THE PAPER BEFORE THE AYST
1. TODAY I WOULD BE THE BRIDE – IF IT WERE NOT FOR THAT PAPER

I – Emily Rhodes, 27 years old – stood behind the white curtain, just a few steps from the altar. Organ music was playing. The guests were standing. The groom – Adam Blake – was waiting.

At that moment, my mother – Margaret – slipped her hand into mine and placed something soft in my palm.

A piece of paper folded in half.

Her hand was shaking. Her eyes… were not like my mother’s. No longer gentle, but full of panic.

I opened the paper.

Just three words:

“FAKE TO FALL.”

I looked up.

– Mom? What is it?
My mother whispered, her voice almost crying:

– Do it. Please.

A vague fear ran down my spine.

I stepped out. Halfway down the aisle—

I fell.

2. CHAOS EMERGES

My mother screamed:

– She hurt her ankle! Stop the wedding! CALL 911!

The screams sent the guests into a panic. Adam rushed forward but was stopped by my mother:

– Don’t touch her! Let the doctor come!

The whole hall stopped.

Within 5 minutes, the ambulance arrived, taking me on a stretcher.

I whispered to my mother:
– Mom, what the—
My mother squeezed my hand so hard it hurt:
– You have to leave now. Trust me.

As the ambulance door closed, I heard her say to the paramedics:

“We have to get her away before he can react.”

I was speechless.

3. IN THE AMBULANCE – THE FIRST TRUTH

The car door closed. No more wedding music. No more voices.

There was only me, my mother, and two paramedics.

I jumped up:
– Mom, what is this? I’m not hurt!
My mother lowered her voice, her hands still shaking:

– Emily… I can’t marry Adam.
– Why?
– Because… he’s not the person you think he is.

I forced a smile:
– Do you hate your fiancé this much?
My mother shook her head, her eyes truly frightened:
– Not because I hate him. But because I know him.

I was stunned.

– Do you remember when you were ten years old, you were kidnapped?
My heart was pounding.
– Mom, that… the kidnapper was a stranger. The police said so.
– The police said what the man wanted them to say.

I felt a knot in my stomach.

Mom swallowed:
– The kidnapper that year… was Adam Blake.

4. WHY WAS HE AT MY WEDDING?

– What are you talking about? Adam is only 33. When you were kidnapped, he was only—
Mom grabbed my shoulder:

– 18. He’s a computer whiz. He hacked security cameras, followed you for months. He haunted you.
I shook my head repeatedly:
– No way!

– And, Emily… you don’t remember everything because you were sedated, but I remember very clearly. He sent me a letter.

Mom pulled a crumpled envelope from her coat pocket.

It read:

“I’LL BE BACK WHEN SHE’S READY.”

A chill ran down my spine.

I opened the letter with a trembling hand.

“When she grows up… she will belong to me.”

The handwriting was slanted, strange – but unmistakable.

I felt sick.

– Mom… why didn’t you tell me before???

– Because no one believed you! The police, the court, everyone thought you were paranoid! You hid the letter. You were just waiting… waiting for him to appear.

– But how did you know Adam was…?

Mom showed me an old photo.

The photo was blurry, but I could see it clearly:

A skinny, brown-haired teenager, standing a few steps away from me in the park that year.

His face… looked eerily like Adam.

Mom whispered:

– He changed his name. Adam Blake is not his real name. I hired a private investigator. The paper I gave you today… is when I knew for sure.

I could hardly breathe.

5. “AN AMBULANCE” IS NOT AN AMBULANCE

One of the paramedics asked, his voice too calm:

– Margaret… you’ve told me too much.

My mother froze.

I looked back at the two men in the car.

The EMS uniforms looked… too clean.

No name tag.
No shoulder radio.

My heart jumped into my throat.

– Who… are you?

The man standing near the door pulled up his pocket, revealing a silenced gun.

– We’re here at Mr. Blake’s request.

I froze.

My mother squeezed my hand:
– Emily, hold on to me!

6. THE NIGHT ATTACK

The second man rushed forward, but my mother was quick as lightning, hitting him in the face with the oxygen tank. He staggered, blood spurting from his nose.

The gunman fired a shot – the bullet whizzed past my head.

In that chaotic moment, Mom yelled:

– JUMP OUT!

The back door flew open. The car was still going 60 km/h in the middle of the mountain road.

– Mom! We’re going to die!

– BETTER THAN LET HIM GET YOU!

I didn’t have time to react.

Mom hugged me and jumped out of the car.

We fell down the snow-covered slope.

I rolled, hit the rocks, and was in so much pain that I almost fainted, but the sound of two men shouting above woke me up.

Mom pulled me up:
– Run!

7. THE FINAL TRUTH

We ran to a closed restaurant on the side of the road. Mom locked the door and pushed me into the kitchen.

– Emily, listen to me. Adam has haunted you since you were little. He tried to get back at you online, through work, through groups that I couldn’t control.

– But he seemed perfect…

– He was trained to do that. I kept quiet because I was afraid you wouldn’t trust me, afraid you would leave me… I just wanted to protect you.

I held my head:
– I don’t know what to believe anymore…

Mom took a small device out of my wedding bouquet.

– I found this in your bouquet last night.

A tracking and listening device.

I choked.

– When did Adam put it in

?
– Probably when he “helped” me pick flowers.

I felt like the world was collapsing.

8. CLIMAX – THE GROOM ARRIVES

Footsteps sounded outside the restaurant.

Adam.
I recognized his voice, eerily calm:

– Emily, you’re not hurt. I know. I just want to talk.

My mother blocked the door, whispering:
– He’s always like that. Always gentle before he attacks.

Adam continued:
– You don’t know what your mother did. She lied to you for 17 years. She made up a kidnapping story. She isolated you. Leaving you with only her.
I trembled.

Adam knocked on the door three times.

– You know I’ve never done anything to hurt you. You can feel it. Right?

I fell back into the chair.

His voice…
So warm. So kind. So much like the man I was about to marry.

Adam continued:
– Open the door, Em. Don’t let your mother ruin your life.

My mother shouted:
– DON’T LISTEN TO HIM! EMILY, HE’S PLAYING THE EXPLANATION GAME!

The silence was heavy.

Adam said the last sentence, softly but as sharp as a knife:

– Emily… do you remember what I always said to you?

My heart sank.

Adam and I met online 3 years ago. The sentence he said most often was:

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

Adam said:

– I’ve been waiting for you for a long time… since you were ten years old.

There was no doubt about it.

My mother was telling the truth.

9. CURTAIN END – TWIST

As Adam was about to break down the door, the police came from behind. Red and blue lights flashed.

The first to rush in was federal agent Sarah Cooper, whom I had never met before.

She said:

– Emily Rhodes? We got a report from your mother’s private investigator. You’re in danger.

Adam was restrained on the spot, his face contorted with panic – the first time I’d seen him lose control.

While being handcuffed, Adam looked at me, his voice flat:

– I found you. And I will find you again.

I stepped back, hugging my mother.

My mother whispered:
– Daughter… I’m sorry for being silent for so long. But I won’t let him touch you again.

10. THE END – THE FINAL TRUTH MOM HAD NEVER GOT A HANDOUT

Three days later, Agent Cooper handed my mother an envelope.

– Margaret… we found this on Adam’s computer. It was in a folder called “Our Future.”

Mom opened it.

Inside was a video of Adam himself, saying:

“She doesn’t remember anything. Perfect. When she marries me, I’ll tell her everything. Then she won’t be able to leave me.”

My mom collapsed onto the couch, crying.

I hugged her.

And for the first time in my life, I understood:

The “FAKE FALL” note had saved my life.