Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
At our wedding, right in front of everyone, my fiancée slipped the ring onto her male best friend's finger.
The entire hall fell dead silent.
Holding the mic, her voice was dripping with tenderness. "Back when we played house as kids, I promised I'd marry you. Consider this ring that promise fulfilled."
Her best friend's eyes turned red. He slowly held out his hand.
She lowered her head and slid the ring over his knuckle.
The officiant frantically tried to save the moment: "What a beautiful, pure friendship! The groom won't mind, right?"
Murmurs erupted across the banquet hall.
Neither of them paid any attention. My fiancée stared into his eyes, her face glowing with adoration, while he reached out and affectionately ruffled her hair.
I stood just two steps away, looking like the biggest clown on earth.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally turned around.
She walked up to me, extending an empty hand.
"Ethan, will you marry me?"
I took a step back. "No. I won't."
My fiancée froze completely.
She looked up at me, the velvet ring box still open in her hand. The spotlight hit the diamond, glaring and harsh.
It was as if she hadn't heard me correctly.
Her lips twitched twice before she squeezed out, "What did you just say?"
I unbuttoned my tuxedo jacket and took another two steps back.
"I said, I won't."
"You two look way better together anyway. The ring is on, the officiant is here, and the room is full of friends and family. How about I just take a seat and enjoy the dinner while you two carry on?"
The smug smile on her best friend’s face instantly vanished.
Panicking, he began frantically tugging the ring off his finger, rushing toward me as he pulled.
"It's not what you think! It was just a childhood—"
"Save your breath."
I raised a hand, cutting him off.
My fiancée stood up abruptly, golden confetti sticking to her bridal gown. She lunged forward to grab my hand.
I stepped aside, letting her grasp air.
"Ethan, listen to me, it was just a joke! He's like a little brother to me. I watched him grow up!"
"Then marry him," I snapped.
She didn't look at me. Instead, she glanced over at Brandon, her gaze lingering on his face for a full second.
My mom’s face had gone completely dark. She stormed up to the stage in three quick strides, pointing directly at Chloe’s face.
"Chloe, do you really think my family is a pushover?"
Chloe flinched and ducked her head. "Mrs. Miller, it's really not like that—"
"Don't you dare call me that."
My dad walked up right behind her.
"My son is standing here in front of six hundred guests, humiliated by you like this. Who gave you the right to speak to us?"
Down in the front row, Chloe’s mom couldn't sit still any longer.
She hitched up her dress and jogged onto the stage, her face flushed red, grabbing my mom's arm.
"In-law, please, just listen! It was just kids messing around! Brandon grew up right next door to Chloe. It's purely brother-and-sister love, absolutely nothing more!"
My mom ripped her arm away.
"Brother-and-sister love requires exchanging rings at her own wedding? Why don't you hand over the marital house to him while you're at it?"
Chloe’s mom’s expression soured instantly.
She pressed her lips into a tight line, blocking the front of the stage, and hissed under her breath, "Isn't that taking it too far? It was just a harmless little ceremony stunt! The officiant already smoothed it over!"
"You can smooth it over all you want, but I sure as hell won't."
My mom seized my wrist, gripping it so tightly my bones ached.
"Let's go."
My dad moved behind us, shoving away a couple of groomsmen who tried to block our path.
Just as we reached the steps, Chloe’s dad cut us off.
"You want to call off the wedding? Fine. But return our twenty-thousand-dollar wedding contribution first."The moment those words dropped, the entire room went pin-drop silent.
Chloe’s cousin was holding his phone up, practically shoving the camera right into our faces to film.
My dad let go of my arm and stepped forward.
"Out of the way."
Chloe’s dad didn't budge.
"Didn't I make myself clear? No wedding, no money. Return the cash, or nobody walks out of here today."
I looked at my fiancée.
She stood just a few feet away, clutching that diamond ring, looking frantic and anxious. Yet what came out of her mouth was:
"Ethan, stop being like this. Can't we just talk this out? It’s just a petty argument."
"You call this a petty argument?"
I stared at her.
She stared back, swallowed hard, and actually nodded.
Brandon rushed up from behind, clutching the ring he’d just ripped off his finger and holding it out toward me.
"Ethan, look, I took it off! It was really just a dumb joke from when we were kids. If you hate it that much, I'll never see her again, okay?"
Someone in the crowd whispered, "The guy already apologized, he should just let it go."
