Before We Call It Forever

Carol set his palette knife aside and watched her cake in silence, she stood behind the worktable, completely absorbed in the towering wedding cake before her. As the pastry chef, baking had never been just a profession—it was where her heart found peace. Every layer, every swirl of buttercream, and every delicate decoration reflected the patience and passion she poured into her craft.

With steady hands, she carefully pressed the final red sugar rose onto the top tier, adjusting each petal until it rested perfectly in place. The vibrant crimson bloom stood out beautifully against the smooth ivory frosting, completing the elegant design.

Yet despite the calm rhythm of her work, her thoughts wandered, drifting back to the questions she had been trying so hard to ignore. Her hands continued decorating with practiced precision, but her mind was miles away, tangled in memories and possibilities that lingered far longer than she wanted to admit.

I made this wedding cake for the man who once came so close to becoming part of my life four years ago. And here I am, carefully decorating every detail of his happily-ever-after while my own future remains uncertain. I spend my days creating wedding cakes that celebrate love and new beginnings, yet I still have no idea if I’ll ever have a wedding of my own.

A weary sigh escaped Carol’s lips as she stared at the finished cake. The realization hit her harder than she had expected.

That could have been my wedding cake.

The thought came uninvited, leaving behind a dull ache she couldn’t ignore.

Carol owned a bakery, Sugar & Seasons with her best friend and business partner, Ally. Together, they had built the shop from the ground up, turning a shared dream into one of the city’s most sought-after destinations for pastry and custom wedding cakes. While Carol was the creative force behind every masterpiece that left the kitchen, Ally managed everything beyond it—the consultations, schedules, finances, deliveries, and the endless stream of clients that kept the business thriving.

For years, Carol had devoted herself to crafting exquisite pastries and wedding cakes, she had become an expert at crafting happy endings.

Although the bakery employed several talented pastry chefs capable of creating stunning cakes, there were certain commissions that only Carol would ever accept.

This was one of them.

It wasn’t simply because it was a wedding cake—it was because the couple had entrusted the bakery with creating the centerpiece of a once-in-a-lifetime celebration. They had invested a substantial amount for a masterpiece, requesting premium ingredients, handcrafted sugar flowers, and intricate details that demanded weeks of planning and flawless execution. There was no room for mistakes.

Besides, the bride’s company had been one of the bakery’s long-standing corporate clients, regularly ordering pastries for meetings, company celebrations, and special events. It was one of the reasons she had poured so much effort into this commission. Loyal clients deserved nothing less than her very best.

And everyone in the bakery knew there was only one person who could bring a vision like that to life.

Carol.

The order had come in a month earlier. Engaged couple, Brian and Sara, had scheduled a private consultation with Ally to discuss the wedding and the cake they had always imagined.

Unfortunately, Carol had been away on a short holiday and couldn’t attend the meeting, leaving Ally to gather every detail—from the wedding theme and color palette to the flowers, venue, and the couple’s personal preferences.

When Carol returned, Ally handed her the consultation notes along with several inspiration photos. As always, Carol didn’t simply recreate what the clients wanted—she elevated it.

She spent days sketching different concepts, carefully considering every tier, texture, and floral arrangement before presenting her final design. She even introduced several refinements of her own, replacing ordinary decorative elements with handcrafted sugar roses, delicate lace piping inspired by the bride’s gown, and subtle gold accents that complemented the wedding’s elegant theme.

Once she was satisfied, Carol sent the finalized concept to Sara for approval.

The bride loved it immediately.

She replied almost at once, saying the design was even more beautiful than she had imagined and gave Carol complete freedom to bring the cake to life. Carol smiled politely when she read the message.

What Carol didn’t know was the groom’s full name.

Throughout the planning process, all of her communication had been with the bride, Sara. They exchanged emails, discussed design revisions, and finalized every details of the cake together. She had never met the groom in person, nor had she asked about him. To Carol, he was simply the groom whose wedding cake she had been entrusted to create.

If she had known this was Brian she knew from the past, she might have looked at the order very differently.

As always, Carol personally oversaw every stage of the order. She followed the process closely, from the final decorations in the kitchen to the moment the cake was carefully loaded for delivery. Before it left the bakery, she picked up the wedding invitation that had been provided for the venue coordinator, intending only to double-check the names and delivery details.

Then her eyes froze on the elegant gold lettering.

Brian Arter.

Her breath caught.

It couldn’t be.

She read the name again, hoping she had mistaken it for someone else. But there it was, unmistakable and impossible to ignore.

The groom was Brian Arter—the same Brian who had once come so close to stealing her heart four years ago.

For a long moment, she simply stood there, staring at the invitation as memories she had buried resurfaced without warning.

