At the engagement party, I called off the engagement. The reason? My boyfriend’s Instagram profile picture now had a Santa hat on it. Everyone thought it was unbelievable. “All because of a Santa hat?” I tapped to enlarge the picture and saw the watermark on the hat. My expression was cold. “Yes. All because of this Santa hat.” His mother screamed insults at me like a madwoman. “My son is a great catch! You’re the one losing out by not wanting him!” My dad forced me to apologize in front of everyone. “Look at the occasion! Is this really the time for your tantrums?” I ignored them and called my best friend. “Did you get the stuff? I’m calling off the engagement.” I handed my phone to my boyfriend, Ryan. “Change the Santa hat on your profile pic. Or photoshop an identical one onto mine, so we match.” Ryan didn’t even think about it. “Sienna, listen to me. That hat just doesn’t suit your picture.” I looked down at our Instagram profiles. Ryan and I had been together for almost ten years. My profile picture had always been a photo of us together. But his was just a professional headshot. He’d never even posted a single picture with me on his feed. He looked completely single. Ryan’s mom jabbed a furious finger at my phone screen, as if trying to break it. “Look! Ryan’s Instagram is all about his career. My son is hardworking and dedicated. And you? Throwing a fit over a Santa hat!” My dad’s face darkened, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Today is your engagement day. Drop the spoiled brat act. You’ll have a good life with Ryan from now on.” Ryan took my hand, looking at me with sincere apology in his eyes. “Sienna, is this because I’ve been working late so much lately? Did I make you feel neglected?” “I’m sorry, okay? Please forgive me. Everyone’s watching. Don’t make a scene.” The warmth from his hand made my mind go blank for a second. How long had it been since he last held my hand? When was the last time we even saw each other? Every time I asked to meet, he’d say he was working late. Then he’d send a photo of his office as ‘proof.’ “Sienna, I need to work hard. I need to be worthy of you.” If it weren’t for this scheduled engagement party, where his presence as the groom was mandatory, I probably wouldn’t have had the ‘privilege’ of seeing him at all. I gave a bitter laugh, pulled my hand away, and repeated myself. “I said it. Change the hat, or give me the same one. Your choice.” The guests around us murmured in confusion. “Living for a long time may see everything. A Santa hat on a profile picture is grounds for calling off an engagement?” “Maybe she got dumped around Christmas once and is triggered by anything festive?” “They’re each other’s first love. Been together almost ten years. Their relationship was always so good.” “Didn’t you hear Ryan say he’s been busy with work? He probably just neglected her feelings a bit. She’s throwing a tantrum.” “If she’s this difficult, they’re better off apart. Save him the misery later.” Each word was like a needle, pricking at our parents’ nerves. My dad pointed at my nose, his disappointment palpable. “Look what you’ve done! You’ve embarrassed us all!” Ignoring him, I quietly used my phone to cancel the orders for the car and the apartment down payment. My parents had paid the down payments for our future married life. But I didn’t need them anymore. Ryan’s mom gasped in horror and snatched my phone. “Sienna, are you trying to ruin us? Do you have no heart?” Ryan tried to calm his agitated mother, then turned red-rimmed eyes to me. “Sienna, it’s just a Santa hat. What’s the big deal?” I snorted. “Right. Just a Santa hat. So why can’t you just change it to make me happy?” “If you can’t even do that, what’s the point of marrying you?” My words seemed to stun him. It took him a moment to bow his head in a show of weakness. “Sienna, I’m sorry I upset you. I promise, after we’re married, you’ll be the boss. Okay?” This stalemate felt pointless. I called Willa again. “Did you get it? I can’t wait any longer.”
Willa sighed. “Stuck in traffic. Won’t be back for a while. What’s happening on your end?” I told her the truth. “I told him to change his profile picture or photoshop the same hat for me. He refuses.” Willa hung up without another word. Less than two minutes later, she sent me a picture. It was a photo of me, with an identical Santa hat photoshopped onto my head. Willa sounded furious over text. That bastard. He couldn’t spare two minutes. He’s definitely hiding something. I forwarded the picture to Ryan. “Willa managed to do this from the back of a cab. And you? You can’t even do this one small thing for me.” His mother glanced at my new profile picture and urged impatiently. “There. Picture’s changed. Can we get on with the engagement now?” Then she muttered under her breath, “Such a fuss over nothing. Spoiling her rotten.” My mom pulled my hand, urging me to apologize. “Look at this mess. Thank goodness Ryan is a good man and isn’t making a big deal.” “A woman doesn’t have many ten years to waste. Just take the win and move on.” I felt a pang of irony. Right. A woman doesn’t have many ten years. So should I spend them with a man who won’t even give me two minutes? Before I could reply, Ryan refused, looking horrified. “You can’t use that Santa hat from my picture!” My gaze sharpened, my tone turning brittle. “Why not?” Ryan’s eyes darted around. He stammered. “That hat… a colleague drew it for me. It’s her original design. If you use it, you might get sued for copyright infringement.” The crowd seemed to understand. “Must be a female colleague. Sienna’s jealous.” “But why be jealous over a hat? It’s almost Christmas, lots of young people put Santa hats on their pics.” “If a female colleague drew it, I get the jealousy. But calling off the engagement is too much. Sienna’s just being a spoiled, dramatic brat.” Ryan huffed and puffed, then sent me a new picture. “Here. I put a Santa hat on your picture too. Are you happy now?” I opened the image and zoomed in. It was clearly a cheap stock image he’d found online, slapped onto my carefully taken portrait. The hat looked tacky, making my lovely photo look garish and awful. My mom tried to smooth things over. “Alright, alright. The picture’s changed, problem solved. Let’s continue the engagement.” I looked up sharply, not backing down. “No. I want to call it off.” Just then, Willa called. “Babe! I got it! And guess what? None of the data was lost!” “Wait for me. I’m gonna slap that cheater’s face with the truth!”
