It's been exactly three weeks now, and I've heard nothing from the company. Looks like they're not going to call me back.
And today? This is their wedding.
Yes, my best friend and my fiancé.
At first, I thought I'd ignore her and just stay home, but how can I ignore her? She took my man.
If he was meant to be mine, he wouldn't have ended up with her.
Even though it's hard, I have to stay strong. I just have to.
I dashed into the bathroom to take a bath. In the process, I tried taking off my engagement ring, but I couldn't.
Was I being too dramatic by keeping it on all this time? Maybe I held onto it because I was hoping this whole thing might still be a joke. But it's not. It's real.
I cried until I felt empty, remembering the moment he proposed and slid this ring onto my finger.
The emotions, the smile, the tears-and, most of all, the thought of spending the rest of my life with someone I loved so deeply-were indescribable.
Now all of it is shattered, and my emotions are scattered like broken glass.
My phone buzzed. A notification.
"Bestie's birthday! Hurray! Pour her water in bed!"
I swiped it off my screen and deleted the reminder. My brows furrowed in sadness. I had forgotten today was her birthday.
"She's getting married on her birthday. Just like I told her I wished to. Why is she doing this to me?"
What next? The same wedding dress I had chosen for my wedding?
I finally attended the wedding, dressed as simply as I could. The classic cars in the parking lot hinted at how grand the event was going to be.
She always dreamed of a big wedding.
As I walked toward the hotel, both families-hers and his-recognized me. But they pretended not to.
It made me feel pathetic.
I noticed bridesmaids walking out of a room. I approached one of them.
"Excuse me, where's the bride?" I asked.
"She's in that room," the bridesmaid said, pointing toward the door.
I nodded, thanked her, and took a deep breath before knocking.
"Come in," I heard her say.
When I entered, there she was-Kamsy-with my ex-fiancé, Luke. He was admiring her, gushing about how beautiful she looked. As I stepped inside, he kissed her.
"Sorry for interrupting," I muttered, quickly turning and walking out.
I shut the door behind me.
"Why is she here?" I heard Luke snap.
They lowered their voices after that. I couldn't make out the words anymore, but I knew they were talking about me.
After a few moments, Luke came out. He avoided eye contact, pretending I wasn't there.
I wanted him to look at me-even just for a second-to tell me what I had done wrong.
But he didn't.
I felt hopeless.
"Luke..." I whispered, my voice trembling.
"For goodness' sake, what is it now?" he snapped. "What do you want? Is this your plan to ruin our day? I knew you were pathetic, but this? Is the wedding a joke to you?"
"I'm sorry..." I said, tears streaming down my face.
"Now you're crying? Trying to make a scene? I don't have time for this. I blame her for inviting you."
"What did I ever do to deserve this shame? What?" I pleaded, my voice breaking. "Just tell me why it's her and not me. After you gave me this ring-" I held up the ring in my palm-"why did you do this to me? Why play such a cruel game? I loved you. I thought you loved me too. Tell me, Luke. Why?"
"Fine," he said coldly. "You want to know why? You pretend alot, you are too good to be true".
"What?"
I scoffed in disbelief.
He continued.
"You're boring. You're childish. You're stupid. And worst of all? You're ugly. Are you satisfied now?"
I froze as his words hit me like daggers.
He walked away, leaving me drowning in my tears.
As his groomsmen and event planners rushed to him, I turned and headed back to the bride's room.
I cleaned my face with a handkerchief and swallowed hard, forcing a smile before walking inside.
"Happy birthday, Kamsy. Congratulations," I said, handing her a gift.
I tried to sound brave, but she ignored me completely.
"You came late," she said coldly. "We're leaving for the church any second."
I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my composure. Was she even remorseful?
A bridesmaid entered.
"Judy, tell Mom I'm ready," Kamsy said.
The bridesmaid nodded and left.
"So, bestie," Kamsy said, smirking. "What do you think of my wedding gown? Familiar?"
I clenched my fists, struggling not to snap.
"It's beautiful. I told you I liked it," I replied calmly.
"Exactly," she said, laughing. "Isn't it sweet? I'm wearing your dream wedding gown. Bestie vibes, huh?"
She laughed again.
~~~~~~~
Getting to the church, I tried as much as possible to conceal my sadness. I was seated in the front row.
The cameras were all focused on me. Being the banquet bearer and maid of honor, I was supposed to be happy for my so called best friend, right?
How ridiculous!
At my back, our colleagues from the company were seated. Kamsy is one of us, a coworker, so that's why they were also invited.