The night before my wedding, I couldn’t sleep. My mind kept racing, filling me with restless energy. After tossing and turning for hours, I decided to go downstairs to get some aspirin for my growing headache. But nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when I reached the kitchen.
My mother was on her knees in front of my fiancé.
At first, I thought something terrible had happened. Was she begging him for something? Crying? But when I stepped closer, I realized she wasn’t desperate or emotional. Her voice was calm. Calculated. And then I heard the words that made my blood run cold.
“Please don’t show up at the ceremony tomorrow.”
My breath hitched.
Zachary, my fiancé, stood by the counter, his body tense, his fists clenched. “What the hell?” he muttered. “Why would you say that?”
My mother took a deep breath. “I’ll pay you. Twenty thousand dollars. It’ll be in your suit bag tomorrow morning. Just leave. Disappear from her life.”
I gripped the doorframe to steady myself. This couldn’t be real. This had to be some sort of nightmare.
Zachary let out a bitter laugh. “Are you serious?”
She nodded, her expression unwavering. “She loves you, but love isn’t enough. She deserves more. A stable future. Comfort. You can’t give her that.”
He stared at her in disbelief. “And you think some rich old man can?”
My mother’s lips pressed into a thin line. “He’s successful. He can provide for her in ways you can’t.”
My whole world spun. Was this why my mother had always hinted at other “better” options for me? Why she had constantly reminded me that love wouldn’t pay the bills?
Zachary exhaled, rubbing his jaw. He was thinking about it.
No.
No, no, no.
“You really believe this is what’s best for her?” he asked quietly.
She nodded. “I do.”
Silence stretched between them. Then, Zachary shrugged. “Fine. Deal.”
The air left my lungs. My heart shattered into a thousand pieces. He had agreed.
I turned and ran up the stairs, my body shaking, and collapsed onto my bed. My heart pounded so hard it hurt. The man I loved, the man I was supposed to marry, had just agreed to walk away for money.
The door creaked open.
I stiffened.
“Diane,” Zachary’s voice was soft.
I didn’t turn. I couldn’t look at him.
He sighed. The bed dipped as he sat beside me. For a moment, he said nothing. Then, his voice dropped to a whisper. “I know you heard everything.”
I clenched my fists. “Trust you? You just—”
“I’m not leaving.”
My head snapped up. “What?”
He met my eyes. “I’m not leaving you, Diane.” He leaned in. “Your parents don’t want me in your life. They want you to marry someone else.”
I shook my head. “No. That doesn’t make sense.”
“Yes, it does.” He exhaled sharply. “They’ve been planning it. Your dad’s business partner—some rich guy. They think he’s a better ‘match’ for you. Your mom actually believes she’s saving you from me.”
My stomach twisted.
It did make sense. All the little comments. The way my mother always talked about financial security like it was more important than love.
“They offered me $20,000 to disappear,” Zachary continued. “So, I said yes.”
I flinched.
He smirked. “Because I’m going to take their money. And then I’m going to give them exactly what they asked for.”
My pulse pounded.
“I won’t show up at the wedding,” he said. “But not because I’m running away. Because you and I? We’re leaving together.”
My breath caught. He wasn’t betraying me. He was playing them.
I sat there, stunned. “So… what happens next?”
Zachary grinned. “Tomorrow, you get married.”
I swallowed. “But you won’t be there.”
“Nope.” He squeezed my hand. “But you will.”
The next morning, I stood in front of the mirror in my wedding dress. It was beautiful. Perfect. But this wasn’t the wedding I had dreamed of.
My mother knocked on the door. “Diane, sweetheart, it’s time.”
I turned, smiling. “Coming.”
She beamed, completely unaware of what was about to happen.
I walked down the aisle, my father by my side. The church was packed. The guests whispered when they noticed Zachary was missing. My mother sat in the front pew, hands folded in her lap, a small, satisfied smile on her lips.
I reached the altar and turned to the crowd. My heart pounded, but I knew what I had to do.
“So,” I said, my voice steady. “Where’s fiancé number two?”
The church fell silent. My mother’s smile vanished.
My father cleared his throat. “Diane, sweetheart, let’s not—”
“Oh, no,” I interrupted. “Let’s. Let’s talk about how my parents paid my fiancé twenty grand to disappear.”
Gasps rippled through the guests.
My mother’s face went pale. “That’s not true.”
I let out a sharp laugh. “Really? Zachary told me everything. About the money. About the rich old guy you wanted me to marry.”
Murmurs filled the room.
Her parents tried to pay off the groom?
They wanted to force her into an arranged marriage?
What kind of people do that?
I turned back to my parents. “I hope you’re happy,” I said, voice steady. “You got exactly what you wanted. Zachary is gone.”
My mother exhaled in relief.
Then I smiled. “And now?” I said. “So am I.”
I dropped my bouquet and walked out.
Zachary was waiting outside, just like he promised.
He leaned casually against his car, dressed in his suit—the same suit he was supposed to be wearing at the altar.
His eyes met mine. A slow, knowing smile spread across his face.
And then I ran.
My dress billowed behind me as I sprinted toward him. I didn’t care about the scandal I had just caused. All I cared about was him.
Zachary caught me effortlessly, spinning me in a full circle.
“You did it,” he whispered.
I pulled back just enough to look at him. “We did it.”
He grinned. “You ready?”
I let out a breath. “More than ever.”
He opened the car door, and I slid inside. That’s when I saw it.
An envelope.
Inside were crisp, freshly stacked bills—$20,000.
I looked at Zachary. He threw me a smirk. “Well,” he said, voice laced with amusement. “At least your parents bought us a nice honeymoon.”
As we drove away, leaving behind the church, the wedding, and the life my parents had tried to trap me in, I realized something.
I had never felt more free.
