My fiancée had a “perfect crush” she had loved for three years. The day before our wedding, they hooked up and ruined her wedding dress. When I demanded to call off the wedding, she scoffed. “I just didn’t want my youth to end with regrets. After tomorrow, I’ll be yours forever. Can’t you just be the bigger man?” I turned around, prepared a massive “gift” for them, and wished them a lifetime of misery together. Later, she came crawling back, crying for my forgiveness. I flashed my wedding ring. “Sorry, babe. I’m married.” I was at the venue confirming the final details for tomorrow’s wedding when I received a video from an unknown number. I tapped it open. It was Chloe, wearing her wedding dress. A pair of large hands gripped her waist, turning her usually pale skin a flushed, deep pink. The voluminous layers of the gown tried to hide the heavy friction, but by the end of the video, the gorgeous, custom-made dress was ruined with messy stains. A text from the unknown number followed, dripping with malice: [So what if you’re marrying her? I’m the only one she truly loves.] My vision went black. My chest tightened as if wrapped in barbed wire, squeezing the air right out of my lungs. I couldn’t breathe for what felt like eternity. Seeing my pale face, the wedding coordinator asked cautiously, “Mr. Vance? Just to confirm, you want her to wear sneakers with the main gown for the reception, correct?” I snapped back to reality, feeling utterly pathetic. When we were planning the wedding, Chloe had whined to me, saying that wearing high heels all day would be absolute torture. To make things easier for her, I had spent a fortune customizing a pair of designer sneakers to match her gown. Just minutes ago, worried her feet might still ache, I was thinking about adding custom gel insoles to the shoes. And what was she doing? Under the guise of having a wild bachelorette party with her girls, she was wearing the custom gown I designed, screwing her long-time crush. That was a dress I spent months of salary on, tailored specifically for her! My heart throbbed with a dull, stabbing pain. I gave the coordinator a mindless nod and dragged my numb body back home. The apartment was decorated with festive lights. Our pre-wedding photoshoot hung on the wall behind the sofa. The bright red accents looked like fresh blood. I collapsed onto the sofa, my mind drifting to the man in the video. I knew him. His name was Tyler Brooks. He was Chloe’s college senior, the guy she had chased for three years—the untouchable “one that got away.” Chloe’s best friend had mentioned him to me before, but I didn’t care back then. It was college. Everyone had a past, right? Besides, Tyler was already married. He was supposed to be a closed chapter, someone who would never interfere with our lives again. I thought I held Chloe’s present and future. I thought we were building a bright, happy life together. But today, that video shattered my delusions completely. I wiped my face hard and dialed Chloe’s number. No answer. I guess she was still “busy.” I called Liam instead. He had gone to the same college as Chloe. He picked up almost instantly, joking, “Getting married tomorrow and the groom still has time to call me?” I got straight to the point. “Liam, do me a favor. Dig up everything you can on Chloe and Tyler Brooks. The more details, the better. I need it now.” Sensing the coldness in my voice, Liam’s tone grew serious. “Ethan, did something happen?” I didn’t answer. I just hung up, feeling completely drained. Two hours later, Liam sent dozens of texts, ending with messages of concern. I ignored his worried questions and focused on one specific link he sent—a secret Snapchat account Chloe had kept from me. An account I never knew existed. She posted on it constantly. Almost every story and post was about Tyler. It was basically a digital diary of her secret affair. On Tyler’s birthday, she had ordered a high-end mechanical keyboard. Her caption read: [A developer’s keyboard. Every line of code holds my secret love.] Tyler had replied in the comments: [Love received. Too bad the wife is watching closely, can’t come pick it up.] Chloe replied: [Crying. Need a hug.] I stared at the picture of that sleek, metallic keyboard. Right now, that exact keyboard was sitting on my study desk. Chloe had given it to me as a Christmas present. I wasn’t a programmer, but my job required heavy typing. When Chloe gave it to me, I was so touched I nearly cried. But it turned out I was just getting Tyler’s leftovers. I stood up, walked to my desk, and peeled off the custom sticker she had placed on the corner of the keyboard. Underneath, a faint “T” was engraved. T for Tyler. I kept scrolling through her secret posts, my heart turning completely to ice. Liam texted: [Is the wedding still on?] I pinched the bridge of my nose, staring into the dark apartment, lost.
