That evening, on my way home, I watched the streetlights go by through the window.
« You don’t have to worry about that, » Daniel said in a low voice.
I turned to him. « She doesn’t love me. »
He sighed. « She doesn’t know you. »
« No, » I said softly. « She knows me. It’s just that she doesn’t want to. »
There was a long silence before he took my hand.
« Hey, » he said. « Look at me. »
I did it.
« You are my choice, » he said. « That won’t change. For anyone. »
And at that moment… I believed him completely. So, I made the decision to let it go. I decided not to let his mother’s comments get me down. I decided to ignore them because I wasn’t marrying him. I was going to marry him.
And I thought that this love would be enough to make everything else fade into the background.
I didn’t realize how wrong I was.
Because on what was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, she made sure I would never forget exactly how much she hated me.
The morning of my wedding was like a dream. Everything was soft and golden, and for a little while, I let myself exist in that moment.
« Okay, breathe, » laughed my best friend, Lila, as she adjusted my veil for the third time. « You look like you’re about to faint. »
« I’m fine, » I said, even though my hands were trembling slightly. « Just… a lot of feelings. »
« That’s allowed, » she said, smiling. « It’s your wedding day. »
My wedding day. The words still seemed surreal to me.
The ceremony was magnificent. When Daniel looked at me standing at the end of the aisle, there was a gentleness in his eyes that instantly grounded me.
My nervousness disappeared the second he took my hands.
« Are you alright? » he whispered.
I smiled at him. « I’m fine now. »
He gently squeezed my fingers. « Good. »
And just like that, I knew I had made the right choice.
The reception was supposed to be the easiest part.
The celebration, the laughter, and the moment when everything we had planned for months finally came to fruition.
And the cake…
My God, the cake.
It seems silly now, doesn’t it? To care so much about something like that.
But for me, it wasn’t just a dessert.
I had spent weeks going back and forth with the pastry chef and carefully choosing every detail. It was one of those little things that made the day feel complete .
I was standing near the dance floor, talking to some guests, when I noticed the change. At first, it was subtle.
Then I saw one of the staff members walk by quickly, her expression tense.
My stomach gave out.
« Hey, » I said, gently catching up with her. « Is everything alright? »
She hesitated.
And that hesitation told me everything.
« I-I think you should come with me, » she said softly.
Suddenly, the noise in the room faded away. The music, the chatter—everything faded into the background as a strange, heavy feeling settled in my chest.
« Okay, » I said.
Lila appeared next to me instantly. « What’s going on? »
« I don’t know, » I admitted.
But I had a feeling.
And I didn’t like it.
The walk to the back room seemed longer than it should have been. Each step made my heart beat faster.
« It’s probably nothing, » Lila said, though I could hear the uncertainty in her voice.
« Yes, » I murmured. « Probably. »
But deep down, I knew it was worse.
When the door opened, everything inside me seemed to stop. For a second, I didn’t understand what I was looking at.
It didn’t make sense.
The table was there, the stand was there, but the cake… the cake was destroyed.
The first floor had collapsed sideways, the icing was unevenly spread as if someone had dragged their hand through it. One of the layers had completely detached and hung clumsily, barely clinging to the rest.
It didn’t look like an accident.
It seemed like it was intentional.
« No, » I murmured.
My legs felt weak.
Lila quickly grabbed my arm. « Heh-heh, sit down. »
I didn’t even realize I was trembling until she guided me to a chair.
« What happened? » I asked.
The staff member looked pale. « We don’t know. Everything was fine a little while ago, I swear. We checked less than an hour ago. »
I stared at what remained of it, trying to make sense of something that had none.
This was not a minor error. It was not something that could be brushed aside or quickly fixed.
Someone had done that.
And for a brief, terrifying moment… my mind went where I didn’t want it to go.
No.
I shook my head slightly.
Don’t do that.
Don’t start.
« It’s fine, » I said quickly, even though none of it sounded good to me. « It’s just a cake. »
But my voice didn’t sound convincing.
Lila crouched down in front of me. « Hey, look at me. We’ll find a solution, okay? It won’t ruin your day. »
I forced a small smile. « That’s not the case. »
And I truly meant it.
Because even though it hurt, even though it seemed unfair, I refused to let that be the thing people remembered about my wedding.
Not that.
Not her.
« Can we fix this? » I asked, glancing at the staff.
