“No, this can’t be happening!” Greg, my husband, went from excited anticipation for our wedding night to sheer horror the moment I took off my wedding dress. He had no idea what was waiting for him beneath the dress, but now it was time for him to face a shocking truth.
Our wedding had been like a scene from a fairytale. Greg stood proudly at the end of the aisle, smiling as if he’d just hit the jackpot. He thought we were about to start a perfect life together. But I knew the truth. The perfect little bubble we were living in was about to burst. I just wasn’t ready to pop it yet.
The reception was dreamy, like something out of a movie. Champagne glasses clinked, laughter echoed through the garden, and Greg’s parents played their roles as the perfect in-laws. After all, their perfect son deserved a perfect day, didn’t he?
And me? I played along. I smiled at the right moments, laughed when someone cracked a joke, and even danced with Greg like everything was completely fine. But Greg didn’t really know me. He thought he had me all figured out. He was so wrong.
As the night continued, Greg’s excitement for our wedding night grew more obvious. He wasn’t even trying to hide it. His touches lingered a little too long, and his grin was a bit too wide. I felt like an actress on stage, playing a part I hadn’t written. But I had my own plan.
Finally, we said goodbye to the guests, thanked them for coming, and accepted all their compliments about how beautiful the day had been. Greg’s parents stayed downstairs in the guest rooms, letting us have our privacy. Greg couldn’t wait to get me upstairs.
His hand squeezed mine tightly as he led me to the master suite, the same room his parents had generously allowed us to use for our first night as husband and wife. How poetic.
He was almost giddy as he closed the door behind us.
The room felt different now, full of tension and excitement. I saw the eagerness in Greg’s eyes as he approached me, already reaching for the zipper of my dress. “I’ve been waiting all night for this,” he whispered against my neck, his breath warm and filled with promise.
I smiled a small, secret smile. He couldn’t see it. “Me too.”
He unzipped my dress slowly and carefully, thinking he knew what was coming. I stood still, my heart racing, as he confidently unwrapped his “prize.” But Greg didn’t have a clue.
The dress finally dropped to the floor, and I turned around. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he saw what was underneath. He looked like someone teetering on the edge of a cliff, desperately trying to keep his balance.
“No…” His voice cracked, barely more than a whisper. “No, no, no! This can’t be happening!” His eyes were glued to the tattoo stretched across my torso, down to my waist. It was a tattoo of his ex, Sarah. And beneath her face, the words Greg had said to her just the night before our wedding were inscribed perfectly:
“One last taste of freedom before I’m bound to the same body forever.”
It was a temporary tattoo, of course. But Greg didn’t know that. It looked real enough to make him fall to his knees.
“Sarah was more than happy to rub your betrayal in my face,” I spat.
“I didn’t mean it,” he cried, his voice choked with regret. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it!”
Before I could respond, we heard footsteps. Marianne and James, Greg’s parents, burst into the room, concern all over their faces.
“What’s going on?” Marianne asked, her voice trembling. Her eyes darted between her sobbing son and me. Then, she saw the tattoo, and her face turned ghostly pale.
“How did you know?” Greg stammered, his gaze still locked on the tattoo.
“It’s simple,” I replied coldly. “Greg cheated on me.”
Marianne gasped, her shock filling the room. James, usually the quiet one, stood frozen in the doorway. He didn’t speak much, but the tension in his clenched fists and tight jaw told me everything I needed to know. The weight of the truth hung in the air like a heavy cloud, suffocating the room. Greg was still crumpled on the floor, gripping his hair as if that would somehow hold him together.
Marianne looked at Greg, her lips quivering. “Greg? Is this true?” Her voice was fragile, like she was begging him to deny it, to tell her it wasn’t real. But Greg couldn’t answer. He was trembling, his shoulders shaking with sobs.
“Tell me!” Marianne’s voice cracked, raw with disbelief. “Tell me it’s not true!”
James stepped forward, towering over Greg. His face was set like stone, but I could see the fury boiling beneath the surface. “Gregory,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. “Is this true?”
Greg still couldn’t speak. His sobs had quieted, but he stayed there, a broken mess on the floor, unable to face the truth. I decided to answer for him.
“He slept with Sarah the night before our wedding,” I said, my voice cutting through the tension like a knife. “He told her he needed ‘one last taste of freedom before he was bound to the same body forever.’”
Marianne collapsed onto the edge of the bed, a strangled sob escaping her lips as her world came crashing down. James’s face darkened. His nostrils flared as he glared down at his son, disgust and disappointment battling in his eyes.
“You’ve disgraced this family,” James spat, his voice filled with rage. “How could you do this to Lilith? How could you betray her like this?”
Greg looked up, panic in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I-I made a mistake.”
“A mistake?” I echoed, my voice rising with anger. “You call sleeping with your ex the night before our wedding a mistake?” I stepped closer to him, letting my fury show. “No, Greg, you made a choice. A choice to betray me. And now you’re paying for it.”
Greg’s tear-streaked face turned toward me, desperate. “Please, Lilith… please, I love you. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I’ll do anything! Just don’t leave me.”
I laughed, a cold, hollow sound. “Love me? You don’t know the first thing about love. If you did, you wouldn’t have done what you did. You wouldn’t have betrayed me.”
He reached for me, trembling, pleading. “Please… I’m begging you.”
I stepped back, letting him reach out to nothing. “I’m done, Greg. This is over. You ruined us the moment you crawled back to Sarah.”
James’s patience snapped. “Get up,” he growled, his voice deadly. “Get up and face what you’ve done.”
Greg hesitated but finally pushed himself up. He looked pathetic, standing there in his wrinkled suit, his face streaked with tears, his world collapsing around him.
I turned to his parents. Marianne’s face was red and swollen from crying, while James’s expression was a storm of anger. “I’m leaving,” I said, calm and steady. “You can deal with him now.”
“Lilith, please,” Greg begged one last time, his voice breaking. “Don’t go.”
But I was already done. I grabbed my robe, covering the tattoo, and headed for the door.
“Lilith,” Greg called after me, his voice desperate. “I’ll change! I’ll make it right!”
But I didn’t respond. There was nothing left to say.
As I walked out, I heard James’s low, furious voice. “This is what you’ve done, Greg. You’ve ruined everything.”
And Greg’s pitiful sobs filled the house. But they didn’t touch me. I walked down the stairs, feeling lighter with every step. I was free. Free from him, from the lies, from the betrayal. Share your thoughts in the comments!
