Laura actually looked sorry for me then, which was worse than anger.
“No, he doesn’t,” she said. “He got fired for misusing funds from a company account when we were together. Since then, he’s just bounced around.”
“Where? Doing what?” She arched her eyebrows at me. “Who’s his best friend at work? What’s his boss’s name? What’s the worst part of his day?”
I couldn’t answer any of her questions.
Laura walked to a drawer, pulled out a stack of papers, and handed me one from the top.
“Final demand notice from my lawyer. He met me today because he wanted more time. He literally said, ‘Once I get married, things will be different.'”
I wanted her to be lying, but as I read Jack’s name on the letter, something inside me shattered. All the pieces had fallen together now, and ugly as the picture was, I couldn’t deny the facts.
After a long silence, I looked up and said, “Come to the wedding.”
“Just come to the wedding if you want your money.”
I walked out then. I knew exactly how to counter Jack’s plan now.
The church was full on the day of the wedding.
When the doors opened, every person in the room turned to look at me.
At the end of the aisle, Jack took my hands.
“You look incredible,” he whispered.
I smiled. He looked confident… and that was exactly what I wanted.
The officiant began. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today—”
“Wait, please.” I turned to signal to my maid of honor.
She handed me the envelope I’d asked her to hold. I opened it and took out a copy of the final demand notice.
Jack looked at the paper. The color drained from his face.
“You don’t love me. You owe your ex-wife money, and you thought marrying me would fix that,” I said.
One of the guests gasped, “Oh, my God!”
Jack shook his head. “That’s fake, I swear. Where did you even get that?”
I looked past him toward the back of the church. “Laura?”
Every head turned.
Laura stood from the last pew.
A sound moved through the room like a gust of wind. Confusion. Shock. Whispering.
“I saw you together the day you asked her for more time,” I told him. “I followed her, and she explained everything.”
“It’s… no…” He turned on Laura. “You ruined everything.”
She walked forward, heels clicking on the church floor. “I told you to get a job, Jack, but no… You thought this would be easier.”
I slipped the ring off my finger and tucked it into his pocket.
Then I turned to face the guests. “This wedding is off.”
I stepped down and went to Diana. I lifted her in my arms and started walking toward the exit.
I sighed. “Yes, baby, but everything is okay now.”
