What was supposed to be the happiest day of my life turned into a day I will never forget. I went from being a bride-to-be to an uninvited guest who ruined the event because she wanted revenge. But karma struck.
Thanks to it, I ended up feeling like the luckiest woman in the world.
When I met Ethan two years ago, I was convinced I had found my happiness. He was charming and always knew exactly what to say to make me feel special! Seven months ago, when he proposed to me, I felt like the happiest woman alive. But little did I know, I would never actually become his wife.
We planned our wedding together, down to the finest details! We chose an elegant reception hall with a garden, cascading white roses, and other flowers.
We even did cake tastings to find the perfect wedding cake and carefully picked the song we would dance to as husband and wife. Everything seemed perfect, like a fairy tale—until it all came crashing down a month before the wedding.
It happened on an ordinary Wednesday. I had left work early to surprise Ethan with his favorite takeout. It was a small gesture, just something to show how much I appreciated him.
I walked into his apartment, already imagining the delighted look on his face when he saw me standing there with a bag full of burgers and fries.
But as soon as I stepped inside, I knew something was wrong.
A woman’s coat was draped over a chair. Then, I heard soft laughter coming from the bedroom, and my stomach twisted.
I walked toward the door, each step heavier than the last. My hands trembled as I grabbed the doorknob and slowly pushed it open.
And there, tangled in the sheets, was Ethan. With my older sister, Lauren.
Time stopped as my mind struggled to process what I was seeing. My sister—my own flesh and blood—was in bed with the man I was supposed to marry in a month!
Lauren gasped and scrambled to cover herself, but Ethan? He just sat there, completely unfazed.
“Wait,” I said. “What is this?”
My so-called fiancé sighed. “You weren’t supposed to find out like this.”
“What?!” I snapped. “You’re a liar?! And my own sister betrayed me?!”
Lauren’s face was pale, but she didn’t say a word. She just clutched the sheets to her chest, avoiding my gaze.
Ethan, on the other hand, had the nerve to look me in the eye and say, “I love her.”
I wanted him to deny it, to say it was a mistake. But instead, he looked relieved, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. I couldn’t believe this was the same man I had wanted to walk down the aisle with!
It was like he was two different people—the man I had fallen for and the man lying in bed with my sister.
“You love her?!” My voice broke. “Then why the hell did you propose to me?!”
“I thought I loved you. But things changed. Lauren and I… we’ve been seeing each other for a while now.”
For a while…
This wasn’t just a one-time thing. They had been sneaking around behind my back for who knows how long!
I turned to Lauren. “How could you do this to me?!”
She finally spoke, her voice barely a whisper. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, sis.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “You didn’t mean for this to happen?! You didn’t just trip and fall into his bed, Lauren!”
Ethan stood up, wrapping an arm around her. “Look, I get that you’re hurt, but we didn’t want to keep lying to you.”
My hands clenched into fists. “Oh, now you don’t want to lie?!”
I stormed out, shaking with rage and heartbreak.
A few days later, my parents called me to talk. I had been crying my eyes out since I found out. My friends and bridesmaids had come to comfort me, but I hadn’t heard from my parents until then.
Foolishly, I believed they would be on my side for once. Instead, I walked into an ambush.
“We understand that you’re upset,” my mother said in a condescending tone.
“But Ethan and Lauren are in love,” my father added. “Don’t ruin true love.”
I stared at them in disbelief. “True love? Are you serious?!”
My mom sighed. “Sweetheart, you’ve always been independent. You’ll move on. But Lauren… she needs stability. And Ethan makes her happy.”
“So what? You’re replacing me with her?! You’re acting like none of this even happened!”
“We’re not taking sides,” my dad said, even though his tone made it clear they already had.
And then, the final blow.
“They’re still getting married,” my mother said. “And, well… Lauren will be the bride.”
I blinked. “You can’t be serious.”
“It’s already paid for,” she said, as if that somehow made it okay. “It would be a shame to waste all those arrangements.”
I stood up so fast my chair scraped against the floor. “Unbelievable.”
“We’d like you to be happy for them,” my dad said.’
I let out a bitter laugh. “You actually expect me to celebrate this?!”
Lauren had stolen my fiancé, and my parents had taken her side—just like they always had. They had always treated her better, and now they wanted me to smile and support her marriage to my fiancé!
I walked out of that house and never looked back.
When the wedding day arrived, I was obviously not invited. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to be there. I had no intention of making a scene—no screaming, no cake-throwing. I just wanted to slip in and wait for the officiant to ask for objections.
Then, I would stand up and tell their guests and our mutual friends that the man Lauren was marrying had been my fiancé first! I planned to embarrass them and turn their “special day” into a nightmare.
But when I arrived at the venue, something was… off.
There was no music. No laughter. Just silence filled with tension. The guests stood frozen, and at the front of the hall, uniformed officers swarmed the place.
“What’s going on?” I asked the nearest cop.
Before he could answer, I saw my sister—still in her wedding dress, tears streaming down her face. My parents sat at a table, looking utterly shocked.
But Ethan was nowhere to be seen.
The officer turned to me. “Are you a guest?”
I hesitated before nodding. “Sort of. I was supposed to be the bride today.”
He sighed. “We came here to arrest the groom, but he wasn’t here. He was caught at the bus station trying to flee the city.”
I blinked. “What?!”
The officer gestured toward a group of detectives speaking with guests. “Turns out, he’s been running a long con. He never intended to marry anyone.”
My heart pounded. “What did he do?”
“He’s done this before—to three other women in town. He ran off with all the wedding gifts, deposits, decorations, and any money he could get his hands on. He’s been on the run.”
My parents remained frozen in shock. Lauren—the woman who had betrayed me—was now left at the altar, sobbing as her last-minute bridesmaids comforted her.
And for the first time in weeks, I smiled as I stood there, soaking in the chaos before me.
Justice had been served!
As guests began to leave, one of the officers approached me. “Hey, I saw you arrive. I heard Officer James say you dodged a bullet.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Yeah. I guess I did.”
He gave me a small smile. “How about a coffee sometime? You know, with someone who isn’t a criminal?”
I glanced at his badge—Officer Matt.
For the first time in a long while, I felt something other than anger and betrayal. Maybe a fresh start wasn’t such a bad idea.
That was a year ago.
And tomorrow? I’m marrying him.
Life has a funny way of working out.
