“No! No, it’s not like that,” he said, glancing at the woman, who was shrinking into the floor. “Tell her,” he urged her.

The woman hesitated before mumbling, “I’m a wedding planner.”

I blinked. “A… what?”

She straightened up, still not meeting my eyes. “Ethan hired me to organize a surprise wedding. For you.”

I stared at her, completely confused. “A… wedding? For me? What are you talking about?”

Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s true. I’ve been working with her to plan a wedding. For us. A real one.”

“But… why all the secrecy? Why hide her under the bed like some kid sneaking around?”

“Because you weren’t supposed to be here!” Ethan’s voice cracked. “We’ve been planning this for months.”

The woman nodded awkwardly. “We were just finalizing the details — your favorite colors, flowers, everything. He wanted everything to be perfect. We overheard you talking on the phone outside the ward and didn’t want to spoil the surprise… so he told me to hide under the bed. I’m really sorry for the confusion.”

Ethan continued, his voice soft. “I found our old wedding photo the other day… Remember? City hall, you in that simple white dress, me in my dad’s old suit? You deserved so much more than that rushed ceremony.”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The anger that had burned in me just moments before melted into something softer, something that made my chest ache.

“You… you were planning a wedding?” I whispered. “All this time?”

Ethan nodded, reaching for my hand. “I know it sounds crazy, but… I just wanted to surprise you. To make you happy. To give you the wedding day you always dreamed of.”

“Before what?” I squeezed his hand, needing to know.

“Before anything else goes wrong,” he whispered. “I love you, Sam. More than anything. I want to marry you again. Properly, this time. With our kids, our family, and our friends.”

I stood there for a moment, processing everything. Then, slowly, I started to laugh, tears streaming down my face.

“You’ve lost your mind!” I exclaimed, shaking my head in disbelief. “Do you even realize how close I was to calling 911? I thought… oh God, I really thought the worst.”

Ethan gave me a guilty grin. “Yeah… my bad. Not exactly my brightest idea, having Jessica hide under the bed.”

The wedding planner, Jessica, muttered an apology as she quickly exited the room, leaving us by ourselves.

Once the door clicked shut, Ethan reached out and took my hand. “So… what do you think? Are you still angry with me?”

I squeezed his hand, feeling a wave of warmth in my chest. “Angry? Not at all. But you definitely owe me a proper explanation… and maybe a drink when we get out of here!” I chuckled, then added softly, “And Ethan? I don’t care if we’re dancing in wheelchairs when we’re 90. As long as I’m with you.”

He pulled me in close, and I felt his tears soaking into my shoulder. “I love you,” he whispered. “Even after all these years, I fall more in love with you every single day.”

“I love you too,” I whispered back. “But next time you plan a surprise? Maybe leave the wedding planner out of hiding under the bed!”

His laughter, this time full of warmth and sincerity, filled the room, and in that moment, everything felt perfect again.