I yelled “I don’t!” at my own wedding after talking to the groom’s mother, whose plan almost went well.

After a chance encounter and years of dating, Ryan and Hanna are about to get married and get engaged. But when Ryan’s mother reveals an incriminating video of her son with another woman, Hanna’s heart breaks. Later, the truth of the video is revealed, along with more deception than she ever expected.

Do parents enjoy dropping bombshells before weddings? When I say before—I mean 30 minutes before?

Because that’s exactly what Ryan’s mom did.

An antique clock on a piece of newspaper | Source: Pexels

An antique clock on a piece of newspaper | Source: Pexels

Ryan and I met two years ago—in one of those chance encounters. I was at community theater because one of my friends, Mila, was performing in the local musical, making her directorial debut.

So there I was, standing outside after the performance, holding a bouquet of flowers for Mila. Ryan came out and, because of the crowd, walked straight toward me, crushing the flowers.

A red curtain in a theater | Source: Unsplash

A red curtain in a theater | Source: Unsplash

“I’m so sorry,” she said, picking up the bouquet.

“I hate crowds,” I told him.

He laughed and gestured for us to move away from the door.

“I don’t like them either,” he said. “I’m Ryan.”

“Hanna,” I said, introducing myself.

Wrinkled rose petals | Source: Pexels

Wrinkled rose petals | Source: Pexels

We were barely three months into our relationship when Ryan proposed to me in a pub over Guinness and crispy potato skins.

Last week we should have sealed that promise with our wedding vows. But our wedding went in the exact opposite direction it should have.

Inside a pub | Source: Unsplash

Inside a pub | Source: Unsplash

At first, my family welcomed Ryan with open arms. As an only child, my parents were thrilled that I had met someone who truly made me happy.

“This is a different side of you, Hanna,” my mother said one night when Ryan came to dinner with us.

“He makes her happy,” my father said, smiling. “That’s all a father can wish for.”

An elderly couple hugging a younger couple | Source: Pexels

An elderly couple hugging a younger couple | Source: Pexels

Ryan felt welcomed – he felt the warmth being showered on him, and because of that, we too grew stronger as a couple.

For their part, it was much the same. The Coles opened their home and their hearts to me, and all they wanted was to have us home as much as possible. Mrs. Cole, Audrey, had also started a routine of coffee dates and manicures with me.

A person getting a manicure | Source: Pexels

A person getting a manicure | Source: Pexels

Everything was going well – until the moment it wasn’t.

During the wedding preparations, I felt as calm as could be. It was a small church wedding, and Ryan and I had planned an intimate event down to the smallest detail. We knew exactly what we wanted and how to make it special for our day.

But on what was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, just before the ceremony, my future mother-in-law pulled me aside.

Flowers and tulle along the pews of a church | Source: Pexels

Flowers and tulle along the pews of a church | Source: Pexels

“Honey,” he said. “Can we talk for a moment?”

I nodded and told her to wait for my glam team to finish my hair and makeup.

There was something about his attitude that made me feel anxious and nervous. I watched his movements from my reflection in the mirror.

His eyes darted around the room, often resting on my wedding dress, which hung on its hanger.

When I was ready and my mother was buttoning my dress, I turned to Audrey.

A hanging wedding dress | Source: Pexels

A hanging wedding dress | Source: Pexels

“I’m ready when you are,” I said, smiling at him.

Her eyes widened when she saw me in the dress. I’d already been to my fittings, but this was the moment Audrey and my mother would see the full effect of my wedding gown.

“Hanna,” Audrey said. “This isn’t easy for me to say.”

A bride in her wedding dress | Source: Pexels

A bride in her wedding dress | Source: Pexels

My heart pounded in my chest. As I combed my hair and sat looking at her, I knew nothing good was going to come out of our conversation.

“Just say it,” I said. “Just tell me.”

Audrey took her phone out of her purse and handed it to me.

A woman with a phone in her hand | Source: Pexels

A woman with a phone in her hand | Source: Pexels

“There are videos on this phone that will explain everything. I’m so sorry, Hanna, but Ryan needs to be exposed.”

My mind raced. I couldn’t imagine what I was about to see once I unlocked my phone.

“Here,” he said, handing me his phone as a woman’s voice echoed in the room.

The videos on Audrey’s phone revealed Ryan with another woman, in a clandestine affection, an undeniable betrayal.

A disgruntled woman | Source: Pixabay

A disgruntled woman | Source: Pixabay

“Are you sure?” I asked. “Is that him?”

Audrey closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Well, look at the jacket on the bed,” he said. “Isn’t that the one you gave him?”

I pressed play again and looked at the jacket. The hotel room also seemed familiar—I was sure we’d been there before.

“But Ryan’s face isn’t in the frame,” I said.

A man in a black jacket | Source: Unsplash

A man in a black jacket | Source: Unsplash

I was struggling. I couldn’t believe my almost-mother-in-law was standing in front of me with a video showing her son’s adventure.

“Hanna,” he said slowly. “It’s right in front of you. You can choose to ignore it, but think about the man you’d be marrying if you chose to ignore it. Could you live with yourself knowing it? Could you live with him?”

I shook my head. I felt like crying, I was so overwhelmed.

“Okay,” I said.

“Are you going to cancel the wedding?” Audrey asked, hope in her voice.

