Knox was ready to marry the love of his life, until he learned the truth. With just 72 hours before the wedding, he planned the ultimate revenge. As Wynne walked down the aisle, she expected her dream wedding. But Knox was about to turn it into a showdown.
Everything looked perfect.
The venue glowed with golden light, the flowers were stunning, and the guests were smiling, chatting, and sipping drinks.
It was the kind of wedding people dreamed of, the kind Wynne had spent months planning. Every detail was perfect, down to the snack bags for guests who got hungry during the ceremony.
But while my fiancée planned her dream day, I’d been setting up my own moment.
I stood at the front, hands together, breathing steady. The music swelled, signaling the bridesmaids to enter.
I glanced at the guests, the carefully chosen decorations, the warm candlelight. It was the perfect romantic scene.
Everything was just right.
And I wasn’t nervous. Not one bit.
Not anymore.
Three Days Before
I don’t recall sitting down.
One minute, I was by my apartment window, staring at the city lights. The next, I was on the couch, head in my hands, trying to breathe.
My sister, Suki, sat across from me, quiet, waiting. Her words echoed in my mind, over and over, like a stuck song.
“I saw her, Knox. With him. I wasn’t looking for it, I swear! But I saw them.”
“You’re sure, Suki? You have to be sure,” I said, my voice sounding off, weak.
“Knox, I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t,” she replied.
The room felt too small. My apartment, once full of wedding gifts and happy plans, now felt like a cage. I wanted to run, to escape this talk.
How could Wynne betray me?
“Tell me everything,” I said.
Suki hesitated, then sat up straight, her eyes full of sadness.
“I was at that new vegan coffee shop, grabbing a drink, when I saw Wynne at a corner table.”
She paused.
“She wasn’t alone, Knox.”
“Who?” I asked.
“I don’t know his name, but he looked familiar. Maybe one of her friends. I’ve seen him before. But I saw how he looked at her, Knox. And how she looked back.”
“That doesn’t prove anything,” I said, clinging to hope.
“Wynne touched his face, said something soft, and then she leaned in and kissed him.”
For a moment, I tried to believe it was a mistake. But Wynne wasn’t careless. She was smart.
She wouldn’t kiss someone in public unless she thought she was safe. Unless she thought no one who knew us would see.
“Knox, I know this hurts,” Suki said. “But I took a picture. I knew you’d need proof.”
“Show me,” I said, my heart sinking as I looked at her phone.
I stared at my hands. They felt strange, like they weren’t mine.
“She said she loved me,” I whispered. “Our wedding’s in 72 hours, Suki. What do I do? Cancel it?”
“No way!” Suki said. “Show her she can’t get away with this!”
I looked up, anger steadying me for the first time.
“She’s not getting away with it.”
Suki didn’t look surprised.
“What’s your plan?” she asked.
Something cold settled in me. I stood and walked to the window, a sharp clarity hitting me. I fixed my tie, decision made.
“I’ll let her have her big day,” I said. “But not the way she thinks.”
A small smile tugged at Suki’s lips.
“Tell me what you need, brother,” she said. “I’ve got your back.”
The Present
The music grew louder, announcing the first bridesmaid.
As they walked in, one by one, the crowd’s mood shifted. The room, once buzzing with chatter, went quiet.
The bridesmaids wore black, like they were at a funeral. It took some convincing, but once they saw the proof Suki and I showed them, none wanted to support a liar.
They weren’t in the soft blue Wynne had picked. Not the pastel shades matching the invitations and flowers.
No. They wore black.
One by one, they moved forward, faces blank. Their dark dresses stood out against the white petals on the aisle.
Whispers started. Our families were traditional, so black dresses were a big deal. Guests exchanged confused looks.
“It’s bad luck, Knox!” I could almost hear my mom say.
“A terrible sign,” I imagined my grandma muttering.
I kept my eyes steady, watching as Suki took her place at the front. She met my gaze and gave a tiny wink no one else would catch.
I breathed out slowly.
Yes. Everything was going as planned.
Then the doors opened.
Wynne stepped forward, glowing. I’ll admit, she looked beautiful. A vision in white.
She took one step, then froze.
Her smile lingered as she scanned the crowd, expecting joy and celebration. Instead, she saw the black dresses.
Her expression faltered.
