I spent six months planning the perfect wedding, but nothing went as expected. Hours before the ceremony, an anonymous flash drive appeared at my door. What I saw changed everything. Lies, betrayal, and secrets unraveled before my eyes. Was I about to marry the wrong man?
They say a wedding day is the happiest day of a woman’s life. Lies! I had been planning this wedding for six long months—six months of venue tours, dress fittings, menu tastings, and endless phone calls.
I thought that at least on the big day, I’d be able to breathe, relax, and actually enjoy it. But no. Everything that could go wrong did.
I paced back and forth in my room, gripping my phone so tightly my fingers hurt.
I had called the florist five times already. No answer. No voicemail. Nothing.
The wedding was in four hours, and I didn’t have a single flower. Not one. The bouquets, the centerpieces, the arch decorations—gone. Just vanished.
I felt my pulse pounding in my ears. My hands curled into fists. I was ready to scream, throw my phone, maybe even flip my vanity table.
Just then, a knock on the door snapped me out of my rage. I yanked it open, but the hallway was empty.
“Ugh,” I muttered. My nephews. Had to be. The house was packed—parents, grandparents, my sister’s family, cousins, friends. It was absolute madness.
I sighed and was about to close the door when something caught my eye. An envelope. White. Plain. Sitting on the floor.
I picked it up and stepped back inside, locking the door. Inside was a flash drive labeled “Watch me.”
My stomach tightened. Frowning, I plugged it into my laptop.
One file. “Are you sure you want to marry him?”
I hesitated, then hit play.
The video started. Ted and his friends were in a limousine, already drunk.
“Last night of freedom!” Max shouted, holding his phone and filming everything.
“I’m already taken!” Ted said, shaking his head.
“You don’t get it. Tonight, anything goes!” Max grinned.
“But I love Tracy!” Ted shot back.
Max rolled his eyes. “Your Tracy is a piece of work—she’s got you under her heel!”
The guys laughed, clinking their drinks.
Ted frowned. “That’s not true.”
Max leaned closer. “Then prove it.”
Ted hesitated, gripping his drink.
“Come on, man,” Max pushed. “It’s just one night.”
Ted exhaled. “Maybe tonight I’ll prove you wrong.”
There was a knock on my door. My heart pounded as I quickly paused the video and shut my laptop.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, then walked over and opened the door.
Max stood there, smiling like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t just insulted me behind my back.
“Hey, Tracy,” he said casually.
I didn’t smile. I couldn’t. The words from the video echoed in my head.
Max had always been friendly, always acted like he respected me. But now, I saw the truth. It had all been fake.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
I crossed my arms. “What do you want?”
“Ted can’t find his shoes. He said they might be here,” Max said, standing in the doorway.
“Maybe I should give him my heels instead,” I muttered under my breath.
Max frowned. “What?”
“Nothing,” I said, shaking my head. “I’ll look.”
I turned away and walked to the closet, pushing dresses aside. The shoebox sat on the top shelf, right where Ted had left it. I grabbed it and turned back.
“Here,” I said, holding it out.
Max took it and smirked. “If you’re worried, Ted isn’t planning to run from the wedding.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why would I be worried?”
Max shrugged. “Just a joke. Relax.”
I didn’t laugh.
Max hesitated, then nodded and walked off.
I shut the door, leaned against it for a moment, then went back to my laptop and hit play.
The video cut to a hotel room. Ted was sitting on a chair, blindfolded. His posture was relaxed, completely unaware of what was happening around him.
“This is going to be so much fun,” Max said, his voice filled with excitement.
Someone entered the room, and the music started playing as the guys cheered loudly. A masked woman—clearly an exotic dancer—walked up to Ted, moving to the beat.
She placed her hands on his shoulders, circling him slowly before dancing for him.
Then, without hesitation, she removed her mask and pulled off his blindfold.
Sandy. Ted’s ex. More specifically, his ex-fiancée.
“I know you missed me,” Sandy said, leaning in close.
Before I could even process what was happening, she kissed him.
He kissed her back.
“Tracy!” my mom called from downstairs.
I gasped, immediately pausing the video and shutting the laptop. My hands trembled.
My eyes burned with tears. Ted had kissed her. No hesitation. No resistance. Just like that, he erased everything we had.
I walked out of my room and went downstairs. My mom stood in front of the wedding cake, looking panicked.
“I don’t know what to do!” Mom cried, her voice shaking.
I froze. The cake—the perfect, expensive wedding cake—was half destroyed. The top layer had collapsed, frosting smeared across the table.
“The wedding is in less than three hours!” Mom shouted. “What do we do?”
I stared at the mess, my mind blank. I wanted to scream, “Cancel the wedding!” I wanted to throw something, to break whatever was left. Most of all, I wanted to forget about Ted forever.
But instead, I mumbled, “I… I don’t know.”
Melanie, my best friend, walked into the kitchen. “What’s going on?” she asked.
I pointed at it, unable to speak.
She stepped closer, eyes widening. “Oh. My. God.”
“Yeah,” I muttered.
Melanie leaned over, inspecting the damage. “I can fix it,” she said. “I took a pastry course recently.”
Mom’s eyes lit up. “Are you sure?”
Melanie hesitated. “I think so.”
Mom turned to me. “Tracy?”
I swallowed hard. What did it matter anymore? The cake, the wedding, all of it felt pointless.
“Do whatever you want. I don’t care,” I said, then walked back to my room.
I locked the door and stared at my laptop. My hands rested on the keyboard, but I didn’t press play.
