I lost my mom four years ago.
It was the kind of loss that cracked something inside me, a grief so deep that it didn’t fade. Instead, it just settled into my bones.
We were so incredibly close… and before she passed, she made me promise her one thing.
“I want you to wear my dress on your wedding day, Chloe,” she had said. “Whether it’s for the ceremony or the reception… Just promise me, baby. It will be like having me there with you.”
I intended to keep that promise. The dress had been tucked away safely in my closet ever since, just waiting for the right moment.
And then came Madison.
Madison, my brother Jake’s fiancée, had been in our lives for just over a year now. She was… difficult, to say the least. Madison was the kind of person who spoke in demands and dramatic sighs rather than requests and smiles. She thought that generosity was an obligation rather than a gift.
But Jake was happy, so I swallowed my opinions and played the role of the supportive sister.
Which is exactly why, three months before their wedding, I invited them both to a cozy coffee shop.
We had just settled into our seats and placed our orders when I took out an envelope and slid it across the table.
Jake reached for it first, but before he could open it, Madison snatched it out of his hands.
She peeked inside, her manicured nails tapping the table as she pulled out the check.
Ten thousand dollars.
No, it wasn’t a mistake. I legitimately just wanted to spoil my brother and help him where I could.
Jake and I weren’t that close anymore. He tried to reach out when our mother passed away, but I preferred to mourn in silence. And later, when I reached out to him, he hadn’t met me with any warmth.
Now, I wanted to make things better for us. With us.
“I know weddings can be expensive,” I said, smiling. “I want you two to have a beautiful day, and I hope that this will help make it perfect.”
“Wow! Chloe! This is… incredible. Thank you, Sis,” he said, his eyes wide.
As for Madison?
She barely looked impressed. She set the check down like it was something to be expected. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and sighed.
“Well, I guess that’s a good start,” she said breezily. “It’ll help, but we still have so many expenses. Our day is going to be the most beautiful wedding anyone has ever seen.”
Good start? Seriously?
Before I could respond, she leaned in, her tone shifting into something far too casual.
“Actually,” she continued. “Jake and I talked about something important. And we’ve decided that I’ll be wearing your mom’s wedding dress for my ceremony. And something much fancier for the photoshoot and reception. I’ll send you an address for delivery. I need it to go to my dressmaker for alterations.”
I felt the words like a sharp slap across my face.
We’ve decided? Jake?!
“Excuse me?” I said, forcing the words out.
Madison rolled her eyes like I was being dramatic.
“Oh, come on, Chloe. It’s just sitting in your closet, collecting dust. And you don’t even know if you’ll ever need it. Don’t fight us; this is just as important to Jake as it is to me.”
I froze.
I knew then that Jake had told her about the dress. About my mom’s final wish. And then… they had decided to make it about them.
“Madison, my mom wanted me to wear that dress. It was her last wish. Our entire family was there when she said it. I’m not going to fight you because this isn’t up for discussion.”
Madison scoffed.
The waitress arrived with our coffee orders.
“I’ll be right back with the slices of cake,” she said, beaming.
“Chloe,” Madison said slowly, as though she was speaking to a child. “Your mom’s not here anymore, is she?”
I saw red. I was livid. I wanted to throw the scalding coffee at her. I wanted to overturn my chair. I wanted to scream.
“Here you go!” the waitress said, placing our plates of cake on the table. “Enjoy! And Chloe, compliments from the chef.”
I smiled at her because I was a regular at the coffee shop. But the smile didn’t stay on my face for very long.
“Come on, no need for a tantrum, Chloe,” Madison said, adding sugar to her coffee.
Jake shifted uncomfortably in his seat, staring down at his coffee like he wished it would swallow him whole. But he said nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
I clenched my jaw, reminding myself to breathe.
Before I could say another word, a familiar voice interrupted.
“Excuse me, can I steal you for a second, love?”
I turned to see Mark, the coffee shop manager.
And my boyfriend.
Mark and I had been together for two years. Jake had met him once, but judging from the look on his face, he probably didn’t remember.
“Sure,” I said, grateful for the save.
Mark gently took my hand and led me just far enough away that Jake and Madison couldn’t hear.
“I heard everything, Chloe. And I can’t just stand back anymore.”
Before I knew it, Mark disappeared into the kitchen. A moment later, he returned, holding a bouquet of roses.
“I was saving this for dinner tonight, but now seems like just as good a time,” he said, smiling.
And then, right there in the middle of the coffee shop, he got down on one knee with a velvet box in his hand.
“Mark!” I exclaimed.
“I should have done this a long time ago. I love you, and I want to spend my life with you. Marry me, Chloe.”
Silence fell over the coffee shop. And then there was applause. Loud and thunderous applause from Mark’s staff.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Everything was different. Everything had shifted in that moment.
The dress? The money? Madison’s entitlement?
None of it mattered anymore.
“Yes,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “A thousand times yes, Mark.”
Mark slipped the ring onto my finger, and this time, the entire coffee shop erupted into applause, including my brother.
Madison, on the other hand? Her face was twisted in pure rage.
“Are you freaking serious?!” she shrieked, standing up so fast that her chair nearly toppled over. “You’re stealing my wedding?! What the hell, Chloe? You brat!”
Jake groaned, rubbing his face.
“Madison, let it go. It’s her life. It’s their lives.”
She was seething.
“Unbelievable,” she muttered, grabbing her purse. “This is so unfair.”
She stormed out of the coffee shop, leaving Jake sitting there, awkwardly looking at me and Mark.
For the first time in a long time, I saw something new in my brother’s face. Realization.
After Madison left, Jake sighed and shook his head.
“Look, I’m happy for you, Chloe,” he said. “But… I think I need to rethink some things.”
For the first time in years, I felt like I had done something right. Like Mom would have been proud.
