solidify the start of this new chapter in your life.
But someday she'd learn to accept it.
Ignoring the sound of someone standing from the pews behind her, she stepped out into the hallway and shut the doors, allowing herself to dwell in the darkness for just a moment before moving away.
All she could wish for now was that you'd be given only the best.
She couldn't wait to see you thrive with a full heart.
Started on: June 27th, 2026
Finished on: June 27th, 2026
Sera: Sometimes I fantasize about Lilith coming home drunk and beating me until I feel numb. She kicks me in the ribs until I can hardly breathe. Then she starts to cry and apologizes, begging me to forgive her. She holds me all night as I gently cry into her t-shirt.
Unfinished (and will probably never be) emily&sera animatic
This is what lesbianism do to an animator, bc I worked on this and the "who will you be" animation at the same time, and this animatic has been sitting in my drafts for 5 FREAKING MONTHS.
(Decided to publish it anyways)
ANYWAYS, look at my cutie pies❤️🩹❤️🩹
I knew when I was looking through Patina Miller's discography that I had to animated this song.
andulkaphoto
baratheonpilled
snowghoul
yousharknotpass
tangentwithtanner
theartofmadeline
