Emma had always been too quiet, too fragile to keep many friends. On her wedding day, I was the only bridesmaid standing by her side. During the pre-ceremony prep, the door to the bridal suite burst open. The groomsmen, already smelling of cheap beer and expensive cologne, crowded into the room. Before I could even react, one of them lunged forward, losing his balance, and slammed straight into my chest, pinning me flat against the mattress. “Whoops! Just trying to share some of that wedding magic with the beautiful bridesmaid,” Dustin laughed, his hot breath smelling of alcohol. I kicked him off me with all the strength I had. Tyler, the groom, stepped in to help him up, laughing and shaking his head. “You idiot. Keep it in your pants, you almost took her out.” I scrambled up, smoothing the wrinkles of my bridesmaid dress, my chest heaving with rage as I glared at Dustin. Tyler stepped between us, his voice dropping to a warning low. “Hannah, today is about me and Emma. Don’t make a scene.” Emma looked at me from the vanity, her hands trembling, silently shaking her head. My heart softened. For her sake, I let it go. But the boundary-pushing didn’t stop. A few minutes later, as Tyler was helping Emma slip into her designer heels for the photos, the crowd started chanting. “Kiss it first! Kiss the shoe!” Dustin seized the moment. Before I could move, he slid my high heel off, grabbed my bare foot, and planted a wet kiss on my arch. “Damn, bridesmaid’s feet are softer than the bride’s.” This time, I didn’t hold back. I swung my arm and slapped him across the face. The room went dead silent. Tyler’s face darkened instantly. “Hannah, what the hell? You slap my best man at my wedding?” Dustin held his cheek, feigning innocence. “Hey, it’s just a joke. In my hometown, kissing the bridesmaid’s foot is a tradition. It brings the couple luck.” “See? It’s a tradition,” Tyler said, poking his finger against my collarbone. “You pull another stunt like that, and you can get the hell out.” Emma stepped forward, her voice shaking. “Tyler, please…” Tyler whipped around, glaring at her. “Emma, I swear to God, my boys are my line in the sand. If my best man isn’t having a good time today, there is no wedding.” Emma reached out, grasping my hand. Her fingers were ice-cold, her eyes swimming with tears. “Hannah, please… if you leave, I won’t have anyone.” … My anger warred with my protective instincts. Looking at Emma’s tear-stained face, the harsh words on the tip of my tongue dissolved. “Fine. I’m staying.” But I couldn’t help glaring at Tyler and Dustin. “I heard there’s another tradition where the bridesmaid kicks the best man’s teeth in to ensure a long life. Do you boys want to try that one?” The room hung in a tense silence for two seconds before Tyler chuckled, and the rest of the groomsmen joined in. “Sure,” Tyler said, pointing a finger at me. “Dustin, she wants to kick your teeth in. You scared?” Dustin licked his lips. “Why would I be? If the bridesmaid wants to get physical, I’m happy to lay down and let her. I just don’t know if she can get her leg that high. Maybe I should help her stretch out first?” A few of the younger groomsmen whistled. An older uncle laughed, muttering something about young blood, but his eyes were glued to the spectacle. “Alright, that’s enough,” Tyler said, waving his hand. He gave me a cold look. “Hannah, today is our day. Don’t ruin it.” Emma pulled me aside, her whisper frantic. “Hannah, just get through the ceremony. Once the reception starts, it’ll all be over…” “Is that what you call a happy day?” I asked quietly. Emma’s eyes welled up again. I closed my eyes, taking a deep, calming breath. “Fine. It’s your wedding. I won’t start anything.” After that, Tyler knelt back down to finish putting on Emma’s shoes. Emma kept her head low, tears catching on her eyelashes, forcing a tight, painful smile for the photographer. When it was time to leave for the venue, Tyler picked Emma up in his arms, marching out toward the waiting limo. I turned to follow, but a pair of strong arms suddenly locked around my waist from behind, lifting me off my feet. I looked back. It was Dustin. His grip on my waist and wrists was vice-like, dragging me backward. “Put me down!” I thrashed, but he didn’t budge. “Stop squirming, baby,” he whispered against my ear, his grin filthy. “I’d hate to drop you and bruise that pretty body.” Through the window of the limo, I caught Emma’s eye as she was helped into the backseat. She stared back at me, her lips trembling. She didn’t speak. Instead, she pressed her hands together under her chin, bowing slightly. A silent, desperate plea for me to endure it just a little longer. Dustin hoisted me higher. “We have the same last name, you know. It’s fate. We should just get together. We’ll keep the family name going.” I looked him dead in the eye. “I would rather die single and rotting.” He laughed harder. “God, I love a girl with claws. The wilder they are, the better it feels to break them in.” He shoved me into the backseat of the bridal party car. Before I could even sit up, his hand slid across my thigh. I lost control. I swung my hand and delivered a full-force slap across his face. The sound cracked like a whip in the confined space. Dustin’s head jerked back, a thin line of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth. But he didn’t get angry. He wiped the blood with his thumb, licked it, and smiled. “Fiesty. I like that. We’ll see how tough you are when the reception is over and the