Poor Man Escapes His Wedding, 40 Years Later Bride Discovers It Was Her Dad’s Plan – Story of the Day

Zedrick was madly in love with his bride-to-be, Amanda, but he never made it to their wedding. All along, Amanda thought he stood her up, but after receiving mail with his name on it, she discovered there was a reason why they didn't end up married.

"There's no way you're marrying my daughter. You're going to leave this church right now. Do you understand?" Richard Hutchins threatened Zedrick with a stern look on his face. They were in the dressing room behind the church, just a wall away from where Amanda was getting ready.

"I can't leave your daughter, sir. I love her, and today is supposed to be the best day of her life," Zedrick insisted.

"You're not good enough for my daughter. I have always opposed your relationship, and now that I've made it to California for the wedding, I can finally tell you to call it off in person," Richard said coldly.

Richard asked Zedrick to stay away from his daughter during their wedding day. | Photo: Shutterstock

Zedrick was not about to back down without a fight. He refused to leave until Richard threatened him once more. "I have connections everywhere, you know. I know where your family lives, I know where YOU live. If you don't leave this instance, I'm going to make your lives hell," he said, pointing his finger at Zedrick.

Zedrick was close to tears. He loved Amanda with his whole heart, but he knew staying there would hurt so many other people in the process. After a couple of minutes, he decided to leave, exiting through the back door.

That day, he left his entire life in Los Angeles and moved across the country to Boston. He did not tell anybody where he was going until a couple of months later when their canceled wedding was no longer the talk of the town.

Zedrick got on a cab and never looked back. | Photo: Pexels

Fifty years later...

Now 73, Amanda spent most of her days sitting outside of her home watching the kids in her neighborhood ride their bikes on the street. This was her daily routine as she sipped from her glass of orange juice while reading a book.

While she's often too preoccupied with her book, there are some days when her thoughts get the best of her. She'd reminisce about her life, and remember all that she's been through.

She remembered her very first wedding day, the only time she ever wanted to walk down the aisle. She was about to get married to Zedrick, her first love. She was heartbroken to hear there wouldn't be a wedding that day after they couldn't find Zedrick anywhere in the church.

She waited for hours, thinking something might have come up, but he never returned. She stayed in the church the entire night, crying her eyes out. While her mother comforted her at the time, her father looked smug, telling her it was for the best.

Amanda was left heartbroken after Zedrick didn't show up at their wedding. | Photo: Pexels

A couple of years later, her father introduced her to a man named Joshua Keppler. He was the son of a good friend of his who owned a petroleum company.

They ended up getting married, and together they shared a daughter named Camilla. When her father died, however, Amanda filed for divorce.

Amanda and Joshua were never compatible. He cheated on her throughout their relationship, and he was more than okay getting a divorce. So she took her daughter, Camilla, and moved to a home in the Beverly Hills area where she managed to forget about what she'd gone through.

Years went by, and her daughter grew up to be a successful doctor. She got married and gave Amanda four grandchildren who would spend a lot of time with her.

Life didn't turn out the way I wanted it to at first, but I've lived a great life, Amanda suddenly thought to herself. She never tried to find love again, but her mind would still sometimes wander back to Zedrick.

Amanda was content with her life, focusing on her daughter and grandchildren. | Photo: Pexels

"Hi, Mrs. Keppler," the mailman said one day, interrupting her thoughts.

"Oh goodness, you scared me," she said, looking up at him.

"I'm so sorry Mrs. Keppler," the mailman laughed. "You have a letter here, and I just wanted to give it to you," he said, handing her a sealed envelope.

Amanda couldn't believe her eyes when she read that the letter came from a certain Zedrick Smith. "What?" she said to herself.

Before she knew it, she was quickly opening the envelope, eager to know what he had to say after all those years.

I know this is surprising, but I couldn't live with myself knowing I didn't even try to contact you before my time is up here on earth. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about you. The truth is, on the day of our wedding, I never planned to leave. However, when your father threatened my family that day, I was young, stupid, and afraid. I believed him.

I should never have let fear get in the way of my love for you. But I did. I flew to Boston to start anew, and when I heard you got married after a couple of years, I didn't want to bother you anymore. Meanwhile, I never married nor had children. It was you or nothing, and I lived with that consequence for the rest of my life. I hope you have been well. If you ever decide to contact me, I'm writing my details below this letter. I hope to hear from you.

Love, Zedrick.

Amanda was surprised to receive a letter from Zedrick, especially after fifty years. | Photo: Pexels

Amanda was in tears. She could not believe her father would do that to her, and it changed her life for good. Like Zedrick, she was not good with technology, so she decided to get a piece of paper and a pen to write back to him.

Although they were getting old, they wanted to spend as much time together, so Zedrick moved back to California, where they spent the rest of their lives.

What can we learn from this story?

• People who are meant to be in your life will find their way back to you. Amanda never could have imagined finding Zedrick again after fifty years. However, as fate had it, they even ended up rekindling their relationship.
• Never keep secrets from your partner. Zedrick could have told Amanda about what her father had done, but instead, he chose to run away. That led to a lifetime of consequences that they both had to live with.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who appeared at a luxury wedding to see the bride who betrayed him.

This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.