But reality quickly settled in.

Carol had no choice but to remain professional. The cake had been promised, the clients had trusted her, and the wedding was only hours away. She wouldn’t allow her personal feelings to interfere with the work she had devoted herself to for years.

All she could do was hope their paths wouldn’t cross.

After all, she was only the wedding vendor, not the guest.

Carol arrived at the venue just as the final preparations were underway. Together with the venue staff, she carefully positioned the three-tier wedding cake in its designated place before the stage, where it stood proudly beneath the soft glow of crystal chandeliers. Its smooth ivory finish, delicate handcrafted sugar roses, and subtle gold accents made it the centerpiece of the elegant ballroom.

The ceremony had not yet begun. Only the wedding planners, florists, photographers, and a handful of vendors moved quietly around the room, each absorbed in their final tasks.

As always, Carol performed one last inspection. She gently adjusted a sugar rose that had shifted during transport, wiped away an invisible fingerprint from the cake stand, and stepped back to admire her work. Satisfied that everything was flawless, she finally allowed herself to look around.

The venue was breathtaking.

Grand without being extravagant. Modern yet warm. Every detail was thoughtfully curated, from the neutral floral arrangements to the understated lighting and clean architectural lines. It felt intimate despite its size, elegant without trying too hard.

For some reason, it reminded her of Brian.

This feels like something he would choose, she thought.

Simple. Sophisticated. Personal.

A quiet sigh escaped her lips.

Turning to her assistant, Marie, she forced a small smile. “Stay until the reception begins and make sure everything remains perfect,” she said. “Call me immediately if the cake needs anything.”

Marie nodded. “Of course.”

It wasn’t unusual. For high-profile weddings, Carol always visited the venue herself to inspect the cake before leaving the rest to her team. Normally, she would stay a little longer to ensure everything went smoothly.

But not today.

Today, every instinct told her to leave as quickly as she could. She couldn’t bear the thought of watching Brian marry someone else.

So she gathered her things and headed toward the exit through hotel’s back corridor, convinced that leaving early was the safest choice.

She couldn’t have been more wrong. If she had stayed just a few minutes longer, she would have avoided seeing Brian.

The service hallway was quiet, lined with polished marble floors and soft lighting. She quickened her pace, eager to slip out unnoticed and put the entire day behind her.

Then she heard footsteps.

Steady. Unhurried. Coming from around the corner.

Before she could react, a man emerged from the nearby restroom, while adjusting the cuff of his suit.

As he lifted his head, his eyes landed on the woman standing several feet away. He frowned slightly, to make sure he recognized the woman before him. For a brief moment, he questioned whether his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Then recognition slowly spread across his face.

“Carol...?” The sound of her name made her stop in her tracks. Almost instinctively, she turned around.

Neither of them had expected to see the other again.

Especially not here. Especially not on the day Brian was supposed to get married.

There he was. Brian.

Brian stood only a few steps away, dressed in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo. He looked different—more mature, more composed—but his eyes were exactly the same as she remembered.

Carol forced herself to remain calm, though she silently cursed fate for putting them face to face.

Brian slowly walked toward her. His gaze fell to the vendor badge hanging from the lanyard around her neck before returning to her face.

“You’re one of the vendors?”

Carol nodded.

“Yes.” She managed a small smile. “I’m the one who made your wedding cake.”

A look of surprise crossed Brian’s face.

“You made the cake?”

She nodded again.

“It’s beautiful,” he said sincerely. “Honestly, it’s even more stunning than I imagined.”

A faint smile appeared on Carol’s lips. “Thank you.”

Silence settled between them once more, neither quite sure how to continue a conversation they had never imagined having.

Finally, Brian broke it.

“How have you been, Carol? I think it’s been two years since we last saw each other.”

“I’ve been well.” She lightly held up the pastry box she was carrying and smiled. “As you can see, I still can’t stay away from cakes.”

Brian chuckled softly.

“I guess some things never change.”

“They don’t.”

Carol shifted her weight, reminding herself why she was there.

“And... congratulations, Brian.” She forced herself to hold his gaze. “Everything looks beautiful. I hope today becomes everything you’ve both dreamed of.”

“Thank you,” Brian replied warmly.

His smile lingered, but Carol noticed the hesitation in his eyes, as though there was another question he wasn’t sure he had the right to ask.

She knew exactly what it was.

Before he could speak, she answered it herself.

“No,” she said with a gentle smile. “I’m single.”

Brian looked slightly embarrassed at having been so easily read.

“I’ve been focusing on growing the bakery instead,” Carol continued. “Working hard to expand the business. It’s exhausting, but seeing our bakery become more well-known makes every late night worth it.”

