The morning of my wedding, I woke up with butterflies in my stomach and a full heart.
Leo and I had spent years saving for this day. Extra shifts, late nights, cutting corners wherever we could. Every dollar went toward making it perfect.
A smiling woman laying in her bed | Source: Midjourney
A smiling woman laying in her bed | Source: Midjourney
“Gina, just think, all the money we’re going to save on takeout,” Leo laughed.
“That’s because we’re on healthy eating plans,” I grinned.
And now, after all that work, all that sacrifice, it was finally here.
A plate of food | Source: Midjourney
A plate of food | Source: Midjourney
I arrived at the venue an hour early, hoping for a quiet moment before the ceremony. I wanted to walk the aisle alone, soak it all in.
I just wanted to breathe, and do my makeup, and drink champagne while I walked around, taking the fairytale in.
Instead, I saw a bride standing at my altar. She had her back to me, and she was smoothing out her veil.
A glass of champagne on a table | Source: Midjourney
A glass of champagne on a table | Source: Midjourney
She wasn’t just any bride. She was Jessica, my sister.
Dressed in a beautiful white wedding dress. Watching the venue’s staff run around with the final preparations. Some of the guests were already gathering.
A smiling bride | Source: Midjourney
A smiling bride | Source: Midjourney
Leo had wanted our closest family to arrive early for a photoshoot.
“We’re only going to get married once, Gina,” he said. “Let’s make it magical. I have my students coming in to take our photographs. It’s going to be wonderful.”
“Is that your version of extra credit?” I asked my fiancé as he scrolled through his laptop.
A man with a laptop, smiling | Source: Midjourney
A man with a laptop, smiling | Source: Midjourney
“It’s more like me allowing them to give us a wedding present.”
That was one of the things I loved most about Leo. He had been a wildlife photographer for years, constantly flying to the best game parks. But after an accident on a safari a few years ago, Leo had decided to stay local and teach at a college instead.
It was his passion for capturing moments in time that hooked me.
A close up of a giraffe in the wild | Source: Midjourney
A close up of a giraffe in the wild | Source: Midjourney
Music started playing from somewhere, and I was brought back to my nightmare.
Jessica, the bride.
My chest tightened. My ears rang.
And guess what?
My sister turned and flashed me a smug smile.
A shocked woman with braided hair | Source: Midjourney
A shocked woman with braided hair | Source: Midjourney
“Oh!” She clasped her hands together. “You’re early! I thought I’d have everything sorted before you got here. Well… that ruins the surprise.”
I couldn’t even process what she was saying.
“Surprise?” I echoed, my voice hollow.
Jessica sighed dramatically as if I was the problem here. As if I was the one ruining something special. As if I was the one who was raining on her parade.
A frowning bride | Source: Midjourney
A frowning bride | Source: Midjourney
“Gina, come on,” she said. “Why waste a perfectly good setup? Two weddings in one! Genius, right, sis? And you know how Ben has been pushing me to get married lately.”
My stomach dropped.
“You… so you didn’t just show up in a wedding dress? You planned on getting married at my wedding? Are you insane?”
A smug bride standing outside | Source: Midjourney
A smug bride standing outside | Source: Midjourney
She tilted her head, pouting.
“Mom said that ‘insane’ isn’t a word we use, Gina,” she rolled her eyes. “Be nice. And come on, don’t be so selfish!”
Selfish?
Me? At my own wedding? The one place I was supposed to be selfish and controlling?
A woman with her hands on her head | Source: Midjourney
A woman with her hands on her head | Source: Midjourney
That word lit something inside me. Something angry. Something dangerous.
Jessica had spent her entire life taking from me. From borrowing clothes and never returning them to stealing my ideas and passing them off as her own. She would even whisper lies to get our parents on her side.
But this?
This was next-level pathetic. This was next-level evil.
A pile of clothing on an ottoman | Source: Midjourney
A pile of clothing on an ottoman | Source: Midjourney
I looked around. My wedding planner, Bella, was staring at Jessica like she was a live grenade. My guests, the poor souls who had arrived early, were whispering in disbelief.
Even Jessica’s own fiancé, Ben, looked deeply uncomfortable.
“Jess, you told me that Gina agreed!” he sighed. “I should have known better.”
A groom wearing a green tux | Source: Midjourney
A groom wearing a green tux | Source: Midjourney
My vision sharpened.
I smiled.
Fine. If Jessica wanted a wedding, she could have one.
“Bella, did you know about this?” I asked.
“No, not at all, Gina!” she said. “I was just making sure that the bridal suite w
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