At 9:00 PM, Chloe finally called. Her voice was sweet and whiny. “Ethan, babe, something happened.” My voice was flat. “What is it?” “I was trying on the dress earlier and accidentally got it dirty,” she said casually. “Can you arrange another one for tomorrow morning?” My chest tightened. My fist clenched so hard my knuckles popped. She had just finished getting wild with Tyler, and now she was calmly asking me to clean up her mess. She knew how much that dress meant to me. She knew I designed it myself. She just didn’t care. She had absolutely no heart. I took a deep breath. “Sure. I’ll handle it.” Chloe giggled. “I knew you were the best! After the wedding, let’s fly straight to Iceland for our honeymoon.” Going to Iceland to see the Northern Lights was a wish Chloe had made on our second anniversary. They said couples who saw the aurora together would never part. Because I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, I worked myself to the bone, pulling endless overtime just to save up enough vacation days and money for the trip. But she always made excuses to postpone it. Later, when she finally wanted to go, I was tied up with a massive project at work and couldn’t leave. She had thrown a massive fit, saying she was going to go with her girls instead and would block me. I felt so guilty back then that I transferred $8,000 to her account for travel expenses. She was thrilled, sending me endless heart emojis. But now, looking at her secret Snapchat archive from those exact dates, I saw the truth. She hadn’t gone with her girlfriends. She had gone with Tyler. In the photos, their fingers were tightly locked under the glowing green aurora. On their last night there, she had posted a picture of a messy hotel bed with used wrappers on the floor. Her caption: [Finally caught my moon.] A wave of nausea hit me. Chloe’s voice chirped through the receiver. “Anyway, the girls are throwing me a last-minute bachelorette party tonight, so I won’t be checking my phone. Love you!” A bachelorette party? Or another round with Tyler? I sneered inwardly and said deliberately, “Have fun. Coincidentally, my ex just reached out. She wants to meet up tonight for some closure.” Chloe immediately exploded. “Your ex? At this hour? What kind of ex asks to meet up the night before your wedding? What are you guys going to do in the dark?” I countered calmly, “Well, if Tyler asked to meet you tonight, would you go? Would anything happen?” Chloe’s voice pitched higher, laced with panic. “That’s a completely different story! That hypothetical doesn’t even make sense!” “And even if it did… it would just be for closure. I just didn’t want my youth to end with regrets. After tomorrow, I’ll be yours forever. Can’t you just be the bigger man?” She wanted me to be the bigger man while she handed me a green hat. I almost laughed out loud. Chloe threw her ultimate tantrum. “If you dare step out of the house tonight, the wedding is off!” Over our four years together, she had always used this weapon. “If you don’t buy me this bag, we’re breaking up.” “If you touch my phone again, we’re breaking up.” “If you aren’t nice to my family, we’re breaking up.” Because I loved her, I had always yielded. I complied with her every whim, coddling her like a princess. She honestly believed I was so hopelessly in love that I would never leave. But she was dead wrong. Love isn’t everything. I was a realist. When I loved her, I could tolerate anything. But the moment she proved unworthy, I could take all my affection back in an instant. The call ended. Chloe sent a barrage of texts ordering me not to take a single step outside tonight. If I hadn’t seen the video and the secret posts, I would have thought she was just incredibly possessive of me. Now I knew it was all a sick show. I didn’t reply. Just then, a frantic knocking came from my front door. I opened it to find Liam and three of my groomsmen standing there. I tried to keep a straight face. “What are you guys doing here?” Liam sighed, stepping inside. “Stop pretending, man. We know.” With that one sentence, my defenses crumbled. A sudden sting rushed to my eyes. Four years of devotion. How could it not hurt? She had been my emotional anchor, the reason I worked so hard. I had practically sworn before God to love her with everything I had. Yet, her betrayal was so cheap, making my pure love look like a total joke. Liam patted my shoulder. “We’re here for you. Just say the word, and we’ll beat that bastard Tyler into the ground.” I covered my face and ran into the bathroom. I splashed freezing water on my face, slowly forcing myself to calm down. When I walked back into the living room, my phone buzzed. Another text from the unknown number. [Great venue you booked. Her flexibility is amazing.] Attached was a photo of the hotel bathroom. My couch was small, and the groomsmen were sitting close. They all saw the screen. These were my closest friends. They stood up instantly, furious, ready to murder Tyler. I held them back, my heart feeling cold and dead. “Don’t dirty your hands on trash. I have a better plan.” I had wanted a clean, dignified exit. But they clearly didn’t want me to have one. All night long, my phone buzzed incessantly. First from the unknown number, then directly from Chloe’s Snapchat. Explicit photos, degrading clips. They would send them and then quickly delete them, followed by lazy texts: [Oops, wrong meme, sorry babe!] Staring at the screen filled with “This message was deleted” notifications, my heart was completely torn to shreds. What did they take me for? A toy in their sick game? I gripped my phone, the very last ounce of affection draining from my soul. Since they chose to play dirty, I had no reason to spare their dignity.
