Eight years I’ve waited to marry him. Now his mother is telling me I have to let him sleep with his ex-girlfriend for three nights. “It’s tradition.” I stare at her. Then at Ethan. Then at the woman she just pulled into the room — long legs, glossy hair, smiling at me like she already knows how this ends. “This is Raelynn,” Mrs. Monroe says, patting her hand, “Ethan’s first love. They’ve known each other forever.” “And in our family,” she goes on, voice silky, “before a man marries, he spends three nights with his first love. To say thank you. It’s how it’s always been done.” I almost laugh. I turn to Ethan, waiting for him to shut this insanity down. He doesn’t. He just leans back on the couch, smirking. “It’s a tradition, Val. If you want to marry me, you respect where I come from.” Then, softer — that little tilt of his head he uses when he wants something, “Come on, baby. Eight years you waited. You can handle three nights.” Everyone in the room is waiting for me to lose it. Scream. Throw a vase. Walk out. I don’t. I smile. “Okay. I accept.” Three days later, our wedding goes off perfectly. That night, when Ethan kicks open the door to the honeymoon apartment, his groomsmen cheering drunkenly behind him — There’s already a man in our bed! I step out of the bathroom in a silk robe, drying my hair, and give Ethan a slow, sweet smile. “Forgot to mention, babe. My family has a tradition too. On the wedding night, the bride have to sleep with her ex first. In front of her husband.” … The day I told Ethan okay, he packed a bag and moved into Raelynn’s apartment. Didn’t even kiss me goodbye. Three days. Zero texts. Zero calls. The night before the wedding, I tracked him down at a rooftop bar downtown. I could hear them before I opened the door. “Honestly, Ethan, you’re a legend. First love AND a hot fiancée? Some men have all the luck.” I push the door open. The laughter dies. Ethan’s draped on the couch with Raelynn tucked under his arm. He raises an eyebrow at me. “What are you doing here?” “Sorry to interrupt the reunion,” I say flatly. One of his friends jumps in fast, fake-bright, “Val, listen, this is actually a thing in a lot of families. You sleep with the ex one last time, then you close the door forever. It shows you take the marriage seriously.” “After tonight, Rae’s done. He’s all yours, promise.” “Mm.” I nod. “I understand.” “See? Val gets it. Ethan, you trained her well.” Something flickers across Ethan’s face. Amusement. He likes that. Someone gets bold. “Hey, last night of freedom, right? Let’s make it count. Ethan — kiss Rae. French. We haven’t seen that since you two were nineteen.” Ethan smiles slow. Pulls Raelynn into his lap. And kisses her — deep, wet, hands in her hair — right in front of me. I look away. “Ethan.” My voice doesn’t shake. “I came to remind you. Wedding’s at noon. Don’t be late.” I turn to leave. Behind me, one of his buddies snickers. “Damn, Ethan. She watched you make out with your ex and didn’t even blink. What a wife. Where do I get one?” And then Ethan — lazy, smug, loud enough for me to hear. “She’s been with me eight years. Three miscarriages. Doctor said she can’t have kids anymore. Who else would even take her?” I freeze in the doorway. The deepest wound I have. Tossed out like a punchline. I take a deep breath. Ethan thinks all of that broke me. He thinks I’m damaged goods nobody else would take. But he’s wrong about a lot of things. The truth is — my body is just fine. And he is the one who’s nothing without me.