Ryan’s mother finally snapped. She grabbed the collar of my dress. “Sienna! Enough is enough!” “You wanted the picture changed, now it’s changed, and you still want out? You think your family’s money makes you special? My son is an executive, lots of girls like him. He doesn’t need you!” I couldn’t help but let out a derisive laugh. An executive? Only because my parents had pulled strings behind the scenes to push him up the ladder. My attitude angered my dad. He gripped my shoulders hard, forcing me to bend over. “All these relatives and friends came today for your engagement, and you keep throwing a childish tantrum.” “Apologize to everyone. Now.” Ryan was quick to pull my dad’s hands away, speaking up for me anxiously. “Mr. Sterling, please don’t. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have used that picture and upset Sienna. Don’t blame her.” Ryan gently rubbed my sore shoulders, his eyes overflowing with a tenderness so thick it was almost tangible. “Sienna, does it hurt? I’m so sorry I made you jealous. I can explain.” The guests were visibly moved by Ryan’s actions. “Oh, Sienna hit the jackpot with a guy like Ryan. What more could she want?” “Some people just don’t know when they’re well off. Maybe Sienna’s just testing how much he loves her by making a scene. Poor Ryan has to put up with so much.” A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Ryan’s lips. He showed me his phone’s chat screen. “Sienna, my colleague just likes to draw. For Christmas, she drew Santa hats for a few colleagues’ profile pictures. Mine included.” “She works in the same company. I see her every day. I couldn’t really refuse. It’s just a holiday trend.” Ryan’s mother shrilled at me. “Open your eyes and see! Ryan is popular with women. But he’d never do anything to hurt you. Stop trying to smear his name!” It was true. Ryan’s chat log with the person was perfectly normal. He had her saved as [Marketing – Chloe], and the conversations were all about work. Her profile picture was a selfie of a young, lively-looking girl with a similar Santa hat photoshopped on. Nothing unusual. The most recent messages showed Chloe sending Ryan a picture. [Wearing a Santa hat at Christmas brings good luck!] Ryan’s reply was perfectly proper, just two words. [Thanks.] It was so polite, so normal, it made me look like a paranoid, jealous mess. The parents at the main table saw the chat. My dad glared at me. “The misunderstanding about the picture is cleared up. Can we proceed now?” My reply was ironclad. “No. I want to call off the engagement.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, my dad’s palm connected with my cheek. His eyes were bloodshot, as if I were his enemy, not his daughter. “Sienna! Have we spoiled you so much that you have to throw a fit now, of all times?” “What other reason could you possibly have? You’d better explain yourself.” My mom looked like she was about to cry, pulling on my hand, pleading. “Sienna, please stop. Everyone can see how good Ryan is to you. What else could you possibly be unhappy about?” I pressed a hand to my burning cheek. My heart felt like a cold, dead stone. “I don’t love him anymore. That’s my reason. Is that good enough?” That made my dad even angrier. Without another word, he kicked me hard in the shin. If I hadn’t grabbed a chair, the pain would have sent me to my knees. There was something murderous in his eyes. “Listen to yourself! Ryan is a good man. He’s taken care of you meticulously for ten years.” “Even someone as hard-hearted as me was moved. We bought you a car, put a down payment on an apartment, all so you could marry him and have a good life.” “And you want to call it off because you ‘don’t love him’? I’ll beat some sense into you!” My dad raised his foot to kick me again. Ryan instinctively moved to shield me. “Mr. Sterling, please! It’s my fault. Don’t take it out on Sienna.” He lowered his voice, pleading with me. “Sienna, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.” “If you don’t like my picture, I’ll change it. If you’re upset I work late, I’ll take time off to be with you. Anything you want. Just… not calling off the engagement. We need to be together.” The guests murmured sympathetically. “Love? Who cares about love? Maybe Sienna’s found someone else and is using this as an excuse.” “Ryan is so devoted. Even after all this, he’s still protecting her.” All I felt was a wave of disgust at Ryan’s scent. I pushed him away. “Get off me. Don’t touch me.” Ryan finally broke. He looked like a child whose toy had been snatched, his voice choked with tears. “Sienna… do you hate me that much? Is it true, like they say? Is there someone else?” My dad shoved the shielding Ryan aside and roared. “Ryan, move! I don’t care if there’s another man! If she won’t go through with this engagement, I’ll beat her until she agrees!”
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