Stand-In Heiress's Last Sunflower Blooms in Graveyards - Chapter 22: Chapter 22
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Timothy couldn't make out the girl's face in his dream. He sat up, annoyed, grabbed a shirt and headed to the shower.
His memory felt fucked up—like pieces of a puzzle were missing.
Whenever he tried to remember, his head would feel like it was splitting open.
So he stopped trying.
*Must not have been important,* he figured.
Six months later.
Timothy finished his shift and headed to the InterContinental Hotel.
Tina clung to his arm, resting her head on his chest: "Timothy, my parents are here already. They're from a small farming town, so they might come across kind of blunt. Please don't take it personally."
Timothy looked good in his tailored suit—more mature, more put-together than before.
He touched her cheek gently: "Don't stress about it."
"I'm more worried they'll have a problem with me being an orphan with no family."
The dinner went great. They agreed on $180,000 as a security deposit—not exactly a dowry, but something to show Tina's parents that Timothy was financially stable and serious about taking care of their daughter.
They set the wedding date for January 10th.
At the InterContinental.
Timothy was greeting guests at the entrance when he noticed an unfamiliar girl.
Her wrists were covered in old scars, and she was carrying a sunflower necklace with no card.
She looked familiar somehow.
He jogged after her: "Hey, do I know you from somewhere?"
Rachel saw him in his wedding tux and felt a tear hit her hand out of nowhere.
She remembered college, when Skylar would drag her to bridal boutiques, obsessing over engagement photos and wedding dresses.
"You only get one wedding dress in your life," Rachel used to tell her. "Save it for when you marry Timothy."
"Good point," Skylar would say. "But what do you think Timothy would look like in a tux?"
*What would Timothy look like as a groom?*
Now she had her answer.
The memory wipe had been complete—he'd even forgotten Rachel existed.
Jayden had warned her: the more thorough the erasure, the deeper the original trauma.
Maybe forgetting was mercy.
It's what Skylar would have wanted.
Rachel stepped around him: "Sorry, I'm just a friend of the bride. Dropping something off and heading out."
Skylar had made her promise—if Timothy ever got married, she had to bring sunflowers.
The ceremony started.
Timothy stood at the altar with his boutonniere, crystal chandeliers sparkling overhead, flowers everywhere.
The music began, lights dimmed, and the ballroom doors opened.
Tina walked toward him in flowing white.
The officiant beamed: "Groom, you may now go to your bride."
Timothy froze. Something was clawing at his mind. The entire ballroom stared, waiting.
He finally walked over and took Tina's hand.
At the altar, the officiant continued: "Timothy Goldstein, do you take Tina Castro to be your lawfully wedded wife? In sickness and health, for richer or poorer, will you love, honor and cherish her till death do you part?"
The silence was deafening. You could hear Timothy's breathing through the mic.
After what felt like forever, Timothy said: "I completely forgot what today was..."
Nobody knew what he was talking about.
He kept going: "Today's the day she died. And I think... I think I forgot her."
Right before he was supposed to say "I do," every memory of Skylar crashed back into his consciousness.
He looked at Tina with genuine pain in his eyes: "Tina, I can't do this. The wedding's off."
He pressed the bank card into her hands: "Keep this. It's the least I can do after putting you through this nightmare. I'm so sorry."
His memory felt fucked up—like pieces of a puzzle were missing.
Whenever he tried to remember, his head would feel like it was splitting open.
So he stopped trying.
*Must not have been important,* he figured.
Six months later.
Timothy finished his shift and headed to the InterContinental Hotel.
Tina clung to his arm, resting her head on his chest: "Timothy, my parents are here already. They're from a small farming town, so they might come across kind of blunt. Please don't take it personally."
Timothy looked good in his tailored suit—more mature, more put-together than before.
He touched her cheek gently: "Don't stress about it."
"I'm more worried they'll have a problem with me being an orphan with no family."
The dinner went great. They agreed on $180,000 as a security deposit—not exactly a dowry, but something to show Tina's parents that Timothy was financially stable and serious about taking care of their daughter.
They set the wedding date for January 10th.
At the InterContinental.
Timothy was greeting guests at the entrance when he noticed an unfamiliar girl.
Her wrists were covered in old scars, and she was carrying a sunflower necklace with no card.
She looked familiar somehow.
He jogged after her: "Hey, do I know you from somewhere?"
Rachel saw him in his wedding tux and felt a tear hit her hand out of nowhere.
She remembered college, when Skylar would drag her to bridal boutiques, obsessing over engagement photos and wedding dresses.
"You only get one wedding dress in your life," Rachel used to tell her. "Save it for when you marry Timothy."
"Good point," Skylar would say. "But what do you think Timothy would look like in a tux?"
*What would Timothy look like as a groom?*
Now she had her answer.
The memory wipe had been complete—he'd even forgotten Rachel existed.
Jayden had warned her: the more thorough the erasure, the deeper the original trauma.
Maybe forgetting was mercy.
It's what Skylar would have wanted.
Rachel stepped around him: "Sorry, I'm just a friend of the bride. Dropping something off and heading out."
Skylar had made her promise—if Timothy ever got married, she had to bring sunflowers.
The ceremony started.
Timothy stood at the altar with his boutonniere, crystal chandeliers sparkling overhead, flowers everywhere.
The music began, lights dimmed, and the ballroom doors opened.
Tina walked toward him in flowing white.
The officiant beamed: "Groom, you may now go to your bride."
Timothy froze. Something was clawing at his mind. The entire ballroom stared, waiting.
He finally walked over and took Tina's hand.
At the altar, the officiant continued: "Timothy Goldstein, do you take Tina Castro to be your lawfully wedded wife? In sickness and health, for richer or poorer, will you love, honor and cherish her till death do you part?"
The silence was deafening. You could hear Timothy's breathing through the mic.
After what felt like forever, Timothy said: "I completely forgot what today was..."
Nobody knew what he was talking about.
He kept going: "Today's the day she died. And I think... I think I forgot her."
Right before he was supposed to say "I do," every memory of Skylar crashed back into his consciousness.
He looked at Tina with genuine pain in his eyes: "Tina, I can't do this. The wedding's off."
He pressed the bank card into her hands: "Keep this. It's the least I can do after putting you through this nightmare. I'm so sorry."
End of Stand-In Heiress's Last Sunflower Blooms in Graveyards Chapter 22. Continue reading Chapter 23 or return to Stand-In Heiress's Last Sunflower Blooms in Graveyards book page.