I lost my mom four years ago.<\/p>\n
It was the kind of loss that cracks something deep inside you, a grief so heavy that it doesn\u2019t fade. It just settles into your bones, becoming part of who you are. My mother and I were incredibly close, and before she passed, she made me promise her one thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want you to wear my dress on your wedding day, Chloe,\u201d she had said, her voice soft but firm. \u201cWhether it\u2019s for the ceremony or the reception\u2026 Just promise me, baby. It will be like having me there with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I promised. And I meant it. Since that day, my mother\u2019s wedding dress had been tucked safely away in my closet, waiting for its moment.<\/p>\n
And then came Madison.<\/p>\n
Madison, my brother Jake\u2019s fianc\u00e9e, had been in our lives for just over a year. To say she was difficult would be putting it lightly. Madison was the kind of person who spoke in demands rather than requests, who sighed dramatically when things didn\u2019t go her way. She didn\u2019t see generosity as a gift but as an obligation.<\/p>\n
Still, Jake was happy, so I did my best to be supportive. That\u2019s why, three months before their wedding, I invited them both to a cozy coffee shop, hoping to do something nice.<\/p>\n
I should have known Madison would find a way to ruin it.<\/p>\n
We had just settled in when I pulled an envelope from my bag and slid it across the table. Jake reached for it first, but before he could open it, Madison snatched it from his hands.<\/p>\n
She peeked inside, her perfectly manicured nails tapping the table as she pulled out the check.<\/p>\n
Ten thousand dollars.<\/p>\n
No mistake. No catch. I just wanted to spoil my brother and help out where I could.<\/p>\n
Jake\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cChloe, this is\u2026 incredible. Thank you, Sis.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for Madison? She barely looked impressed. She set the check down like it was an expected gesture and flipped her hair over her shoulder with a sigh.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I guess that\u2019s a good start,\u201d she said breezily. \u201cIt\u2019ll help, but we still have so many expenses. Our day is going to be the most beautiful wedding anyone has ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Good start? Seriously?<\/p>\n
Before I could respond, she leaned in, her tone shifting into something far too casual.<\/p>\n
\u201cActually, Jake and I talked about something important,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve decided that I\u2019ll be wearing your mom\u2019s wedding dress for my ceremony. And something much fancier for the photoshoot and reception. I\u2019ll send you an address for delivery. I need it to go to my dressmaker for alterations.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt her words like a slap across my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me?\u201d I managed.<\/p>\n
Madison rolled her eyes like I was being dramatic. \u201cOh, come on, Chloe. It\u2019s just sitting in your closet, collecting dust. And you don\u2019t even know if you\u2019ll ever need it. Don\u2019t fight us; this is just as important to Jake as it is to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze. Jake had told her about the dress. About my mother\u2019s final wish. And then\u2026 they had decided to make it about them.<\/p>\n
\u201cMadison, my mom wanted me to wear that dress. It was her last wish. Our entire family was there when she said it. I\u2019m not going to fight you because this isn\u2019t up for discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Madison scoffed.<\/p>\n
The waitress arrived with our coffee orders.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be right back with the slices of cake,\u201d she said, smiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe,\u201d Madison said slowly, as if speaking to a child. \u201cYour mom\u2019s not here anymore, is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
I saw red.<\/p>\n
I wanted to throw my scalding coffee at her. I wanted to overturn my chair. I wanted to scream.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere you go!\u201d the waitress said, placing our plates of cake on the table. \u201cEnjoy! And Chloe, compliments from the chef.\u201d<\/p>\n
I forced a smile at her. Madison, however, just stirred her coffee, unfazed.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, no need for a tantrum, Chloe,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Jake shifted uncomfortably in his seat, staring down at his coffee like he wished it would swallow him whole. But he said nothing. Absolutely nothing. Where was his backbone?<\/p>\n
Before I could say another word, a familiar voice interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me, can I steal you for a second, love?\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned to see Mark, the coffee shop manager.<\/p>\n
And my boyfriend.<\/p>\n
Mark gently took my hand and led me just far enough away that Jake and Madison couldn\u2019t hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard everything, Chloe. And I can\u2019t just stand back anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could respond, Mark disappeared into the kitchen. A moment later, he returned, holding a bouquet of roses.<\/p>\n
Then, right there in the middle of the coffee shop, he got down on one knee with a velvet box in his hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cMark!\u201d I gasped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love you, and I want to spend my life with you. Marry me, Chloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The coffee shop fell into silence. Then, applause erupted from the staff and customers.<\/p>\n
Everything shifted in that moment.<\/p>\n
The dress? The money? Madison\u2019s entitlement?<\/p>\n
None of it mattered anymore.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I whispered. \u201cA thousand times yes, Mark.\u201d<\/p>\n
Madison, however, was livid. \u201cAre you freaking serious?! You\u2019re stealing my wedding!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow there\u2019ll be two weddings on that day!\u201d Mark grinned. \u201cHow your mom would have loved to see her kids get married on the same day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo! No way!\u201d Madison screeched. \u201cThis is supposed to be my moment!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I guess you\u2019ll just have to learn how to share, sis,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Jake groaned, rubbing his face. \u201cMadison, let it go.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stormed out, leaving Jake sitting there, staring at his coffee.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, I\u2019m happy for you, Chloe,\u201d he sighed. \u201cBut\u2026 I think I need to rethink some things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later that night, I sat in my bedroom, my fingers grazing over the garment bag hanging in my closet. Mark had just dropped me off.<\/p>\n
A soft knock at my door made me wipe my eyes quickly.<\/p>\n
Jake stepped inside, holding a plate. \u201cI, uh\u2026 brought ginger cake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Our mom\u2019s favorite.<\/p>\n
We sat on my bed, eating in silence.<\/p>\n
Finally, he exhaled. \u201cShe crossed a line, didn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJake, she bulldozed through the line.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded slowly. \u201cI guess\u2026 I\u2019ve spent so much time defending Madison that I don\u2019t even know where I stand anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
I reached out, squeezing his hand. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to have the answers right now. But if you\u2019re already feeling this way\u2026 don\u2019t ignore it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded, a shadow of doubt in his eyes.<\/p>\n
Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled envelope. The same one I had given them earlier. He placed it on the bed between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t take this, Chloe. Not if I don\u2019t know where Madison and I are going. And you\u2019re going to need it, sis. You\u2019re getting married, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time in a long time, we were just Chloe and Jake.<\/p>\n
Just us.<\/p>\n
And that was enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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