The confidence in her voice sounded convincing.

Only she knew how carefully she had learned to hide the quiet fear that perhaps success in business would never fill the emptiness she sometimes felt in her personal life.

Brian smiled.

“I’m really happy for you, Carol.”

He paused before adding sincerely, “And I truly hope everything you’ve been working for continues to grow. You deserve it.”

“Thank you,” she replied softly.

“I should get going,” Brian said, glancing toward the ballroom. “The ceremony will begin soon.”

Carol gave him a small nod.

“Of course.” She offered him a sincere smile, despite the ache in her chest. “Today’s your day, Brian. I hope everything goes beautifully. Congratulations once again... and I wish you a lifetime of happiness.”

“Thank you, Carol.”

For a brief moment, they simply looked at one another.

Then Brian turned and walked toward the ballroom, where his future was waiting for him.

As he disappeared into the corridor, he found himself looking back one last time.

Carol was still standing where he had left her.

She raised her hand and gave him a small farewell wave.

He smiled in return before finally disappearing from her sight.

After he was gone, Carol let out the breath she had been holding.

She reached into her bag, pulled out her phone, and immediately called Ally.

There was no longer any reason to leave through the hotel’s back entrance.

She had already met Brian.

Avoiding the lobby no longer mattered.

Slowly, she walked toward the grand lobby and sat in the sofa looking the hotel gardens. As soon as Ally answered, Carol spoke before her friend even had the chance to say hello.

“I met him, Al.”

There was a brief silence on the other end.

“You did?” Ally asked cautiously.

Carol let out a helpless laugh.

“Can you believe it? After all these years of delivering wedding cakes, I’ve never once run into the groom and today, of all days... the one groom I desperately hoped I wouldn’t see was the one standing right in front of me.”

“Wait, that was two years ago, how come they only got married now?” Ally asked gently

“I wasn’t asking about that. He already told me he was planning to marry someone else.”

“Then, what happened?”

“We talked for a few minutes. He thanked me for the cake. Congratulated me on the bakery.” Carol let out another quiet sigh. “It was... surprisingly normal.”

“But?”

Carol stared through the hotel windows, watching guests begin to arrive one by one.

“But it reminded me how strange life can be.”

She swallowed hard before continuing.

“Four years ago, I thought he might become part of my future.”

Her eyes drifted toward the ballroom where the ceremony would soon begin.

“And today, I made the cake for his wedding.”

As Carol ended the call, she let her phone fall onto her lap and buried her face in her hands for a brief moment.

Only then did she notice she wasn’t alone.

She turned slightly and found a man seated beside her on the lobby sofa.

He was tall, with broad shoulders that filled out his charcoal suit effortlessly. His dark hair was neatly combed back, revealing a well-defined face and a pair of sharp, observant eyes. There was a quiet confidence about him—calm, reserved, almost intimidating. It was obvious he had unintentionally overheard part of her conversation.

He looked at her with mild confusion, as though wondering whether he should pretend he hadn’t heard anything.

Embarrassment briefly flickered across Carol’s face.

She had been so caught up in her emotions that she hadn’t even realized someone had been sitting beside her the entire time.

She offered nothing more than a polite nod before standing abruptly, slipping her phone back into her bag.

Without another glance, she walked away, eager to escape both the hotel and the whirlwind of emotions threatening to overwhelm her.

The drive back to the bakery was unusually quiet.

For years, Carol had convinced herself that postponing love was the responsible thing to do.

She had a dream.

She wanted to build a bakery that people would remember, a place known not only for beautiful cakes but for celebrating life’s happiest moments. To make that dream a reality, she had sacrificed countless weekends, birthdays, holidays, and opportunities to simply slow down. Whenever relationships became serious, she told herself there would always be time later. There was always another order to finish, another client to meet, another goal to reach.

Career first. Everything else could wait.

At least, that’s what she had always believed.

But seeing Brian today had shattered that certainty. For the first time, Carol wondered whether she had mistaken delay for sacrifice.

While she had been tirelessly building the bakery of her dreams, life had quietly moved on around her. The people who had once walked beside her had continued forward, finding love, building families, and creating futures of their own.

Brian was one of them.

And in just one hour, he would become someone else’s husband.

The realization settled heavily in her chest.

It felt less like heartbreak and more like a wake-up call.

As though life itself was gently reminding her that dreams were worth chasing—but they weren’t the only things worth fighting for.

She had finally reached a point where she wanted to open her heart to someone.

The cruel irony was that there was no one waiting for her anymore.

She was alone. And perhaps, for the first time in years, that loneliness truly frightened her.