My thoughts raced. The chaos, the stress, the lies—was this what love was supposed to feel like?
Ted had kissed his ex without hesitation. Max had laughed about me behind my back. And Ted had said nothing.
I clenched my jaw. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t pretend everything was fine.
I walked to the window and pushed it open. A cool breeze hit my face. I looked down.
It wasn’t that high. I had climbed out plenty of times as a teenager, sneaking out for late-night adventures.
I swung my legs over the edge, gripping the frame. One careful step, then another.
My feet hit the ground, and I ran toward my car. My heart pounded, not from fear, but from urgency. I needed to get away.
I slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and threw the car into reverse.
“Tracy! Where are you going?!” my mom yelled from the porch.
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. I drove away, gripping the wheel, staring at the road ahead.
I parked at a quiet spot in the park and sat there, staring at nothing. Could I ever forgive Ted? Had he done more? What else had I not seen?
I didn’t know how long I had been there when I spotted movement. Ted and Melanie. Max’s car idled nearby.
Ted stood in front of me, his arms outstretched. His suit was slightly wrinkled, his tie loosened. His face twisted with confusion and frustration.
“The wedding should have already started. Why did you run away? What are you doing here?” he asked.
I didn’t answer right away. My eyes landed on Melanie. She stood beside him, holding my laptop. The flash drive was still plugged in.
“Because of what’s on this flash drive,” I finally said, my voice firm.
Melanie tightened her grip on the laptop. “We tried to watch it,” she admitted. “It needs your password.”
I met her gaze. “Ted will love this video,” I said, my tone flat.
Ted and Melanie exchanged nervous glances. He shifted his weight, running a hand through his hair.
“I’m sure it’s not what you think,” Ted said quickly.
I ignored him. My fingers moved over the keyboard, typing my password. The screen flickered, and the video resumed.
I kept my eyes locked on Ted as the scene with Sandy played out. I watched his face carefully.
He tensed when he saw himself blindfolded. His jaw clenched when Sandy kissed him. Then I saw it—he shoved her away.
I exhaled, my chest tightening.
“So you didn’t cheat?” I asked, my voice quiet.
“I love you, Tracy. How could I cheat?” Ted said, stepping closer. “We already missed the ceremony. Maybe we can at least go to the restaurant?”
I didn’t respond. Something inside me still felt off. My fingers hovered over the laptop. My gut told me to keep watching.
“Wait,” I said. “The video isn’t over yet.”
Melanie’s face paled. “Maybe we don’t need to watch the rest?” she said quickly. “You’re missing your wedding.”
I turned to her. “I need to know who I’m marrying.”
The screen changed. A hotel hallway.
Melanie.
Melanie and Ted.
Kissing.
I felt like the ground had disappeared beneath me.
“I’m so happy this is finally happening,” Melanie said in the video between kisses.
“As long as Tracy never finds out,” Ted replied.
The video ended. Silence.
I looked up, my breath shallow. “Is that why you didn’t want me to watch?!” I shouted, my voice shaking.
“Tracy, it was a mistake. It was just one night,” Ted said. His face was pale now.
“That’s not what you told me,” Melanie muttered, her voice low.
Ted snapped his head toward her. “Shut up.”
“Why? Why did you both do this to me?!” I demanded.
Melanie’s eyes filled with tears. “Because I liked Ted first!” she screamed. “Remember? That night at the concert when we all met? You weren’t even interested in him, but then he messaged you, and you started dating!”
I let out a hollow laugh. “And you waited until my wedding day to ruin everything?!”
Melanie’s hands trembled. “I tried to resist my feelings, but that night, I couldn’t. I love Ted!”
Ted’s face darkened. “Who gave you this flash drive?” he asked me.
I clenched my fists. “That’s what you care about right now?!” I screamed.
“It was me,” a voice said.
Max stepped forward.
“I filmed the video and gave her the flash drive,” he admitted.
“What?! Why?!” Ted shouted.
“Because you don’t deserve Tracy,” Max said simply.
Ted’s nostrils flared. “Why do you care?”
Max didn’t hesitate. “Because when you started dating, Tracy became my friend too. And I couldn’t stand watching what you were doing behind her back.”
Ted’s hands curled into fists. “You bastard!”
Max shook his head. “Melanie isn’t even the first girl you’ve cheated with. But before, I had no proof.” He turned to me. “I invited Sandy on purpose, hoping she’d expose the real Ted. But he knew I was recording.”
Ted’s expression changed. “See, Tracy? He set this all up! I didn’t cheat! He’s lying!”
Max let out a sharp laugh. “I didn’t need to set anything up. You ruined everything yourself. You and Melanie.”
I stood up from the bench. My heart wasn’t racing anymore. I wasn’t crying. I wasn’t shaking. I just felt done.
“I’ve had enough,” I said. “I don’t want to see either of you again.”
I turned to Max. “Can you drive me home?”
Max nodded without hesitation.
Ted stepped forward. “Tracy, please, we can fix this—”
I held up a hand. “No.”
Melanie bit her lip. “Tracy, I—”
I met her eyes. “Don’t.”
I turned and walked to Max’s car. As we got inside, he sighed. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner. I wish you hadn’t wasted money on the wedding.”
I stared out the window. “That wedding was a disaster anyway. Besides, Ted and his parents paid for everything. Consider it a lesson for him.”
Max chuckled, shaking his head.
And just like that, the day that was supposed to be the happiest turned into the worst. But at least I learned the truth before it was too late.