I didn’t sleep a wink. I downloaded every single video and photo the unknown number had sent, combined them with screenshots from Chloe’s secret Snapchat, and edited them into a seamless video. Then, I pulled Tyler’s wife’s phone number from the records Liam found and called her, formally inviting her to the wedding. Lastly, I contacted a local agency and paid them to live-stream my wedding on TikTok. By the time I finished, the sun was rising. I drove to the venue. When I arrived, Chloe was in the middle of getting her makeup done. She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes. Seeing me walk in, her face immediately soured. “Why are you just getting here? Do you have any idea how much sleep I lost last night because of you?” Because of me? I stayed silent. I didn’t even have the energy to call out her lie. Sensing my strange coldness, her attitude softened slightly. “What’s with the silent treatment? I was just stressed. It’s my first time getting married, okay? I’m nervous.” I curled my lips into a hollow smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t bother you anymore.” Chloe froze, then stood up from her chair, glaring at me. “What is that supposed to mean? I just complained a little. You’re the one who practically begged me to marry you.” She was blaming me. Blaming me for “forcing” her into this marriage. Yet she was the one who used to paint pictures of our future home. Now, she acted like I was her captor. And she had allowed another man to mock me repeatedly. Did she really think I was so pathetic that I would never walk away? Too bad for her. The only reason I was still standing here was to make sure she paid the price for what she did. I was not her dog. Chloe sneered. “What, now that you’re finally getting me, you don’t value me anymore?” I looked at her calmly and handed over a large garment bag. “Here’s your dress.” Chloe’s expression softened slightly. “At least you’re useful.” But when she unzipped the bag, her face fell. “Why is it the same dress?” “It was too late to find a replacement.” Chloe remained quiet for a moment, then shrugged. “Whatever. It’s your wedding anyway. If you don’t mind looking cheap, why should I care?” The ceremony began shortly after. Soft, romantic music echoed through the hall under the glittering chandeliers. I stood at the altar, watching Chloe walk down the aisle. I had envisioned this moment a thousand times. In my dreams, just thinking about her marrying me would fill me with overwhelming happiness. But now, looking at her, I felt nothing but intense disgust. Chloe’s father placed her hand in mine. “Our Chloe is a sweet, smart girl. You’re a lucky man, Ethan. Take good care of her.” He went on and on with a long, tearful speech. Chloe looked at me, her eyes glistening with tears. She was a brilliant actress. Anyone watching would think she was deeply in love. It reminded me of when we used to talk about this day. I had said, “I’ll probably cry like a baby at the altar.” Chloe had smirked. “Well, marrying me is the best thing that’ll ever happen to you, so crying makes sense. But I’ll tease you about it forever.” But Chloe, today, I won’t shed a single tear. I just hope you can say the same in a few minutes. We stood hand-in-hand before the officiant. The officiant smiled and spoke into the microphone, “Ethan Vance, do you take Chloe Bennett to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, as long as you both shall live?” I didn’t speak. Chloe nudged me, her eyes flashing with irritation. “Say it. Are we doing this or not?” I looked at her, smiled, and let go of her hand. I took the microphone from the officiant and spoke clearly into it.
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