A smiling older woman | Source: Pexels

A smiling older woman | Source: Pexels

“No,” I said. “I’m going to walk down the aisle. I’m going to walk toward the man who has been unfaithful to me. And when the time comes for our vows, I’ll break it then.”

“Okay, honey,” Audrey said, putting her phone back in her purse. “Anyway, it’s almost time.”

I sat on the lawn chair and waited for my dad to come get me when it was time to marry Ryan. All I wanted was to get in a car and drive away somewhere where I could eat my feelings on a mountain of fries.

A father and a bride walking down an aisle | Source: Unsplash

A father and a bride walking down an aisle | Source: Unsplash

My heart pounded wildly as I approached the altar on my father’s arm. Ryan, aware of the storm brewing beneath my skin, smiled tenderly at me. He took my hand and squeezed it.

It would have been absolutely perfect, except for the fact that he had been with someone else.

Our priest continued quoting passages from the Bible about love and marriage. And when it came time for our vows, my heart calmed—finally understanding what was about to happen.

A groom at the altar | Source: Pexels

A groom at the altar | Source: Pexels

“I don’t accept,” I said quietly, more to the floor than to Ryan.

“Speak up, Hanna,” said the priest.

“I don’t accept!” I said more confidently, the words echoing like a shock wave.

Ryan’s shock turned to confusion as I repeated those two words again.

“Hanna? What?” he asked, with deep pain and betrayal in his voice.

A couple at the altar | Source: Unsplash

A couple at the altar | Source: Unsplash

“Ask your mom,” I said, pointing at Audrey. “Mrs. Cole, please tell everyone what you told me earlier.”

The church immediately fell silent, as if everyone was holding their breath. With trembling hands, she opened her purse and took out her phone. Just like before, she handed it to me.

“Look,” I said to Ryan.

Ryan took a step back, almost falling over the wedding arch.

“That’s not me, Hanna!” he said loudly. “Hanna, you know it’s not me!”

I refused to look him in the eye.

A woman with a phone in her hand | Source: Unsplash

A woman with a phone in her hand | Source: Unsplash

Then he confronted his mother.

“Mom, what’s all this? What’s that? Where did you get that video?”

Audrey shook her head and walked down the aisle, leaving the church in silence.

I couldn’t stand hearing Ryan’s excuses.

“Hanna, please,” he said. “I need you to believe me.”

And I wanted to. Of course, I wanted to believe the man I loved. But it was clear—the jacket I bought him was lying on the bed in the video. He’d been with someone else.

A disturbed man | Source: Unsplash

A disturbed man | Source: Unsplash

And if there was a possibility that he hadn’t been with someone else—how would you explain the video? And the barely clothed woman? And the sound effects?

“I can’t do it,” I said. “I won’t.”

I ran out the side door, with my parents following close behind.

Ryan continued calling me for the rest of the day, and when it got dark, I finally blocked his number.

A woman using her phone | Source: Pexels

A woman using her phone | Source: Pexels

However, two days later, as I lay wrapped in a blanket wondering where I went wrong – Ryan showed up at my parents’ house with takeout and flowers.

“Do you expect this to fix everything?” I asked.

“I need to talk to you,” he said simply.

Against my better judgment, I listened to him.

What Ryan revealed next sent me into another spiral.

He had confronted Audrey after the wedding.

Tulips in a vase | Source: Pexels

Tulips in a vase | Source: Pexels

“I went straight to her house,” he told me. “I was sitting there in her kitchen, eating toast and listening to old records as if I hadn’t just ruined our wedding.”

“I think you did,” I blurted out.

“Hanna,” he warned. “My mother orchestrated that video. The people in it are her students. And all because she didn’t want us to get married.”

My jaw dropped to the floor.

A shocked woman covering her eyes | Source: Unsplash

A shocked woman covering her eyes | Source: Unsplash

Audrey was a high school teacher—but she also tutored first-year English students. So when it came time for Ryan and me to get married, she panicked. She called two of her college students, who were all too eager to earn a little extra money, to play the part.

“I thought he liked me,” I said, eating the food Ryan had brought. “Clearly not, he made a whole video.”

“He said the sounds were edited,” Ryan laughed nervously. “But I have to admit, adding my jacket was a nice touch.”

A black jacket lying on a bed | Source: Unsplash

A black jacket lying on a bed | Source: Unsplash

I didn’t understand how I felt. For the past two days, since I’d walked away from my own wedding, I’d convinced myself that Ryan had been the bad guy in my story. That he was the villain who broke my heart, while his mother exposed him for what he was.

However, the reality was much worse.

Here was a woman who had claimed me as the daughter she never had, only to break my heart before I married her son.

I thought I wasn’t worthy of Ryan.

I forgave Ryan immediately, and he did the same in return – I had accused him of cheating on me in front of all our guests.

A woman sitting looking out the window | Source: Pexels

A woman sitting looking out the window | Source: Pexels

We’re still together, but I don’t know what the future holds. For now, I feel hurt and betrayed by Audrey. And I know forgiveness will be difficult for her.

What would you do?

If you enjoyed this story, you’ll love the next one :

When Cassie’s husband, Grant, plans a romantic anniversary dinner, Cassie hopes to rekindle their relationship. But an unwanted guest dressed in white changes everything. In a story about boundaries, betrayal, and reclaiming one’s voice, Cassie must decide if love is enough or if walking away is the bravest thing she’ll ever do.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to real events is purely coincidental and not the author’s intention.

The author and publisher do not guarantee the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters, and are not responsible for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and the opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

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