I spent six months planning the perfect wedding, but nothing went as planned. Hours before the ceremony, an anonymous USB drive was dropped off at my door. What I saw changed everything. Lies, betrayals, and secrets were revealed before my eyes. Was I about to marry the wrong man?
They say that the wedding day is the happiest day of a woman’s life. Lies! I had planned this wedding for six long months, six months of visiting venues, trying on dresses, tasting menus and endless phone calls.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I thought that at least on the day I would be able to breathe, relax and enjoy it. But no. Everything that could go wrong, did.
I paced around my room, clutching my phone so tightly my fingers hurt.
I had already called the florist five times. No answer. No voicemail. Nothing.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
The wedding was in four hours, and I didn’t have a single flower. Not a single one. The bouquets, the centerpieces, the arch decorations—gone. Just gone.
I felt my pulse pounding in my ears. My hands curled into fists. I was ready to scream, throw my phone, maybe even sweep everything off my dresser.
At that moment, a knock at the door snapped me out of my rage. I yanked it open, but the hallway was empty.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Ugh,” I mumbled. My nephews. They had to be here. The house was packed—parents, grandparents, my sister’s family, cousins, friends. It was absolute madness.
I sighed and was about to close the door when something caught my eye. An envelope. White. Lying on the floor.
I picked it up and went back inside, locking the door. Inside the envelope was a USB drive labeled “Look at me.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
My stomach tightened. Frowning, I plugged it into my laptop.
A file. “Are you sure you want to marry him?”
I hesitated, then pressed play.
The video started. Ted and his friends were in a limousine, already drunk.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Last night of freedom!” Max shouted as he held his phone up to film.
“I’m already taken!” Ted said, shaking his head.
“You don’t understand. Tonight, anything goes!” Max smiled.
“But I love Tracy!” Ted replied.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Max rolled his eyes. “Your Tracy is quite the performer—she’s got you under her thumb!”
The guys laughed and clinked their glasses.
Ted frowned. “That’s not true.”
Max stepped closer. “Then prove it.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Ted hesitated, clutching his glass.
“Come on, man,” Max said. “It’s only one night.”
Ted exhaled. “Maybe tonight I’ll prove you wrong.”
There was a knock at my door. My heart was pounding as I quickly paused the video and closed my laptop.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, then walked over to open the door.
Max stood there, smiling as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn’t just insulted me behind my back.
“Hey, Tracy,” he said casually.
I didn’t smile. I couldn’t. The words from the video echoed in my head.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Max had always been friendly, he had always acted like he respected me. But now I saw the truth. It was all wrong.
“Is something wrong?”
I crossed my arms. “What do you want?”
“Ted can’t find his shoes. He said they might be here,” Max said, standing in the doorway.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Maybe I should give him my heels instead,” I muttered under my breath.
Max frowned. “What?”
“Nothing,” I replied, shaking my head. “I’ll look.”
I turned and walked to the closet, pushing the dresses aside. The shoebox sat on the top shelf, right where Ted had left it. I grabbed it and turned around.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Here,” I said, holding it out.
Max took it and smiled. “If you’re worried, Ted has no intention of running away from the wedding.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why would I be worried?”
Max shrugged. “It’s just a joke. Relax.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I didn’t laugh.
Max hesitated, then nodded and left.
I closed the door, leaned against it for a moment, then went back to my laptop and pressed play.
The video cut to a hotel room. Ted was sitting in a chair, blindfolded. His posture was relaxed, completely oblivious to what was happening around him.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“This is going to be so much fun,” Max said, his voice filled with excitement.
Someone entered the room, and music started playing as the guys cheered loudly. A masked woman—clearly an exotic dancer—approached Ted, swaying her hips to the music.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and slowly circled him before dancing for him.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Then, without hesitation, she took off her mask and removed his blindfold.
Sandy. Ted’s ex. More precisely, his ex-fiancée.
“I know you missed me,” Sandy said, leaning close to me.
Before I could even comprehend what was happening, she kissed him.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
He kissed her back.
“Tracy!” my mother called from downstairs.
I jumped, immediately paused the video and closed the laptop. My hands were shaking.
My eyes burned with tears. Ted had kissed her. Without hesitation. No resistance. Just like that, he had erased everything we had.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I walked out of my room and went downstairs. My mother was standing in front of the wedding cake, looking panicked.
“I don’t know what to do!” Mom cried, her voice shaking.
I froze. The cake—the perfect, expensive wedding cake—was half destroyed. The top layer had collapsed, frosting smeared all over the table.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“The wedding is in less than three hours!” Mom added. “What do we do?”
I stared at the mess, my mind blank. I wanted to scream, “Call off the wedding!” I wanted to throw something, break what was left. And most of all, I wanted to forget Ted forever.
But instead I mumbled, “I… I don’t know.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Melanie, my best friend, came into the kitchen. “What’s going on?” she asked.
I pointed at the wedding cake, unable to speak.
She stepped closer, her eyes wide. “Oh. My. God.”
“Yes,” I mumbled.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Melanie leaned over, inspecting the damage. “I can fix it,” she said. “I took a baking class recently.”
Mom’s eyes lit up. “Are you sure?”
Melanie hesitated. “I think so.”
Mom turned to me. “Tracy?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I swallowed hard. What matters anymore? The cake, the wedding, it all seemed pointless.
“Do whatever you want. I don’t care,” I said, then went back to my room.
I locked the door and stared at my laptop. My hands rested on the keyboard, but I didn’t press play.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
My thoughts were racing. Chaos, stress, lies—is this what love feels like?
Ted had kissed his ex without hesitation. Max had made fun of me behind my back. And Ted hadn’t said anything.
