While serving at a wedding, I suddenly noticed the groom—it was my husband, Alden. Seeing him with another woman, pretending to be someone else, sent my entire world crashing down. In that instant, everything I thought I knew about my life was flipped upside down.
Oh, weddings… They always had a way of stirring old memories, taking me back to that moment when Alden and I exchanged our vows. Our wedding wasn’t anything grand or extravagant—far from it, actually.
We were simply two young people in love, not worried about lavish decorations or an elaborate reception. Even now, after seven years of marriage, those memories still managed to bring a smile to my face.
Working as a waitress for a catering company meant I was constantly surrounded by weddings. Each time I entered a beautifully decorated hall, the scent of fresh flowers filling the air, I couldn’t help but think of our small ceremony. If only I had realized how fragile happiness could be…
That day, like any other, we arrived early to set everything in place before the guests and the newlyweds appeared.
About an hour later, the guests began arriving, their cheerful chatter filling the room as they waited for the bride and groom to return from their photos. I was in the restroom when my coworker, Nessa, rushed in, her face pale and uneasy.
“Harper, listen,” Nessa said, her voice trembling, “I think you should leave.”
“Leave? Why would I do that?” I asked. “Are you just trying to take more shifts for yourself? Sorry, but I need the money just like you do.”
Nessa shook her head, looking more nervous than I had ever seen her. “No, Harper, you don’t understand. I really think you shouldn’t be here.”
“What are you even talking about? Why are you acting so strange?” I said. “Nessa, seriously, what’s going on?”
She bit her lip, glancing back toward the hall. “You’re not going to like what you see.”
I walked quickly back into the hall, my mind racing with her words. My heart almost stopped when I saw the bride and groom. Nessa was right—I shouldn’t have come.
There, standing before all the guests, was Alden… my Alden. The man I had shared my life with for seven years, now standing with another woman.
My breath caught. I felt like the ground had been torn away from beneath me. I couldn’t understand what I was seeing. I turned and ran outside, tears burning down my face. It felt like a nightmare I couldn’t wake from.
Outside, I collapsed against the wall, gasping for air. My vision blurred with tears, but I forced myself to focus on the sign with the couple’s names: “Welcome to the wedding of Kira and Desmond.” Desmond? What a fraud!
Nessa rushed outside. She tried to speak, to comfort me, but I couldn’t hear her. All I could think about was his betrayal. I wiped away my tears, fury rising inside me. I wasn’t going to let him get away with this. Not a chance. I was going to wreck this wedding and reveal him for the liar he was.
I walked back into the hall just as the bride and groom were giving their first toast. My chest pounded, but I knew I had to go through with it.
I strode straight to Alden and yanked the microphone from his hand. He stared at me, his face filled with shock and rage, but I didn’t care. He deserved everything coming to him.
“I have something to say!” I shouted into the mic, my voice echoing through the room. The hall fell into stunned silence, every head turning toward me.
The bride, poor woman, held onto Alden like he was her only support. She looked at me with wide, frightened eyes, clearly lost in confusion.
“Alden, or as you know him, Desmond, has deceived you all!” I said, my voice trembling with anger. “He’s already married! To me!”
Gasps swept through the crowd, disbelief written across their faces.
“What?” the bride whispered, her voice barely audible. She turned to Alden, her eyes filling with tears. “Desmond, what is she saying? Who is this woman?”
Alden shook his head, wearing a mask of false confusion. “I… I don’t know her,” he said, stumbling. “I’ve never seen her in my life.”
“Seven years of marriage, and you deny it?!” I shouted, my anger exploding.
“What seven years of marriage?” he demanded, still acting clueless.
“Stop pretending you don’t know me,” I said. “You’re only making it worse, Alden.”
“My name is Desmond!” he cried, his voice desperate. “I have no idea who your Alden is. You’re insane!”
“Oh, really?” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Then what’s this?” I pulled out my phone, showing a picture of our wedding day. I held it up for everyone to see. The room went utterly still as people strained to look.