lights go out.” Up front, the driver chuckled. “Dustin, stop acting like a dog on a leash.” Dustin laughed, pinching my cheek hard enough to leave a mark. “Wait for me, babe. I’ll come get you when we arrive.” Someone poked their head through the car window. “Did she make you bleed? Getting blood on a wedding day is bad luck.” “It’s fine,” Dustin shrugged, waving them off. “The bridesmaid just got a little too excited. It was an accident.” The occupants of the car laughed. I dug my fingernails into my palms, using the physical pain to hold back my tears. My phone vibrated. It was a text from Emma. “Hannah, I am so, so sorry… Tyler’s parents are here, and he has a terrible temper. If I ruin this day, I don’t know how I’ll survive living with them…” “Please, just bear with it. Once we get to the hotel, the worst is over.” When I didn’t reply, another message popped up. “Hannah, please don’t hate me…” “I’m trapped. You can scream at me later, just don’t leave.” And finally: “Hannah, you’re my only bridesmaid. If you walk out, I have no one.” The twenty-minute drive felt like an eternity. When the car finally stopped at the luxury hotel venue, the door was ripped open. Dustin reached in, grabbed me by the waist, and dragged me out. My leg scraped hard against the door frame, leaving a burning scratch on my ankle. “We’re here, babe. Let’s get you inside.” The ballroom was packed with guests drinking and talking. The coordinator’s voice boomed over the mic: “Alright, let’s get the bridal party on the bed in the bridal suite for some photos! It’s a tradition to bring the couple beautiful children!” Tyler looked at Emma, then gave Dustin a look. A cold knot formed in my stomach. “Dustin, your mom’s been begging for a grandbaby, hasn’t she?” Tyler smirked. Dustin grinned. Before I could retreat, he swept me into his arms, carrying me over to the massive bed where Tyler had just tossed Emma. He threw me down beside her, rolling over to pin my legs down with his own. His arms locked around my waist. I couldn’t breathe. I have SVT—a heart condition that triggers a dangerously rapid heart rate under physical stress or extreme anxiety. Dustin’s hand slid up my ribs, his weight crushing my chest. My heart began to hammer violently, a frantic, erratic rhythm that felt like it was going to burst through my throat. My vision blurred. When they finally let us up, I scrambled off the bed, stumbling blindly toward the suite’s private bathroom. I fell to my knees in front of the toilet, dry-heaving and vomiting up nothing but bile. Tears and sweat ruined my makeup. In the mirror, my mascara was smeared, my false eyelashes hung loose, and my chest was bright red from the strain. The door clicked open. Emma rushed in, her heavy train rustling behind her. She knelt beside me, rubbing my back, her hands shaking as she pulled out tissues. “Hannah… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” She repeated it like a mantra. I took the tissue, wiped my mouth, and sat back against the cold tiles. “Emma, is this really what you want?” Before she could answer, the door pushed open slightly. Tyler’s mother peered in, her eyes cold and dismissive. “Are you done throwing up? Doing that on a wedding day is disgusting. It’s bad luck.” She looked at me like I was street trash. “So fragile. If you couldn’t handle a little wedding fun, you shouldn’t have agreed to be in the bridal party.” The door slammed shut. The silence in the bathroom felt suffocating. Emma kept her head down, unable to look at me or the door her mother-in-law had just slammed. “Emma, that is your future mother-in-law,” I said, my voice hoarse. “You see how they treat people. Do you really want to marry into this family?” Emma’s lips trembled violently. “But… both our families are here. Forty tables of guests. The deposits are paid, the gifts are registered… My parents invited everyone from back home. If we cancel now…” “That is still better than spending the rest of your life with these monsters!” I snapped. “Hannah!” she cried out, her voice cracking before she shrank back, terrified of her own outburst. She grabbed my hand. “Hannah, please. Just one more hour. Just walk down the aisle with me, and then it’s over.” Her eyes were wide, pleading, like a cornered animal that had forgotten how to fight back. I felt a profound, heavy exhaustion settle into my bones. It had only been two hours, and I had been handled, degraded, and pushed to my physical limit. My heart was still fluttering dangerously in my chest. Why was I putting myself through this? But then I looked at her, and I remembered college. I remembered the night I had a 104-degree fever, and Emma—who could barely carry a laundry basket—had literally carried me down three flights of stairs to get me to an Uber. When I asked her later where she got the strength, she had simply said, “I couldn’t stand seeing you hurt.” She had held my freezing hands in the ER waiting room all night. I closed my eyes. “Fine. I will walk you down the aisle.” Emma threw her arms around me, sobbing into my shoulder. We touched up our makeup in the mirror. I watched her pull her mask of quiet obedience back over her face, smoothing her hair and locking her emotions away. When we stepped out, the hallway was crowded with Tyler’s relatives. They gossiped openly as we walked past. “That’s the bridesmaid. Such a diva.” “I heard she slapped the best man earlier. What a psycho.” “With a mouth like that, she’ll never find a man to take her.” I kept my eyes forward. Dustin