A wedding ceremony is stopped when the groom spots two children in the crowd and decides to run away with them. The bride was left shocked at the altar, clueless about what was going on.
Alex and Melanie met at a business conference, where they immediately hit it off. After the daily talks, they would head to a restaurant together, where they talked the night away and got to know one another.
As they lived in the same city, Alex and Melanie decided to start dating. Their relationship developed so quickly that Alex got down on one knee six months after they met and proposed to Melanie.
The proposal was met with mixed emotions by both their families. Melanie’s family and friends were happy that she was able to find love but also believed that everything happened too quickly. After all, six months seemed like a short time to get to know someone you’d eventually spend the rest of your life with.
Despite the hesitations and the doubts of those around them, Alex and Melanie happily planned their wedding. They had picked out all the best suppliers and hired the best coordinator to help them on the most special day of their lives.
After another six months, they were headed down the altar in an intimate church ceremony surrounded by only their closest family and friends. The wedding ceremony went by smoothly, with Alex and Melanie exchanging their vows and being pronounced husband and wife by the priest.
However, as guests prepared to head to the altar for pictures with the newlyweds, Alex started to act strangely. It seemed to Melanie like he saw someone in the crowd who wasn’t supposed to be there, but she could not follow his gaze.
It turns out that Alex spotted two small children in the crowd, and they were slowly making their way towards the front of the church. He began to panic, suddenly taking off from Melanie’s side. “I’m sorry,” he whispered before running towards the children and picking them up off the ground.
Guests were shocked to see the groom run away, more so after picking up the children and leaving the church. Whispers of “Who are those kids?” and “Are those his children?” filled the room.
“Alex! What’s wrong?” Melanie called after him. She brushed off the shocked comments she could hear from their guests and tried running after her groom. Unfortunately, her wedding gown train and veil were too heavy, and her heels kept her from running faster.
Eventually, Melanie found Alex with the two children behind the church. She was angry, but she decided to hear her husband’s explanation. “Why did you suddenly take off, Alex? Who are these children?” she asked.
Alex looked at her apologetically and began to sweat profusely. He realized he had no choice but to confess everything to Melanie.
“I’m sorry, Melanie. I’ve been lying to you this past year. You see, these are my children,” he admitted.
Melanie’s heart dropped, and she felt as if her knees were about to give in. She fell to the ground and could feel her eyes fill with tears. “How can you get married to me without telling me that? So you have another woman?” she asked in disbelief.
Alex shook his head. “No, Melanie. It’s only you, I promise. My girlfriend died three years ago, and I was left to care for our two children. I was afraid you would be against them, so I decided not to tell you about them. My mother has been raising them in another state,” he explained.
Melanie was in tears, feeling as if the past year with Alex had been a lie. “How could you hide something like this from me?” she cried out.
“I’m sorry, Melanie. I was so afraid that you’d leave me. I love you dearly and want to be in your life. Please, give me a chance to make it right. I promise, there will be no more secrets between us,” he pleaded.
After Melanie didn’t respond for a couple of seconds, Alex thought it was the end of their relationship. It seemed to him that she was disappointed, and it was true. She felt betrayed and felt as if she couldn’t trust Alex.
However, after a while, Melanie stood up and wiped her tears away. “I’m not angry because you have children, Alex. I’m angry because you thought I couldn’t accept the truth,” she told him. “I love you so much, Alex, and that means accepting you wholeheartedly for who you are and your past.”
Alex cried as he heard Melanie say this. He realized how lucky he was to have such a loving, supportive, and forgiving partner. “I promise you, Melanie. I’m going to make things right. I’m sorry for keeping such a big thing from you.”
Melanie nodded and smiled at the two children sitting on the bench right beside them. “Hello, sweethearts. I’m Melanie,” she said, introducing herself.
The two kids, named Sarah and Jeff, smiled at her and hugged her. “Grandma said you’re our mommy, too,” Sarah whispered in Melanie’s ear. Her heart melted, and she nodded her head.
“Yes, I am. I promise to take care of you and love you with all my heart,” she told the kids. “Would you like to go back to the celebration now?” she asked Alex, Sarah, and Jeff. They all nodded, smiling.
At that moment, Melanie and Alex walked back inside the church while holding hands with Sarah and Jeff. They continued the celebration and introduced Sarah and Jeff as their children to everyone there.
Alex’s mom, Jackie, apologized to Melanie for the sudden revelation. She explained that she really wanted to attend her son’s special day but had no place to leave the two children. “I’m sorry for spoiling your day,” she told her new daughter-in-law.
“Don’t worry, Jackie. I’m grateful that somehow I found out that our family is bigger than I thought it was on this special day. I’m just sorry I didn’t find out sooner, as I would have loved to have them march alongside us when we got married today,” Melanie admitted.
