The night before my wedding, I couldn\u2019t sleep. My heart raced, my stomach churned, and my thoughts ran wild. Was I nervous? Maybe. But it wasn\u2019t cold feet. It was something deeper, something I couldn\u2019t quite put my finger on.<\/p>\n
I tossed and turned for hours, my mind refusing to shut off. Finally, I sighed and sat up. My head throbbed. I needed aspirin.<\/p>\n
Sliding out of bed, I tiptoed across the room, careful not to wake anyone. The house was silent except for the faint hum of the refrigerator downstairs. As I made my way down, I heard something.<\/p>\n
Whispers.<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
A hushed voice. Urgent. Desperate.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust listen to me, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother.<\/p>\n
Then, a deeper voice. Familiar. My breath caught in my throat.<\/p>\n
Zachary.<\/p>\n
What was he doing here? He was supposed to be at his hotel, resting before the big day. My stomach twisted as I crept closer, pressing my back against the wall, peeking around the corner into the dimly lit kitchen.<\/p>\n
And then, I saw it.<\/p>\n
My mother was on her knees before my fianc\u00e9.<\/p>\n
She wasn\u2019t crying. She wasn\u2019t begging. Her hands were folded, her voice steady.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease don\u2019t show up at the ceremony tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt the floor drop from under me.<\/p>\n
Zachary stood stiffly, his hands balled into fists. His jaw clenched.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell?\u201d he muttered. \u201cWhy would you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll pay you,\u201d my mother cut in. \u201cTwenty thousand dollars. It\u2019ll be in your suit bag tomorrow morning. Just leave. Walk away from her.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breath hitched. I gripped the doorframe to steady myself. Was this really happening?<\/p>\n
Zachary let out a bitter laugh. \u201cAre you serious?\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother\u2019s tone softened, almost gentle. \u201cShe loves you, but love isn\u2019t enough. She deserves more. A stable future. Comfort. You can\u2019t give her that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head, his lips curling into a smirk. \u201cAnd you think some rich old man can?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe needs security,\u201d my mother pressed on. \u201cYou know I\u2019m right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zachary exhaled sharply, rubbing his jaw. He was thinking about it.<\/p>\n
No. No, no, no.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really believe this is what\u2019s best for her?\u201d he asked, voice quiet.<\/p>\n
My mother nodded. \u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence stretched between them.<\/p>\n
Then, Zachary shrugged. \u201cFine. Deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gasped.<\/p>\n
I turned and bolted up the stairs, my body shaking. I collapsed onto my bed, my heart hammering in my chest. He agreed. He was going to take the money and leave me.<\/p>\n
Betrayal burned through me like wildfire. Tears pricked at my eyes. I wanted to scream, to cry, to throw something, but I was frozen in place.<\/p>\n
The door creaked open.<\/p>\n
\u201cDiane.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stiffened.<\/p>\n
Zachary\u2019s voice was soft. Cautious.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t turn. I couldn\u2019t look at him.<\/p>\n
He sighed and stepped inside, sitting beside me. For a moment, neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n
Then, his voice dropped to a whisper. \u201cI know you heard everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breath caught in my throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have every right to be upset,\u201d he continued. \u201cBut before you lose your mind, I need you to trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I whipped around, eyes blazing. \u201cTrust you? You just\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice was firm. His eyes locked onto mine.<\/p>\n
I blinked. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not leaving you, Diane.\u201d He leaned in. \u201cYour parents don\u2019t want me in your life. They want you to marry someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head. \u201cNo. That doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, it does.\u201d He exhaled sharply. \u201cThey\u2019ve been planning it. Your dad\u2019s business partner\u2014some rich guy. They think he\u2019s a better \u2018match\u2019 for you. Your mom actually believes she\u2019s saving you from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach twisted.<\/p>\n
It did make sense. The comments. The not-so-subtle hints. The way my mother always prioritized financial security over love.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey offered me $20,000 to disappear,\u201d Zachary continued. \u201cSo, I said yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I flinched.<\/p>\n
He smirked. \u201cBecause I\u2019m going to take their money. And then I\u2019m going to give them exactly what they asked for.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse pounded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t show up at the wedding,\u201d he said. \u201cBut not because I\u2019m running away. Because you and I? We\u2019re leaving together.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat there, stunned.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo\u2026 what happens next?\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
Zachary grinned. \u201cTomorrow, you get married.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed hard. \u201cBut you won\u2019t be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNope.\u201d He squeezed my hand. \u201cBut you will.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next morning, I stood in front of the mirror in my wedding dress.<\/p>\n
It was beautiful. But it didn\u2019t feel right.<\/p>\n
My mother knocked on the door. \u201cDiane, sweetheart, it\u2019s time.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned, smiling. \u201cComing.\u201d<\/p>\n
She beamed, oblivious.<\/p>\n
As I walked down the aisle, my heart pounded. The church was packed. Every eye was on me.<\/p>\n
I reached the altar, but I didn\u2019t look at the empty space where Zachary should have been.<\/p>\n
I looked at my mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, where\u2019s fianc\u00e9 number two?\u201d I asked, tilting my head.<\/p>\n
Silence. Gasps rippled through the guests.<\/p>\n
My father cleared his throat. \u201cDiane, let\u2019s not\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, no.\u201d I turned to the crowd. \u201cLet\u2019s. Let\u2019s talk about how my parents paid my fianc\u00e9 twenty grand to disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n
The murmurs grew louder. My mother paled.<\/p>\n
I smirked. \u201cDid you really think I wouldn\u2019t find out? That I\u2019d just go along with it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Whispers spread through the room. Her parents tried to pay off the groom? An arranged marriage? What kind of people do that?<\/p>\n
I turned back to my parents. \u201cI hope you\u2019re happy. You got exactly what you wanted. Zachary is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother exhaled in relief.<\/p>\n
But then I smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now? So am I.\u201d<\/p>\n
I dropped my bouquet and walked out.<\/p>\n
Zachary was waiting outside, leaning against his car, dressed in the same suit he was supposed to wear at the altar. His eyes met mine, and a slow, knowing smile spread across his face.<\/p>\n
For a moment, I just stood there. Then I ran.<\/p>\n
Zachary caught me, spinning me in his arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did it,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n
I smiled. \u201cWe did it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened the car door, and I slid in. That\u2019s when I saw it.<\/p>\n
An envelope on the seat. I picked it up, fingers trembling. Inside were crisp bills\u2014$20,000. I stared at Zachary.<\/p>\n
He smirked. \u201cWell,\u201d he said, voice laced with amusement, \u201cat least your parents bought us a nice honeymoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
As he drove away, leaving the church, the wedding, and my parents behind, I realized something.<\/p>\n
I had never felt more free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The night before my wedding, I couldn\u2019t sleep. My heart raced, my stomach churned, and my thoughts ran wild. Was I nervous? Maybe. But it wasn\u2019t cold feet. It was something deeper, something I couldn\u2019t quite put my finger on. I tossed and turned for hours, my mind refusing to shut off. Finally, I sighed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26832"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26833,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26832\/revisions\/26833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}