was leaning against a pillar near the ballroom entrance, holding an unopened bottle of cheap champagne. When he saw me, he smirked. “Puking that hard? Sure you’re not pregnant, babe?” “Shut up, Dustin,” I spat, trying to brush past him. “Pop.” A deafening blast echoed in the narrow corridor. Before I could register the sound, a wave of cold, sticky liquid drenched my head. It poured down my hair, soaked through my collar, and saturated the thin fabric of my bridesmaid dress. The hallway erupted into roaring laughter. “Jesus, Dustin! You soaked her!” “Look at that—the dress is completely see-through now!” “Damn, the angry little bird actually has a nice body.” I looked down. The light pink chiffon dress was plastered to my skin, completely translucent. The outline of my adhesive bra was fully visible, and the skirt clung tightly to my thighs. Dustin stepped closer, his eyes slowly traveling down my wet body. “Wow. That champagne really shoots far. Tell me, babe… do you get this wet too?” Something inside me snapped. The thin thread of my patience disintegrated. I grabbed the empty bottle from his hand, smashed the base against the stone pillar, and pointed the jagged, glittering glass directly at his throat. The laughter stopped instantly. Tyler grabbed my arm, his face pale with shock. “Hannah! Are you out of your mind?!” He smacked the broken bottle from my hand, his finger digging into my forehead. “Get the hell out of here. Now!” Before I could move, Emma threw herself between us. “Tyler! Stop speaking to her like that!” I let out a bitter, hollow laugh. “Emma, don’t bother. I’m done. I can’t do this anymore.” What happened next made my heart freeze. Emma, in her pristine white wedding gown, dropped to her knees on the floor—right onto the wet stone and shattered glass. The lace of her dress soaked up the spilled champagne and dirt. The sharp glass cut through her fabric, and small pools of blood began to bloom beneath her knees. She grabbed my legs, looking up at me with tears streaming down her face. “Hannah, please. Don’t leave me. I’m begging you.” I stared down at the woman kneeling at my feet. This was my best friend of ten years. She knew every detail of my life, she checked on my heart condition weekly, she loved me unconditionally—yet here she was, utterly broken, kneeling in glass. At the end of the hall, guests were craned forward, watching. Dustin stood back, arms crossed, a smug smile on his face, while Tyler looked down at us with pure disgust. I looked toward the stage doors. My voice was completely hollow. “Let’s get this over with.” I pulled Emma up, brushing the tears from her cheeks. A coordinator handed me a dry, oversized sweater to put over my wet dress, but the neck was suffocatingly tight. I didn’t care. I just wanted the ceremony to end. During the processional, the music played, and the minister spoke, but my ears were ringing. I stood on the left side of the altar with Emma; Tyler and Dustin stood on the right. Across the aisle, Dustin’s eyes remained locked on me, heavy with silent promises. The ceremony blurred by—the vows, the rings, the family blessings. Emma kept her head bowed the entire time. Finally, the minister announced: “You may now kiss the bride.” Tyler lifted Emma’s veil, grabbed her face, and kissed her. But as the crowd clapped, a heavy hand grabbed the back of my head, violently pulling me to the right. It was Dustin. He forced his mouth onto mine. He smelled of tobacco and stale beer, and his teeth cut deep into my lip. The crowd gasped, then started cheering and taking photos. I bit down. Hard. I bit his bottom lip until the copper taste of his blood filled my mouth. He groaned, but instead of releasing me, his grip on my neck tightened. He whispered against my bleeding lips, “You little bitch. I’m taking you home tonight whether you like it or not.” When he finally let go, blood was dripping down his chin onto his white collar. The crowd’s cheers turned to angry murmurs. “What is wrong with that bridesmaid?” “Ruining her friend’s moment… what a whore.” “Desperate for attention, clearly.” Emma stood beside Tyler, shaking violently, tears spilling over. Tyler kept his hand locked tightly on her waist, holding her in place like a captured bird. The minister tried to regain control of the room. “Alright, let’s keep the energy positive for our happy couple—” The microphone screeched as Dustin grabbed it. He bent down, scooped me up in his arms before I could react, and turned to the crowd. “In my family, we have a tradition! The best man carries the bridesmaid to the bridal suite first to clear out any bad luck for the newlyweds!” The room was silent for a second before Tyler’s mother started clapping. “Yes! That’s a wonderful tradition! It’s very lucky!” Following her lead, Tyler’s family joined in, laughing and cheering. Dustin looked down at me. “Hear that, babe? It’s tradition. Everyone’s blessing us.” He began carrying me toward the side doors. As we passed Emma, I struggled to lift my head, looking her dead in the eye. “Are you going to watch him assault me?” Emma looked as if she had been struck by lightning. She violently wrenched herself out of Tyler’s grip. Tyler grabbed her arm. “Emma! What do you think you’re doing?” Emma tore herself away, ripped the sparkling tiara from her hair, and hurled it onto the stage floor. “Get away from me!” she screamed. “The wedding is off! Tyler, you and your family are disgusting monsters!”
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