The morning of my wedding, I woke up feeling like I was floating. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, and my heart felt full. Today was the day. The day Leo and I had spent years working toward. Every extra shift, every late night, every dollar saved—it was all for this.
“Gina, just think of all the money we’re going to save on takeout after this,” Leo had joked when we first started budgeting for the wedding.
“That’s because we’re on healthy eating plans,” I had grinned back.
And now, after all that sacrifice, our dream wedding was finally happening.
I arrived at the venue an hour early, hoping to soak it all in before the guests arrived. I wanted to walk down the aisle alone, breathe in the magic, and enjoy a quiet moment before the whirlwind of the ceremony began. Maybe sip some champagne while I took in the fairytale.
But what I saw when I stepped inside turned my dream into a nightmare.
There was a bride standing at my altar.
She had her back to me, adjusting her veil while the staff bustled around, making final preparations. Some guests had already arrived, chatting and taking their seats.
And then, the bride turned around.
My heart stopped.
Jessica.
My sister.
Dressed in a white wedding gown. Standing in my venue. On my day.
A smug smile spread across her face when she saw me. “Oh! You’re early! I thought I’d have everything sorted before you got here. Well… that ruins the surprise.”
My brain struggled to process what she was saying. “Surprise?” My voice came out hollow.
Jessica sighed dramatically, as if I was the one being difficult. “Come on, Gina. Why waste a perfectly good setup? Two weddings in one! Genius, right? And you know how Ben has been pushing me to get married.”
My stomach dropped.
“Wait. You’re actually getting married? At my wedding? Are you insane?!”
Jessica tilted her head, pouting. “Mom said ‘insane’ isn’t a word we use, Gina.” She rolled her eyes. “Be nice. And don’t be so selfish!”
Selfish? Me? On my own wedding day? That word set something ablaze inside me—something angry, something dangerous.
Jessica had spent her entire life taking from me. My clothes, my ideas, even the attention of our parents when it suited her. But this? This was beyond anything she’d done before.
I looked around. My wedding planner, Bella, stood frozen, watching Jessica like she was a ticking time bomb. Guests whispered in disbelief. Even Jessica’s own fiancé, Ben, looked deeply uncomfortable.
“Jess, you told me Gina was fine with this!” Ben sighed. “I should’ve known better.”
Something in me sharpened.
I smiled.
“Bella, did you know about this?” I asked calmly.
“Absolutely not, Gina!” she said quickly. “I was just preparing your bridal suite. Your hair and makeup team are setting up right now.”
“Great.” I turned back to Jessica. “Alright then, let’s make this a double wedding. But Bella? Can you add a few things to the invoice?”
Bella’s eyes lit up. “Of course! What would you like?”
“First, charge Jessica for the harpist’s final fee. Oh, and make sure she covers the cost of the extra seats for her guests. Since she’s adding a ceremony, she’ll need to pay the venue for additional time. And let’s not forget the food—we only catered for our guests. If she wants to feed hers, she’ll have to arrange that separately.”
Jessica’s smirk wavered.
“Wait… what?!” she exclaimed.
Bella, ever the professional, smiled at her. “Weddings are expensive, Jessica. Since yours wasn’t part of the original contract, you’ll need to settle the fees before we proceed.”
Jessica laughed nervously. “No, no, no! This is all one event! There are no extra costs! Gina, tell her.”
I shrugged. “Not according to the contract, Jess. If you want a wedding, you have to pay for it.”
Jessica’s face turned red. She spun around, searching for support.
Nobody backed her up.
Not Mom. Not Dad. Not even Ben.
“Mom?” she whimpered.
Our mother folded her arms, her expression stone-cold. “You planned this nonsense behind everyone’s back, Jessica. Fix it yourself.”
Jessica’s lip trembled, and then she exploded. She shrieked. She stomped her feet. She demanded that I “just share” because we were “family.”
“You need to calm down, Jess,” Ben told her, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you lied to me. I’m leaving.”
Jessica collapsed onto the floor. Our father called security to escort her out.
I took a deep breath.
“Ready to put on your dress?” Bella asked.
I nodded.
The wedding went off without a hitch. Without Jessica’s drama, the atmosphere was light, joyful, and electric. Mom hugged me after the ceremony, whispering, “I can’t believe she thought she’d get away with it.”
“Neither can I!” I laughed. “Thank goodness Leo missed the whole thing. He would’ve let her have her moment just to keep the peace.”
Later that night, as Leo and I held hands, he raised his glass. “To my beautiful wife, and to finally getting the wedding she deserves.”
Cheers erupted around us. My heart swelled with love.
Then, just as I was slipping off my heels, there was a sharp, desperate knock at the door.
I sighed. I already knew who it was.
Jessica stood on my porch, her mascara smudged, her face blotchy from crying. For the first time, she looked small.
“Gina,” she whispered. “Can I come in?”
“Why?” I asked simply.
“I just… I need to talk.”
I hesitated. Every instinct told me to shut the door in her face. But there was something raw in her expression.
“Five minutes. That’s all you get.”
She stepped inside, hugging herself. Her voice cracked. “Ben left me. He said he didn’t understand why I did what I did. That he’s not sure I’m the kind of person he wants to be with.”
She let out a hollow laugh. “Guess I finally took it too far, huh?”
I said nothing.
“I didn’t think it was that bad at first. I thought you’d be mad for a bit, then we’d move on, like we always do. But now…” She exhaled shakily. “Mom and Dad won’t return my calls. My friends have disappeared.”
She met my eyes, pleading. “I don’t know why I do these things, Gina. I ruin everything. And now… I’ve ruined myself.”
For the first time, Jessica admitted she was broken. And for the first time, I didn’t feel the need to fix her.
I exhaled. “Yeah, Jess. You did.”
“Can we… start over?”
I shook my head. “No.”
Jessica flinched.
“You made your choices. Now you have to live with them.”
Her face crumbled. But this time, she didn’t argue.
As she walked away, I spoke one last time. “I really do hope you figure yourself out.”
And for the first time in my life, I felt free.
