The Wedding He Turned Into a Funeral Chapter 10
I never thought I’d run into Vincent again.
But there he was- –at a blush–and–ivory wedding I
was planning. The bride’s theme hit way too close to home. I almost turned it down, but she kept asking, and eventually I said yes. I figured maybe it’d be closure.
He looked rough. Thinner. Stubble. His suit was old and hung loose on him, like he’d lost weight he
couldn’t afford to lose.
When he spotted me, his eyes lit up. He came over.
“Jade–how have you been?”
I was in the middle of setting up and didn’t acknowledge him. He took the hint and stayed back, just watching from a distance.
After the wedding wrapped, he caught me before I could leave. “Can we talk? Just coffee. Please.”
I said yes.
We sat down, and he dove right in. “Do you still hate me? I know what Melanie really is now. I was blind she had me completely fooled.
He reached into his pocket and slid a plain gold
band across the table. “I’ve done nothing but think about what I did. I regret everything. Just tell me there’s still a chance.”
I pushed the ring back. Let my diamond catch the light. “Vincent, nobody waits forever. I’m married now. I have a good life, and I don’t want you in it. That’s the only reason I came today–to make that clear.”
His face went pale. “Married? Already? Why couldn’t you just wait for me?”
I grabbed my purse and stood up. “Wait for you? So you could hurt me again? I’ve moved on, Vincent. You need to do the same. There’s nothing left between us.”
He followed me out. “If it’s because of Melanie- she’s gone. I made sure everyone knows what she did. She’s ruined. I put it all out there.”
I didn’t answer. I walked straight to my husband, who was waiting for me at the curb, and slipped my arm through his.
Vincent chased after us, yelling, “If I hadn’t let her do what she did–would that wedding have been ours?”
My husband glanced at me. “You want me to handle this?”
I smiled, shook my head, and let go of his arm. I walked back to Vincent, wound up, and slapped him across the face–hard.
“That’s for everything you put me through. We’re done. And honestly? Even if Melanie had never existed, it would’ve been someone else. Because you never really saw me.”
He just stared at me. Then all the fight drained out of him, and he sank to the ground like his legs gave out.
I heard later that his company didn’t survive. He ended up working a regular job, like everyone else. And Melanie–once Vincent exposed her, her reputation was destroyed.
She couldn’t handle the fall. Maxed out credit cards, took out loans she couldn’t pay back–and ended up getting sold to a trafficking ring in Mexico. She somehow got out and made it back, but she came back completely unhinged.
She tracked Vincent down and stabbed him over and over, screaming, “This is your fault—you did this to me.”
I read about it like any other headline. Their lives had nothing to do with mine anymore.
All I care about now is the one I’ve built for myself.