how everything fell into place so quickly and so completely,” I told Joseph one day.My relationship with Chris wasn’t just a whirlwind. It felt like we’d started our own little world. We were wrapped in each other, discovering everything about the other.It wasn’t long before I could easily see a future with him.But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Despite Chris being confident, he was insecure about my friendship with Joseph.”Look, we’re close, yes. And we have a history, but it was years before you, Chris,” I said.One evening, Chris did something truly unexpected. He disappeared into our bedroom and came back with a small, velvet box. My heart stopped for a second as he knelt and opened it, revealing a beautiful ring.”Marry me, Megan,” he said.The engagement bliss kicked in after that, and wedding planning began almost immediately.I had a clear vision of what I wanted. Nothing extravagant, but I wanted it to be a beautiful ceremony.I took charge of most of the arrangements, trusting Chris with the invitations and the photographer.”Use your eye for aesthetics, honey,” I said.Of course, I couldn’t get through my wedding stress without Maya, my childhood best friend. She was my maid of honor, too.Having her stand by me on one of the most important days just felt right. She jumped right in, helping with decisions and offering the support I needed to navigate the stress of wedding planning.”I’ve got you, Meg,” she said.Just before the rehearsal dinner, Joseph, Maya, Chris, and I met for a casual lunch as a break from the wedding chaos.I didn’t realize that my mistake would be making a light-hearted commennts.”I think you and Maya would be a cute couple,” I told Joseph.They both laughed it off, but I noticed Chris’s smile falter. His mood shifted almost instantly, and a cloud seemed to hang over him for the rest of the meal. I tried to brush it off, thinking that maybe it was just the wedding nerves.Fast forward to the wedding day. Everything was a scene out of a bridal magazine.But as I walked down the aisle, my heart full of love, ready to start this new chapter, I saw Chris’s expression change. What began as a tender look turned sharp and cold.Reaching the altar, he suddenly stepped forward, grabbing the microphone from the officiant.”You’ve been having an affair with Joseph, haven’t you, Megan?” he declared. “And anyway, I cannot marry someone as boring as you.”And then he stormed off.But it wasn’t over yet. Maya seemed to question Chris’s intentions with me, and she had recorded his interactions with Susan, our wedding photographer.As she pressed play, Chris’s shameless flirting filled the room.”I’m attracted to you, Susan,” he said.The aftermath was brutal.Chris’ parents fired him from their family firm and cut him out of their will. He had no choice but to move out of the family home.”This is all your fault!” he exploded on the phone after.It’s been a rough ride, but I’m slowly picking up the pieces of my shattered love life.2.I Yelled ‘I Don’t!’ at My Own Wedding after Conversation with Groom’s Mother Whose Plan Almost Worked Out – Do parents just enjoy dropping bombshells before weddings? When I say before—I mean 30 minutes before?Because that’s exactly what Ryan’s mother did.Ryan and I met two years ago — it was one of those by-chance meetings. I was at the community theatre because one of my friends, Mila, was in the local musical with her directorial debut.So, there I was, standing outside after the performance, holding a bouquet for Mila. Ryan walked out, and because of the crowd, walked directly into me, crushing the flowers.”I am so sorry,” he said, picking up the bouquet.”I hate crowds,” I said.He chuckled and gestured for us to move away from the door.”I’m not a fan either,” he said. “I’m Ryan.””Hanna,” I said, introducing myself.Just three months into our romance, Ryan proposed in a pub while drinking Guinness and eating crispy potato skins.Last week, we should have sealed that promise with our wedding vows. But our wedding went in the complete opposite direction it should have gone.Initially, my family welcomed Ryan with open arms. As the only daughter, my parents were thrilled that I had met someone who genuinely made me happy.”This is a different side to you, Hanna,” my mother said one evening when we had Ryan over for family dinner.”He makes her happy,” my father said, smiling. “That’s all a father could want.”Ryan’s side of the family was more or less the same thing. The Coles opened their home and hearts to me, and they wanted nothing more than to have us over as much as possible. Mrs. Cole, Audrey, had gotten into a coffee date and manicure routine with me, too.And everything felt right, until the very moment it changed.Leading up to our wedding, I was the calmest I could have been. It was a small church wedding, and Ryan and I had planned the intimate affair right down to the little details. We knew exactly what we wanted and how to make it special for our day.But on what was meant to be the happiest day of my life, just before the ceremony, my soon-to-be mother-in-law pulled me aside.”Darling,” she said. “Can we chat for a moment?”I nodded