The bride, Kira, stepped closer, her eyes glued to the picture. “Desmond…?” she said, her voice trembling. “How could you do this to me? How could you lie like this? To her, and to me?”
“Kira,” Desmond pleaded, his tone softening as he reached for her. “I swear, I don’t know why she has this photo. I would never hurt you.”
But Kira shook her head, backing away from him. “I loved you, Desmond—or Alden, or whoever you are,” she cried. “How could you betray me like this? I don’t even know who you are anymore.”
“I’m Desmond,” he insisted desperately. “And I love you, Kira. I’m telling the truth!”
I let out a bitter laugh. “He’s probably only with you for your money.”
“Shut your mouth!” Alden roared, his voice cracking with fear.
The bride shook her head, tears flowing freely. “No, Desmond, I can’t do this. I can’t be with someone who could lie so terribly.”
She turned to me. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t know.”
“It’s not your fault,” I replied softly. “He fooled us both.”
“Kira, please,” Alden begged, but it was useless. She was already rushing out the door, her wedding dress trailing like broken dreams.
Alden darted after her. “Kira! Wait!” he cried as he disappeared through the doors, leaving me and the shocked guests in silence.
I stormed outside, ready to tell Alden I was done and filing for divorce. But when I found him, he was sitting on the curb, tears running down his face.
“Of course, play the victim,” I said coldly, crossing my arms.
He looked up, anger twisting his features. “You! This is all your fault!” he yelled. “My wife ran off because of you! Some crazy waitress!”
“I’m the crazy one?!” I screamed. “You’re the one who married another woman while still married to me!”
“I’m not your husband! I’ve never seen you before!”
“Oh really?” I sneered, pulling out my phone. “Let’s call Alden, the man you say you’re not, and see.”
“Go ahead, call him!” he barked.
I dialed Alden’s number, putting it on speaker. The phone rang… and then a voice answered: “Yes, sweetheart. Is everything okay?”
“What the…?” I gasped, staring at the man before me.
“I told you I’m not your husband!” he said, his voice still tense.
“Honey,” I said into the phone, my hands shaking, “come here now—something strange is happening.”
About thirty minutes later, Alden arrived. For what felt like forever, he and Desmond stood staring at each other in silence. They were identical, like looking in a mirror.
Finally, Desmond broke the silence, turning to me with a faint, ironic smile. “If I were you, I would’ve reacted the same.”
Alden looked at me, his eyes filled with hurt. “How could you think I’d ever do this to you?” he asked softly.
“He looks exactly like you,” I blurted, desperate to explain.
“Yes,” Alden replied quietly. “But it still hurts you doubted me.”
“I’m sorry. I was just so angry and hurt,” I whispered, reaching for his hand.
It turned out Desmond and Alden had both been adopted from the same orphanage as babies. They were taken by different families, never knowing the other existed. My husband had a twin brother he had never met.
“But that doesn’t change the fact that my fiancée despises me,” Desmond said bitterly.
“We’ll fix this,” I replied.
“Yes, come on, let’s go,” Alden added, heading toward the car.
“She’ll never forgive me,” Desmond muttered.
“She will when she sees Alden,” I assured him.
We drove in silence to the hotel where Kira was staying. She refused to open the door, but we could hear her crying inside.
We didn’t give up. We stood under her window, calling out until she finally appeared, her face streaked with tears.
“Kira!” I shouted. “Your fiancé didn’t deceive you! And my husband didn’t cheat on me! Look!” I pointed to the two men standing side by side, identical in every way.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “How is this possible?!” she called down.
“We were separated in the orphanage!” Desmond shouted back.
For a moment, she only stared, then closed the window, leaving us heartbroken.
“See? She’ll never forgive me,” Desmond sighed. But just then, the door flew open, and Kira ran out, throwing her arms around him.
Alden pulled me close.
“I’m sorry I doubted you,” I whispered.
Alden brushed a strand of hair from my face, smiling gently. “Honestly, after seven years of marriage, I’m touched you still fight for me this fiercely.”
I laughed softly, leaning into his kiss. So, my husband gained a brother, and I gained a friend I never expected.