Chloe’s mom immediately seized on that. "Exactly! It was just a ring! Our families have been close since they were babies. Honestly, they were supposed to get married in the first place—your family just barged in!"
She caught herself halfway through and slammed her mouth shut.
But I heard every single word.
My mom heard it too.
"What did you just say?"
Chloe’s mom raised her chin, throwing all pretenses out the window. "So what if I said it? Chloe and Brandon are childhood sweethearts! Both families agreed on it years ago. If your son hadn't wormed his way in—"
"Then you should have told me earlier."
I threw the bridal bouquet hard onto the floor.
Petals scattered everywhere, red and white crushed across the stage.
"If you’d said so earlier, I wouldn't have had to come here and play the extra in your twisted play."
Chloe panicked, shoving her mother behind her and yelling at me, "Ethan! She's just talking out of anger, don't take it seriously!"
I didn't look at her. I kept my eyes on her mother.
"Ma'am, what you just said is true, isn't it?"
She looked away, refusing to answer.
Chloe’s cousin muttered under his breath from the side, "What a drama queen."
My dad shot him a cold glare, then turned back, calmly pulling his phone from his inside suit pocket.
"Twenty thousand dollars. I can transfer it right back to your account this second."
Chloe’s dad’s eyes lit up. He pulled out his phone, ready.
"Since we're returning everything," my dad continued, his voice steady, "you can return our pre-marital gifts as well."
His voice wasn't loud, but the whole ballroom went so quiet you could hear the hum of the central AC.
Chloe’s dad froze.
"What pre-marital gifts?"
My mom wiped the corner of her eye and sneered. "Playing dumb now? My son gave you fifty thousand in cash and bought a thirty-thousand-dollar car in her name. Add that up yourself."
Chloe’s mom turned pale.
My dad held his phone up.
"Either wire the money back right now, or I'm calling the police. Your choice."Chloe’s dad snapped, veins bulging on his neck. "Watch your mouth! Calling the police for what?"
"Fraud."
When my dad said that word, his face looked as stern as a federal judge.
Chloe freaked out, jumping between both families. "Mr. and Mrs. Miller, it really doesn't have to come to this! Ethan and I just need to talk. This is between the two of us—"
"There's nothing left to talk about."
I ripped off my bowtie and shoved it into her hand.
"Didn't you want to give him a ring? Go right ahead. I'm setting you free."
Chloe’s mom tugged at her sleeve from behind. "Forget it, forget it! We don't want the twenty grand back! Just leave it at that!"
My mom let out a humorless laugh. "You think you get to call the shots?"
"Return the money, or the cops will be here in five minutes."
Realizing we weren't bluffing, Chloe’s dad softened his tone significantly. "Don't call the police! Let's just talk reasonably. We never said we wouldn't pay it back."
"Then write an IOU. Right now."
My dad never messed around with empty talk.
He grabbed a pen from a groomsman, ripped a sheet of paper from the welcome desk, and slapped it onto the table.
"Write."
Chloe’s dad looked like he was about to vomit blood.
Chloe walked up to the table, took the pen, and with trembling hands, scribbled an IOU on the paper.
Her father turned purple and tried to stop her, but she shoved him aside.
When she finished, she looked up at me.
"Ethan, I wrote it. Can you please—"
"I didn't promise you a damn thing."
I turned and walked away.
I pushed through the hotel doors, leaving the entire disaster behind me.
My mom patted my back, her voice shaking violently. "Come on. Let's get some food first. You haven't eaten a single bite all morning."
We went to a cozy diner across from the venue.
Mom ordered three bowls of hot soup and a plate of dumplings.
My dad didn't touch his fork the entire time. He just stared at me.
Only when I set down my spoon did he finally speak.
"After this, we go to the apartment. Get your things out first."
Mom wiped her mouth with a napkin, her eyes welling up again.
Dad pushed the bowl toward her. "Eat first. You need your strength to move his stuff."
I put down my fork and looked at them.
"Mom, Dad... I'm so sorry. I humiliated you both today."
"Humiliated who?"
My dad set down his fork firmly. "You aren't the one who needs to apologize. It's that shameless family."
Mom wiped her tears and forced a smile. "He's right. You did the right thing. If you had swallowed your pride in front of all those people, you'd never be able to hold your head high around them for the rest of your life."
I didn't say another word. I finished my soup and paid the bill.
The apartment was in a newly developed area downtown. Chloe’s family had covered the down payment.
The deed was under her name, but both families had split the renovation and furniture costs fifty-fifty.