I clenched my jaw. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t pretend everything was okay.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I walked to the window and opened it. A cool breeze hit my face. I looked down.
It wasn’t that high. I had climbed out the window many times as a teenager, for secret nighttime adventures.
I swung my legs over the edge, holding on to the frame. One careful step, then another.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
My feet hit the ground and I ran to my car. My heart was pounding, not from fear, but from urgency. I had to get away.
I slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine and put it in reverse.
“Tracy! Where are you going?” my mother shouted from the terrace.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. I drove off, gripping the steering wheel, staring at the road ahead.
I parked in a quiet spot in the park and sat there, staring into space. Could I ever forgive Ted? Had he done more? What else hadn’t I seen?
I didn’t know how long I had been there when I saw movement. Ted and Melanie. Max’s car was idling nearby.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Ted stood before me, his arms outstretched. His suit was slightly rumpled, his tie loose. His face was contorted with confusion and frustration.
“The wedding should have started already. Why did you run away? What are you doing here?” he asked.
I didn’t answer right away. My eyes fell on Melanie. She was standing next to him, holding my laptop. The USB drive was still plugged in.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Because of what’s on that USB drive,” I finally said, my voice firm.
Melanie tightened her grip on the laptop. “We tried looking,” she admitted. “We need your password.”
I met his gaze. “Ted is going to love this video,” I said, my tone flat.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Ted and Melanie exchanged nervous glances. He shifted, running a hand through his hair.
“I’m sure it’s not what you think,” Ted said quickly.
I ignored him. My fingers moved across the keyboard, typing in my password. The screen flashed and the video resumed.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I kept my eyes glued to Ted as the scene with Sandy unfolded. I watched his face carefully.
He tensed when he saw himself blindfolded. His jaw clenched when Sandy kissed him. Then I saw he had pushed her away.
I exhaled, my chest tightening.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“So you didn’t cheat on me?” I asked, in a calm voice.
“I love you, Tracy. How could I cheat on you?” Ted said, moving closer. “We already missed the ceremony. Maybe we can at least go to a restaurant?”
I didn’t answer. Something inside me felt wrong. My fingers hovered over the laptop. My instincts told me to keep looking.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Wait,” I said. “The video isn’t over yet.”
Melanie’s face paled. “Maybe we don’t need to watch the rest?” she said quickly. “You’re missing your wedding.”
I turned to her. “I need to know who I’m marrying.”
The images have changed. A hotel corridor.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Melanie.
Melanie and Ted.
Kissing.
I felt like the ground had disappeared beneath my feet.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“I’m so happy it’s finally happening,” Melanie said in the video between kisses.
“As long as Tracy doesn’t find out,” Ted replied.
The video stopped. Silence.
I looked up, my breath short. “Is that why you didn’t want me to look?!” I yelled, my voice shaking.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Tracy, it was a mistake. It was just one night,” Ted said. His face was pale now.
“That’s not what you told me,” Melanie muttered, her voice low.
Ted tilted his head at her. “Shut up.”
“Why? Why did you two do this to me?!” I asked.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Melanie’s eyes filled with tears. “Because I fell in love with Ted first!” she screamed. “Remember? That night at the concert when we all met? You weren’t even interested in him, but he messaged you and you started dating!”
I let out a hollow laugh. “And you waited until my wedding day to ruin everything?!”
Melanie’s hands were shaking. “I tried to resist my feelings, but that night, I couldn’t. I love Ted!”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Ted’s face darkened. “Who gave you this USB stick?” he asked me.
I clenched my fists. “Is that what you’re interested in right now?!” I yelled.
“It was me,” a voice said.
Max stepped forward.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“I filmed the video and gave him the USB stick,” he admitted.
“What?! Why?!” Ted shouted.
“Because you don’t deserve Tracy,” Max said simply.
Ted’s nostrils flared. “What does it matter to you?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Max didn’t hesitate. “Because when you two started dating, Tracy became my friend too. And I couldn’t stand seeing what you were doing behind her back.”
“You bastard!” Ted yelled as his Ted hands curled into fists.
Max shook his head. “Melanie isn’t even the first girl you’ve cheated on her with. But before that, I had no proof.” Then he turned to me. “I invited Sandy on purpose, hoping she’d reveal the real Ted. But he knew I was recording.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Ted’s expression changed. “See, Tracy? He set this up! I didn’t cheat! He’s lying!”
Max let out a high-pitched laugh. “I didn’t have to set anything up. You ruined it yourself. You and Melanie.”
I stood up from the bench. My heart wasn’t racing anymore. I wasn’t crying anymore. I wasn’t shaking anymore. I just felt like it was over.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“I’ve had enough,” I said. “I don’t want to see either of you again.”
I turned to Max. “Can you take me home?”
Max nodded without hesitation.
Ted stepped forward. “Tracy, please, we can fix this…”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I raised my hand. “No.”
Melanie bit her lip. “Tracy, I…”
I met his gaze. “Don’t do it.”
I turned around and walked to Max’s car. As we got inside, he sighed. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner. I wish you wouldn’t waste money on the wedding.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I looked out the window. “That wedding was a disaster anyway. Plus, Ted and his parents paid for everything. Consider it a lesson to him.”
Max chuckled, shaking his head.
And just like that, the day that was supposed to be the happiest turned into the worst day. But at least I learned the truth before it was too late.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Let us know what you think about this story and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.
If you liked this story, read this one: Being a stepmom is never easy, especially when your daughter-in-law sees you as the enemy. No matter how hard I tried, she wouldn’t let me near her. But one freezing afternoon, while we were stranded in the snow, everything changed. I thought things couldn’t get any worse between us…until they did.
Để lại một phản hồi