I Saw a Woman in a Wedding Dress in the Forest — She Told Me I Had to Marry Her

I was close to my forties and had never been married, something that didn't bother me as much as it could've until I unexpectedly met someone who was stranded in a forest. My efforts to help the stranger led me down a road I hadn't even entertained that much, proving how fate sometimes takes control.

Hiking has always been my refuge. At thirty-nine, it's not just a pastime—it's practically therapy. The rhythm of my boots on the trail, the crisp forest air filling my lungs, and the silence broken only by the occasional rustle of wildlife—it's my version of church. Most weekends, I head to the forest, but this time, I discovered something that would change my life forever.

That Saturday, I was expecting another peaceful trek in the sprawling green expanse just far enough from the city to feel like a true escape. I parked my car at the usual spot, strapped on my pack, and set out with no particular goal in mind.

I'd barely covered a hundred feet when a piercing cry shattered the stillness! "Help! Help!" The voice was high-pitched, desperate, and coming from somewhere deeper in the woods! I froze, my heart thudding!

The forest suddenly felt ominous. I strained to listen. "Help!" The cry came again, louder now! I bolted down the trail, dodging roots and low-hanging branches, following the sound. It wasn't long before I stumbled upon a scene that made me question if I was awake.

In the middle of the trail, I saw a woman partially facing my direction, wearing a wedding dress. And not just any wedding dress, it was one of those extravagant ones, with layers of white lace and intricate beadwork. Her veil floated gently in the breeze, and the sunlight filtering through the trees made her almost ethereal.

It was such a surreal sight that I thought I might be hallucinating! Instinctively, I pulled out my phone to take a picture, just to have proof for my friends and family that this actually happened. But her face told a different story.

Tear-streaked and pale, she looked utterly lost. Before I could say anything, she spun fully toward me, her eyes wide with panic. She ran straight at me!. "You have to help me!" she gasped, clutching the front of her dress.

"What happened?" I asked.

"PLEASE—YOU HAVE TO MARRY ME!"

For a moment, I thought I'd misheard her. "What?"

"You have to marry me!" she repeated, her voice cracking. "Please! I don't have anyone else, and if I don't get married today, my father will disown me!"

I stared at her, utterly bewildered. "Okay, slow down. What are you talking about?"

She took a shaky breath, her hands trembling as she wiped at her tears, and told me a tale I couldn't fathom.

"We were driving to the venue—me and my fiancé, because this wasn't a normal wedding and the rules didn't apply. Plus, I wanted to ensure he'd come and not leave me in a lurch. Everything was fine, and then the car skidded off the road after my fiancé allegedly saw a deer or something.

I must've blacked out on impact, because when I came to, he was gone. Just... gone! I don't know if he panicked or if he's hurt or—or what."

She continued, "I don't have a phone on me because my maid of honor went ahead to the venue with my handbag, and I also don't have the time to figure it out because if I don't get married today, I lose everything!"

"I didn't see anything on the road when I awoke and I spent a while waiting for another car to pass by, but nothing. That's when I panicked and wandered into this forest, hoping someone would hear me... so..."

Her words were coming out in a tumble, barely making sense. I raised a hand. "Wait. What do you mean by 'lose everything?' Why today?"

She sniffled and clasped her hands together as if begging.

"My dad—he's... traditional, to put it nicely. He told me if I didn't get married by today, he'd cut me off completely. No house, no inheritance, nothing. My grandmother left everything to me, her only grandchild, but it's tied to his approval, and he swore he'd change the will if I didn't follow through."

"That's insane," I said before I could stop myself. "Why didn't you just get married earlier?"

She let out a shaky laugh, half hysterical.

"I thought I had time! I didn't think he was serious until a few weeks ago. And then everything that could go wrong did go wrong. My fiancé disappearing was just the final nail in the coffin!"

I crossed my arms, trying to process what she was saying.

"And you think a random stranger like me can just swoop in and fix this?"

Her face crumpled and she looked defeated for a bit...

"Please. I'll pay you. Ten thousand dollars. As soon as the inheritance paperwork clears, I'll give you the money. We can get divorced right after. You don't even have to see me again after today. Just... please."

I hesitated. Everything about this felt absurd! But the desperation in her voice and the sheer craziness of the situation tugged at something in me. Against my better judgment, I found myself saying, "Alright. I'll do it. But you'd better make good on that ten grand."

Her eyes lit up, and for a moment, she looked like she might collapse with relief.

"OH MY GOSH, THANK YOU! You have no idea what this means to me."

We made our way back to the road, where her car was half-hidden in a ditch. The front end was crumpled, and the windshield had a spiderweb crack.

"My dad's at a chapel about twenty minutes away," she said as we climbed into my car. "He's waiting there with a justice of the peace, my maid of honor, and the best man."

The drive was awkward. She introduced herself as Charlotte and tried to explain her family's obsession with legacy. Her father, Walter, was in poor health and had been fixated on preserving the family's estate for years.

The house was a sprawling Victorian with a library filled with rare books, passed down through generations.

"It's not just a house," she said quietly. "It's everything my grandmother worked for. I can't let it slip away."

When we arrived, the scene was as bizarre as everything else that morning. Walter was wheeled into the chapel by a nurse, his thin frame almost swallowed by his formal suit. His oxygen tank hissed faintly as he surveyed me with sharp, calculating eyes.

A justice of the peace stood by the altar, looking bored but ready to proceed, with the maid of honor and best man looking on. I later discovered that Charlotte also paid the witnesses to be the best man and maid of honor. She found them online, just like her so-called fiancé, whom she luckily hadn't paid before he bolted.

Charlotte handed me a tuxedo jacket, and we exchanged quick, whispered instructions.

"Just say 'I do' when it's your turn," she murmured. "We'll figure out the rest later."

The ceremony was a blur. I barely heard the vows as I tried to wrap my head around what I was doing. When it was over, Walter beckoned me closer. His grip was weak, but his gaze was piercing.

"You're a good man," he said, his voice rasping. "Take care of her."

The weeks that followed were a whirlwind. Walter passed away two weeks after the wedding, leaving Charlotte to handle the funeral and the estate. I stayed longer than I'd planned, partly out of guilt and partly because I couldn't bring myself to abandon her in the chaos.

The more time we spent together, the more I realized she wasn't just the frantic woman I'd met in the forest. Charlotte was sharp, funny, and deeply passionate about her family's legacy, especially since she'd now lost both parents.

We fell into an unexpected rhythm. I helped her sort through her grandmother's books, fix leaky faucets in the old house, and cook meals that we shared in comfortable silence. One night, as we sat on the porch watching fireflies, she turned to me.

"You know, this doesn't feel as weird as it should," she said softly.

I nodded, realizing I felt the same. Somewhere along the way, pretending to be married had stopped feeling like an act.

By the time the inheritance paperwork was finalized, neither of us was in a rush to end things. Charlotte stuck to her promise and paid me my money, but I ended up using it all on helping to fix the house.

What started as a desperate arrangement had become something real. Six years later, we're STILL married! Sometimes, life has a funny way of surprising you.

Fate sure does have a way of playing its hand unexpectedly, and that's what happened when Abigail met Jonathan. However, on the couple's wedding day, Jonathan's little daughter objected, revealing a truth that threatened Abigail's happiness.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided "as is," and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.