Chapter 2: The Woman Behind The Wedding
I stared at the message on my phone for five full seconds.
Then I smiled.
Not because I enjoyed hurting people.
But because, for the first time in months, I felt like I had control over my own life.
The venue manager’s message was unfinished.
The cancellation request was still pending.
I had scheduled it for the morning.
I wanted them to have one final night believing everything was perfect.
A small part of me wondered if that made me cruel.
But then I remembered my mother standing over my destroyed clothes.
I remembered Chloe laughing.
I remembered Daniel watching me carry every burden while pretending he didn’t notice.
The doubt disappeared.
The next morning, I woke up before sunrise.
My bedroom was quiet.
The house was quiet.
For once, nobody was shouting instructions at me.
I made coffee, opened my laptop, and reviewed every document one last time.
The wedding budget was nearly six figures.
The venue deposit.
The luxury catering package.
The flower arrangements Chloe had chosen after rejecting cheaper options.
The photographer she insisted on because “only the best would represent our family.””
Every single payment had gone through me.
At 7:55 a.m., I sat at my desk.
At 8:00, I clicked one button.
Cancellation emails were sent.
Refund requests were processed.
Vendor notifications went out.
Within minutes, my phone started ringing.
First was Daniel.
I let it ring.
Then my mother.
Then Chloe.
Finally, I answered.
“Hello?””
My mother didn’t say hello.
She screamed.
“What did you do?””
I leaned back in my chair.
“Good morning to you too, Mom.””
“The venue just called me!”” she shouted.
“They said the wedding has been canceled!””
I looked at the clock.
“Interesting. I wonder why they would say that.””
“Don’t play games with me!”” she snapped.
“Fix this immediately.””
I closed my laptop.
“No.””
Silence.
A long, uncomfortable silence.
Then she laughed.
“You think this is funny?””
“No,” I said.
“I think it’s necessary.””
My mother lowered her voice.
“You are acting like a child.””
I looked around my room at the destroyed clothes still sitting on the floor.
“Mom, you cut up my belongings because you didn’t want me appearing in your wedding photos.””
“That’s different.””
“How?””
“You’re making this about clothes.””
“No,” I said.
“I’m making this about how you treated me.””
Before she could answer, I heard Chloe’s voice in the background.
“Put her on speaker.””
My mother did.
“Listen,” Chloe said.
“Whatever your issue is, you cannot ruin my wedding because you’re insecure.””
I almost laughed.
“Insecure?””
“Yes,” Chloe replied.
“You’ve always wanted attention.””
I looked at the receipts spread across my desk.
Months of work.
Thousands of hours.
All reduced to nothing.
“Chloe,” I said, “do you know who negotiated your catering price?””
She didn’t answer.
“Do you know who stayed on the phone with the florist for three hours because your original order was impossible?””
Silence.
“Do you know who paid the deposits when your father’s transfer was delayed?””
My mother interrupted.
“That was your choice.””
I froze.
Those four words hurt more than the scissors.
That was your choice.
After everything I had done, they had rewritten the story.
I wasn’t helping them.
I was just someone who chose to suffer.
I stood up.
“Fine,” I said.
My mother sounded relieved.
“Finally, you understand.””
“No,” I replied.
“I understand exactly.””
I grabbed my folder and walked downstairs.
My family was gathered in the living room.
Daniel stood near the window, looking angry.
“You really canceled everything?”” he asked.
I placed the folder on the table.
“You really let Mom cut my clothes?””
His face changed.
For a second, I thought he might apologize.
Instead, he looked away.
That hurt more than anything.
“Daniel,” I said softly, “say something.””
He sighed.
“Why couldn’t you just let one day be about me?””
I stared at him.
The question was so unfair that I almost couldn’t believe he said it.
“I spent six months making sure your day happened.””
He had no answer.
My mother grabbed the folder.
“What is this?””
I smiled.
“Everything you forgot.””
She opened it.
Her expression changed page by page.
The contracts.
The payments.
The proof.
Then Chloe grabbed one document from her hand.
Her face went pale.
“What is this?”” she whispered.
I looked at her.
“Something you should have known before planning a wedding you couldn’t afford.””
She turned the page over.
Then she looked at Daniel.
“Your parents didn’t pay for the wedding?””
Nobody spoke.
And that was when I realized something was even worse than I thought.
My mother hadn’t just hidden my contributions.
She had hidden a much bigger secret.
May you like
Because Chloe suddenly looked at Daniel and said,
“You told me your family paid for everything…”