and told her to wait until my glam team was done with my hair and makeup. Something about her demeanor made me feel anxious and nervous. I watched her movements from my reflection in the mirror.Her eyes moved around the room quickly, often settling on my wedding dress hanging from its hook.When I was ready, and my mother was buttoning up my dress, I turned to Audrey. “I’m ready when you are,” I said, smiling at her.Her eyes glazed over, seeing me in the dress. She had been at my fittings before, but this was the moment that Audrey and my mother would see the full effect of my bridal outfit.”Hanna,” Audrey said. “There’s no easy way for me to say this.”My heart thundered in my chest. While my hair was being done, and I sat watching her, I knew that nothing good was going to come from our conversation.”Just say it,” I said. “Tell me.”Audrey pulled her phone out of her clutch and held it out for me.”There are videos on this phone that will explain everything. I am so sorry, Hanna, but Ryan needs to be caught out.”My mind raced. I couldn’t fathom what I was about to see once her phone was unlocked.”Here,” she said, handing me her phone as a woman’s voice echoed through the room. The videos on Audrey’s phone revealed Ryan with another woman.”Are you sure?” I asked. “This is him?”Audrey closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Well, look at the jacket on the bed,” she said. “Isn’t that the one you got him?”I pressed play again and looked at the jacket. The hotel room also looked familiar — I was so sure that we had been there before.”But Ryan’s face isn’t in the frame,” I said. I was struggling. I couldn’t believe that my almost mother-in-law was standing in front of me with a video showing her son’s affair.”Hanna,” she said slowly. “It’s right in front of you. You can choose to overlook it, but think of the man that you would be marrying if you choose to ignore it. Could you live with yourself knowing that? Could you live with him?”I shook my head. I wanted to cry because of how overwhelmed I was.”Fine,” I said.”You’re calling off the wedding?” Audrey asked, hope lining her voice.”No,” I said. “I’m going to walk down that aisle. I’m going to walk to the man who has been unfaithful to me. And when the time comes for our vows, I’ll break it off then.””Okay, dear,” Audrey said, putting her phone back into her bag. “It’s almost time now, anyway.”I sat down on the chaise and waited for my father to come and get me when it was time to marry Ryan. I wanted nothing more than to get into a car and drive away to someplace where I could eat my feelings in a mountain of fries.My heart violently pounded with fury as I approached the altar on my father’s arm. Ryan aware of the storm brewing beneath my skin, smiled tenderly at me. He took my hand and squeezed it. It would have been absolutely perfect, except for the fact that he had been with someone else.Our priest went on to quote scripture about love and matrimony from the Bible. And when it was time for our vows, my heart quietened down—finally realizing what was about to come.”I don’t,” I said softly, more to the ground than to Ryan.”Speak louder, Hanna,” the priest said.”I don’t!” I said more confidently, the words echoing like a resounding shockwave.Ryan’s shock morphed into confusion as I repeated those two words again.”Hanna? What?” he asked, hurt and betrayal deep in his voice.”Ask your mom,” I said, pointing at Audrey. “Mrs. Cole, please tell everyone what you told me earlier.””Look,” I said to Ryan.Ryan took a step back, almost falling over the wedding arch.”That is not me, Hanna!” he said loudly. “Hanna, you know it’s not me!”I refused to look him in the eye.Then he confronted his mother.Mom, what is all this? What is that? Where did you get that video?”Audrey shook her head and walked down the aisle, leaving the church in silence.I could not bear to hear Ryan’s excuses.”Hanna, please,” he said. “I need you to believe me.”And I wanted to. Of course, I wanted to believe the man I loved. But it was clear. The jacket that I bought him lay across the bed in the video.And if there was the possibility that he wasn’t with another person — how would he explain the video? And the woman who was barely dressed? And the sound effects?”I can’t do this,” I said. “I won’t.”I blocked his number.Two days later, Ryan showed up at my parents’ house with takeout and flowers.”You expect this to fix everything?” I asked.”I need to talk,” he said simply.Against my better judgment, I listened. What Ryan revealed next sent me down another spiral.”My mother orchestrated that video. The people in it are her students. And it was all because she didn’t want us to get married.”My jaw hit the ground.”I thought she liked me. Clearly she doesn’t if she put an entire video together.””She did say that the sounds were edited,” Ryan chuckled nervously. “But I’ve got to hand it to her, adding my jacket was a good touch.”I forgave Ryan immediately, and he did the same in return — I did accuse him of cheating on me in front of all our guests. We’re still together, but I don’t know what the future holds.
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