My clothes, my official documents, and a heirloom gold jewelry set my mom gave to Chloe were still inside.
I had to get those back.
We took an Uber to the apartment.
On the way, my mom kept fretting, saying that gold set was handed down from her grandmother to her, and then to me. Losing it would mean failing her own mother.
Dad sat in the passenger seat in complete silence, but his knuckles around his phone were stark white.
In the elevator, Mom tried to compose herself, reminding us not to start another screaming match—just grab the stuff and go.
I nodded.
When we reached the door, I pressed my thumb against the smart lock.
Nothing happened.
I pressed it again.
Still nothing.
The lock flashed a red light and buzzed twice.
I paused, confused, and typed in the passcode.
My birthday.
Incorrect.
Chloe’s birthday.
Incorrect.
Our anniversary.
Still incorrect.
Frowning, my dad pulled out his phone and dialed Chloe.
It rang twice before she declined the call.
He dialed again, and it went straight to voicemail.
Mom panicked, banging hard on the door.
"Chloe! Chloe, open the door!"
Footsteps shuffled from inside.
The sound of slippers dragging across the hardwood floor grew closer and closer.
The door clicked open.
It wasn't Chloe. It was her mother.
Chloe’s mom was wearing loungewear.
Seeing us, she didn't look surprised in the slightest.
In fact, there was a smug smirk playing on her lips, as if she had been waiting for us all along.
"Oh? Look who's here."
My mom tried to push past her. "My son's belongings are inside. Let us in to pack."
Chloe’s mom didn't budge. Instead, she pulled the door narrower, blocking the entrance with her body.
"Pack what belongings?""Stop playing dumb! His clothes, his legal documents—everything is in there!"
Chloe’s mom let out a soft chuckle.
"Are you sure those belong to your son?"
Mom froze.
Standing behind her, everything clicked into place for me.
The lock passcode had been changed. Her family had already moved in.
They had planned this all along.
My dad's voice cut in from behind: "What is that supposed to mean?"
Chloe’s mom crossed her arms, firmly blocking the frame.
"It means exactly what it sounds like. Your son decided to throw a fit and ditch the wedding. He humiliated our entire family in front of hundreds of people today, and now he wants to come back and take stuff?"
She paused, sneering.
"Sure. Hand over the fifty grand in cash first."
My mom's face drained of color.
"Have you lost your mind? That was our money!"
"Your money?"
Chloe’s mom scoffed.
"Who was that money meant for? It was for my daughter's wedding! Since there is no wedding, that money stays with us to compensate for our damages!"
My dad slammed his palm against the door.
"Move."
Chloe’s mom stumbled back half a step from the force, but immediately threw herself forward again, raising her voice to a screech.
"You pushing me? You gonna hit a woman now?!"
She turned her head and shrieked into the apartment.
"Mark! Get out here! They're getting violent!"
Chloe’s dad strolled out of the living room in his pajamas, holding a mug of tea.
He ambled over and stood squarely behind his wife.
"Like we said, agree to drop the money claim, and you can take your things."
His eyes swept up and down over me.
"Ethan, let me give it to you straight. The scene your family caused at the venue today completely ruined Chloe's reputation. How is she supposed to face our relatives and friends? You can walk away, but you don't get to trash someone like that."
I stared at him, saying nothing.
He continued, "No money, no belongings."
My dad pointed a finger at them. "This is unlawful possession of personal property."
"Unlawful possession?"
Chloe’s dad blew gently on his tea.
"This is the marital home. Everything inside was bought jointly by both families. Who can prove what belongs to you and what belongs to us?"
My mom was trembling with rage, pulling out her phone to dial 911.
Before she could press call, Chloe stepped out from the master bedroom.
She walked to the doorway, her gaze completely bypassing my parents and landing straight on me.
"Ethan, when you said all those things on stage today, did you even consider my feelings for a second?"
I looked at her.
She went on, "Brandon is just an old childhood friend! There's nothing between us! You told six hundred people you wouldn't marry me—how am I supposed to explain that to my parents? How do I explain it to my friends?"
"You humiliated my family today."
"Do you even care?"
My mom couldn't take it anymore. "We humiliated you? You slipped a ring onto another man's finger at your own damn wedding, and you talk to us about humiliation?!"
Chloe frowned.
"Mrs. Miller, it was just a playful joke! He was crying his eyes out over there—couldn't I just comfort him for a second?"
"Then why the hell didn't you comfort Ethan?!"
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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