Her eyes flicked from one bridesmaid to the next, taking in the dark outfits, the heavy vibe, the murmurs among the guests.
Her face paled.
Her lips parted, like she wanted to speak, but nothing came out. Her hand clutched her bouquet. She knew something was wrong.
She started walking again, but her usual confidence was gone. Each step down the aisle seemed unsteady.
When she reached me, her hands shaking, she took mine.
Her fingers were cold.
“What’s going on, Knox? Why are they in black? They’ve ruined the whole look!”
I smiled, but it was cold. I felt nothing for her now.
“You don’t know?” I asked, voice loud enough to carry.
The room went silent.
Wynne’s eyes darted around—to me, the bridesmaids, Suki standing tall.
I turned slightly, pointing to the women in black.
“This isn’t a wedding, Wynne,” I said, calm.
Too calm. I’d had days to get my emotions in check.
“It’s a funeral,” I said with a smile.
Gasps echoed through the hall. Guests looked shocked. My mom looked ready to faint.
Wynne’s grip on my hands tightened, desperate.
“What are you talking about?” she gasped.
I gave a small, bitter laugh.
“We’re here to bury what’s left of our love. Or, more like,” I said, watching her panic grow, “what you destroyed.”
The silence was thick. Then, murmurs. Someone in the second row covered their mouth. Another whispered urgently to their neighbor.
Wynne’s face turned red.
Her panic shifted to anger.
Then, it hit her.
She yanked her hands away and turned, her fury locking onto the bridesmaids.
“You told him?!” she snapped, voice cutting through the air.
She glared at them, accusing.
“How could you? You’re my best friends! This isn’t your business!”
“We didn’t want to believe Suki at first,” Bryn, Wynne’s closest friend, said. “But she showed us proof. Knox deserves better.”
Suki stepped forward. I knew that look—she was fighting to stay calm. But her voice was steady, cold, final.
“Wynne, it became our business when we learned who you really are.”
She lifted her chin.
“It became our business when we saw who my brother was about to marry.”
Wynne clenched her fists.
“You had no right!” she shouted, voice shaking with panic.
I tilted my head.
“No right? To know the truth about the woman I was going to marry?”
She turned back to me, desperation breaking through.
“I can explain, Knox!”
I shook my head. I didn’t want her excuses. Part of me wanted to know everything, but mostly, I just wanted her gone.
“No, Wynne,” I said, voice quiet but firm.
“You just don’t like getting caught.”
A choked sound escaped her—rage, shame, maybe fear. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for anyone to back her up.
But no one moved. No one spoke. No one came to her side.
The guests sat frozen, too stunned to react.
Wynne’s bridesmaids stood silent, their black dresses making them look more like mourners than wedding party members.
She’d never looked so alone. I could see it in her face.
Her breath hitched.
Then she turned and ran, her white dress billowing behind her. She tripped on the hem, stumbling, barely catching herself. She lifted her skirt and fled down the aisle.
No one stopped her. Not her parents, not her brother.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
I turned to Suki.
She stepped closer, taking my hand. I squeezed it in thanks. Guests stared, shocked, their eyes flicking between me and the empty spot where Wynne had been.
I looked at my sister, my family, and the bridesmaids who stood with me today, not for a wedding, but for something else.
“I know this isn’t what you expected,” I told the crowd. “But I’m done pretending. Go inside, eat, drink. I’ll be okay.”
I walked down the aisle, needing a moment alone. Then I saw her.
Wynne sat on the curb, her white dress spread around her like a ghost of the life she’d lost. Her hands shook, her shoulders slumped. She wasn’t the radiant bride anymore—just a woman out of lies.
She looked up as I neared, mascara smudged, eyes red and pleading. She reached out, touching my sleeve, then grabbed my wrist like it was her last hope.
“Knox,” she said. “Please. I’ll do anything… don’t let this end.”
I didn’t answer. I pulled away.
“I messed up,” she said. “I was scared, stupid. But it wasn’t real with him. It was always you, Knox. Always you…”
I looked at her for a moment.
“If it was always me,” I said quietly, “you wouldn’t need to say that.”
“Please,” she begged.
“I’ll ask your mom to bring you some food,” I said.
I turned and kept walking. I didn’t look back.
I went back to the venue and grabbed a plate from the buffet.
