The night before my wedding, I couldn’t sleep. My mind kept racing with thoughts of the big day ahead. I should have been excited, maybe a little nervous, but instead, my heart felt heavy. Every time I closed my eyes, doubts crept in. What if something went wrong? What if I tripped walking down the aisle? What if Zachary—my fiancé—got cold feet?
I groaned and sat up in bed. A dull headache was forming, and I knew I needed aspirin if I wanted any chance of falling asleep.
Quietly, I slipped out from under the covers and tiptoed toward the door. The house was silent except for the soft hum of the refrigerator downstairs. I moved carefully, knowing my parents were light sleepers.
As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I heard something that made me stop in my tracks.
Whispers.
My stomach twisted. One voice was my mother’s—soft, urgent.
“Just listen to me, please.”
And then another voice. A deeper one. Zachary.
I froze. What was he doing here? He was supposed to be at the hotel, resting for the wedding. My heart pounded as I stepped closer, pressing myself against the wall. I peeked around the corner into the dimly lit kitchen.
My mother was on her knees. She wasn’t crying, wasn’t hysterical. Her face was calm, almost businesslike, but there was desperation in her voice.
“Please don’t show up at the ceremony tomorrow.”
A chill ran down my spine.
Zachary stood by the counter, his fists clenched. He looked tense, confused.
“What the hell?” he muttered. “Why would you—”
“I’ll pay you,” my mother interrupted. “Twenty thousand dollars. It’ll be in your suit bag tomorrow morning. Just leave. Disappear from her life.”
I gripped the doorframe so hard my nails dug into the wood. My vision blurred.
This wasn’t real.
Zachary let out a bitter laugh. “Are you serious?”
“She loves you,” my mother said, her voice soft. “But love isn’t enough. She deserves more. A stable future. Comfort. You can’t give her that.”
His jaw tightened. “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.”
I felt sick.
Zachary exhaled sharply, rubbing his jaw. He was thinking about it.
No.
No, no, no.
“You really believe this is what’s best for her?” he asked.
“I do,” my mother replied without hesitation.
Silence stretched between them. Then, Zachary shrugged. “Fine. Deal.”
The air left my lungs. My knees wobbled. I turned and ran up the stairs, my body trembling. I collapsed onto my bed, my heart slamming against my ribs.
He agreed. He agreed.
The door creaked open.
“Diane.” Zachary’s voice was gentle.
I didn’t turn. I couldn’t look at him. He sighed and sat beside me.
“I know you heard everything.”
Tears burned my eyes.
“You have every right to be upset,” he said. “But before you lose your mind, I need you to trust me.”
I whipped around, my voice shaking. “Trust you? You just—”
“I’m not leaving.”
I blinked. “What?”
“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 not-so-subtle hints. 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. My mother knocked on the door. “Diane, sweetheart, it’s time.”
I turned, smiling. “Coming.”
She beamed, oblivious.
The church was packed. My heart hammered. Zachary wasn’t here—just like we planned. I reached the altar, but I didn’t look at the empty space where he should have been. I looked straight at my mother.
“So, where’s fiancé number two?” I asked.
The church fell silent. My mother’s smile vanished. Gasps rippled through the guests.
“Oh, let’s talk about how my parents paid my fiancé twenty grand to disappear.”
Murmurs spread through the crowd. My father paled. My mother opened and closed her mouth like a fish gasping for air.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?” I asked. “That I’d just go along with it?”
People whispered.
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. But 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 against his car, dressed in his suit—the same suit he was supposed to wear at the altar. His eyes found mine, and a slow, knowing smile spread across his face.
For a moment, I just stood there, taking it all in. The crisp morning air. The murmurs from inside the church. The realization that I had actually done it.
And then I ran.
My dress billowed behind me as I sprinted toward him. Zachary caught me effortlessly, his arms strong around my waist as he spun me in a full circle.
“You did it,” he whispered.
I smiled. “We did it.”
He opened the car door. I slid inside and noticed an envelope on the seat. Inside were crisp bills—$20,000. I glanced at Zachary as he smirked.
“Well,” he said, voice laced with amusement. “At least your parents bought us a nice honeymoon.”
As we drove away, leaving behind the life they planned for me, I realized something.
I had never felt more free.