I drive straight home. Don’t cry. Don’t call anyone. Right before I fall asleep, my phone lights up. Ethan. His voice is lazy, half-bored. “You mad about the bar?” “No.” He laughs. “You’ve gotten weirdly chill lately, Val. It’s freaking me out a little.” Then, smoothly, “Listen. Rae flew in from London the second she heard I was getting married. She and I are ancient history, okay? You’re the one I’m marrying. The three nights thing is just a family thing—” “You don’t have to explain.” I cut him off. “I respect your family’s traditions. Just remember — mine has one too. You’ll respect it tomorrow.” “Sure, baby. What’s the tradi—” A soft moan cuts him off. “Ethan… focus. You said tonight was our last night. Don’t get distracted.” He clears his throat fast. “Okay, gotta run. See you tomorrow. I’ll be there. Promise.” I hang up. Power off the phone. Go to sleep. Numb is better than hurting. … Morning. I turn the phone back on and a text from Dani is waiting. It’s a video. Two bodies tangled in the bed. I know who are they. I close the screen. Calmly. Set the phone face-down. Drive to the venue. In the bridal suite, Dani is shaking she’s so angry, yanking the zipper up the back of my dress. “What is wrong with him? Family tradition? That is not a tradition, Val, that is cheating! Betrayal!” “You walked out on your parents for him. He swore on everything he loved that he’d treat you right. And now he’s posting sex tapes with his mistress the night before the wedding! Does he have any shame?” Probably not. I think. When I chose Ethan, my family lost their minds. They had someone picked out for me already — practically since we were childhood. I said no. I walked out for Ethan. Completely. He swore — swore — he’d never make me regret it. When did it start to change? Six months ago, maybe. A call from overseas. Raelynn crying down the line about some breakup in London. And just like that, his head was somewhere else. Dani grips my shoulders. “Val. I love you. But you cannot actually be marrying him after this. Please tell me you’re not.” I look at myself in the mirror. White dress. Steady eyes. “Dani. You’ve known me since we were six. You know how I work.” I smile. “Someone humiliates me? I humiliate them back. Same way. Twice as hard.”
Ethan strolls in twenty minutes before the ceremony. His groomsmen exhale like they’ve been holding their breath all morning. “Bro, we heard you hooked up like five times last night. We were genuinely scared you wouldn’t make it out of bed.” Ethan smirks. “Please. You underestimate me.” Then his eyes find mine — and for a second, something flickers. Surprise. Maybe even guilt. “Val. You look incredible.” He crosses the room, slips a hand around my waist, voice low and coaxing. “Don’t listen to those idiots. Rae wasn’t feeling great this morning, that’s what slowed me down.” I smile. Say nothing. And then she walks in behind him. Raelynn. In a soft pink dress that’s just a little too fitted, a little too bridal. Smiling at me like we’re old friends. “Val! Congrats, babe! I couldn’t miss this — I had to see you two tie the knot.” Ethan shrugs like it’s nothing. “Rae was a mess this morning, begged to come. I figured why not. The tradition’s done — we’re keeping our distance from here on out.” Dani opens her mouth. I squeeze her arm. “It’s fine.” Raelynn looks me up and down. Then she laughs, soft and mean. “Val, your suit looks kind of… cheap? Didn’t Ethan get you a Tom Ford?” She gasps, all fake-shocked. “When we were eighteen, Ethan promised me a Tom Ford for our wedding. The biggest ballroom in the city. A hundred tables, minimum. A million-dollar day — because that’s what I deserved.” Her eyes drift around the room. The folding chairs. The grocery-store flowers. The cheap linens. “This is… cute, though.” The air goes thin. Ethan coughs. “Rae, come on. Val and I have been together a long time. We don’t care about that stuff.” “Mm.” I say. That’s all. Because here’s the truth: I planned none of this. Ethan did. He said keep it simple. He picked the $80 dress off Amazon for me and chose the cheapest favors in the catalog. I’ve known for a while where his heart really was. The MC starts warming up the crowd. Our engagement photos slide across the screen — eight years compressed into thirty seconds. Raelynn starts crying. Loud, performative, beautiful tears. “I’m sorry, I just— I’m so happy for you, Ethan. You get to marry the person you love. I’ll never get that.” She wipes her eyes. “I got diagnosed with lupus last month. The doctor said it doesn’t get better. I always dreamed of a big wedding before I— before I couldn’t anymore.” Ethan’s face changes. I watch it happen in real time. He turns to me. “Val. Let Rae take your place in the ceremony.” Dani actually screams. “Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND? She wants to wear the dress now? Who exactly are you marrying today, Ethan?!” “It’s symbolic,” Ethan says, like he’s explaining to a child. “Just the ceremony. Paperwork’s still Val and me, tomorrow at the courthouse.” He turns back to me. That soft voice again. The coaxing one. “Baby. You gave me three days. What’s one more hour? It’s just a ceremony — the wedding night is what matters, right?” “I swear. Let Rae have the ceremony. You and I have the wedding night. Deal?” The guests are already whispering. The groomsmen are looking at me with pity. I look up at him. Calm. Steady. Smiling. “Okay.” Ethan exhales. Leans down and kisses my forehead. “That’s my girl. Always so understanding. Head up to the apartment. I’ll be there the second this is done.” Perfect. I didn’t really want to walk down that aisle anyway. We’ll just skip straight to the wedding night.
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