Paige’s sister snatches her fiancé, and treachery isn’t enough; she wants to celebrate her small win. A year later, an invitation arrives. Erica is getting married to the man she took, and she wants Paige to go. However, Erica is unaware that Paige has a plan. Before the night ends, Paige plans to ruin the bride’s perfect day.

I shouldn’t have gone to this wedding. That much was evident from the sideways stares and mumbled remarks I received as I walked through the vast hall.

I will admit that the wedding setup was spectacular. Erica had taken her time setting the atmosphere with gold and white tones. The guests had arrived in their pricey dresses and tuxedos. Everything was beautiful.

However, no amount of beauty could hide the rot under the surface.

It wasn’t just any wedding. It was her wedding. Erica.

This is my younger sister. She was my parents’ pride and joy. The one who received everything on a silver platter while I worked hard for every achievement I achieved.

And now? She had taken the only thing that was supposed to be mine. Stan.

Stan had been my fiancé. He’d been my future. He was the guy I loved and trusted until one night, when I returned home early from work and discovered them intertwined in our bed.

I vividly recall how he froze, his face contorted with shame. What happened to my sister? She had just grinned, her voice full of smug delight.

“I won, Paige,” she had stated simply. “Checkmate.”

I spent over a year organizing the wedding, but a month later, all suppliers attempted to retain my deposits. So what about Erica and Stan? They no longer needed to sneak about. They were now an official couple.

After that, I left town for a few weeks, staying in various motels and working remotely. I tried to put everything behind me, and I ultimately succeeded. When I was ready, I moved back in and acquired myself a cat.

Then the invitation arrived.

And now, a year later, here I was, standing in the midst of their celebration, invited just as a witness to their alleged win.

I bet my parents compelled her to invite me. If Erica had her way, she would not have invited me. Perhaps she would simply have to gloat. She was as vicious as they get.

But Erica had no idea, and no one knew, that I wasn’t here tonight to grieve my loss.

I was here to ensure that Erica never forgot what she had done to me. And she’d never forget the surprise I had prepared for her wedding celebration.

The ceremony lacked clarity. I stood in the back, scarcely listening while the officiant rambled on about love and dedication. Honestly, these were empty words.

Stan, dressed in a fine black tuxedo, looked at Erica with affection that I felt was phony. She, in turn, smiled up at him as if she had won the finest treasure of all.

I nearly laughed. “Enjoy it while you can, sweetheart,” I thought as I sipped my champagne.

By the time the reception began, the hall was filled with laughing and clinking glasses. A large screen behind the dance floor displayed a montage of their engagement images, with Stan raising Erica into the air and their foreheads meeting as they smiled at each other.

To be honest, if you didn’t know the background behind their meeting, you’d assume they were truly happy.

And perhaps they were. Perhaps this was the expected outcome.

However, I was determined not to succumb to such ease. I was not going to let this go.

Why should Erica receive the happily ever after, especially considering the pain and betrayal I had endured?

Nope. There was absolutely no chance of that happening. Soon, their beautiful little fairytale would take a turn.

I slipped through the crowd undetected, my sleek black dress fitting my figure just so. I was not dressed as a visitor. I was dressed like a princess, and I felt as confident as I had in a long time.

I reached for the laptop linked to the projector and inserted my flash drive. A few clicks, a deep breath, and… showtime.

The first few seconds passed unnoticed. The visitors proceeded to drink champagne and nibble on canapés while immersed in discussion. The bridal pair made their way through the crowd, pausing to speak and hug individuals along the way.

Then Stan’s voice filled the hall. “Please, don’t leave me!”

The video played on the large screen, with blurry images from the security camera situated in my bedroom. Stan lay on the bed, his face smeared with weeping. I was on the other end, listening to him ‘explain’ what happened with my sister.

“Erica is nothing to me, Paige! “Absolutely nothing!” he cried. “She was a mistake!” I love you, Paige! I made an enormous mistake!”

A deep stillness descended upon the room. I turned to look at Erica. Her face had lost its color.

Stan, too, stood still, eyes wide. His hands twitched by his sides.

Still, I wasn’t finished.

The video cut to further surveillance footage. Since break-ins frequently targeted my quiet area, I installed security cameras in every room.

Now, the video shows Erica and Stan sneaking into my house and creeping into my bedroom while they assumed I was working late. Continually, they engage in acts of treachery and betrayal.

The final blow was delivered.

Erica is layng on my bed, giggling. “She’ll never know…” she said, her voice light and breathy.

“Paige who?” Stan remarked, laughing along with her.

A collective gasp echoed throughout the crowd. Someone spilled a champagne glass.

”

“Oh my God,” a lady muttered.

My mother looked like she was about to faint. My father’s jaw clenched so firmly that I swear I could hear his teeth grinding.

Then came complete anarchy. Erica lurched backward, her hands trembling. “This… isn’t real!” she blurted.

But the proof was right there, blaring under the screen’s strong glare.

“We’re about to serve dinner!” she exclaimed, raising her hands in the air. “Everyone just take your seats and enjoy!”

Stan looked to her, his gaze darkening into pure wrath.

“Erica, you told me that you went onto Paige’s computer and deleted the footage.”

“Oh?” I mused, my voice full of false innocence. “Do you mean you knew about it?” “You knew the security cameras would catch you in the act?” I questioned.

His face became pale, giving himself away.

The guests grumbled loudly, judgment and disdain flashing over their features.

And then, before Erica could respond, a voice broke through the tension.

“Paige.” I turned.

Jack walked forward from the crowd, his clean white shirt showing beneath the black vest of his waiter’s outfit.

When I told Jack about my plans a month earlier, he insisted on accompanying me. He had just returned from work, and the first thing he noticed was my sister’s wedding invitation on the table.

“I want to go to the wedding,” I announced. “I really don’t want to be… I do not know. Jack, Erica is a problem. She’s accustomed to everything being about her. I want to teach her a lesson.

Jack walked about the kitchen, cutting anything I asked for.

“Then I will come with you, Paige,” he responded.

“But I don’t want to draw attention to you,” I explained, offering him a bowl of ramen. “I don’t want Erica to ruin my moment before I even get to it. And if she sees you, she will do just that.”

“Then I’ll come in as a waiter, if that’s what it takes!” he joked. But I want to be there. That way, if you need me, I will be right there.”

Finally, I gave in. I felt disconnected from my parents, and I hadn’t been close to them in a long time, so knowing Jack was present made me feel better.

Jack grinned at me as he laid down his tray of champagne glasses on a table.

His piercing blue eyes met mine. They were consistent, unyielding, and reassuring.

I had never been so glad to see someone in my whole life. As much as I was surrounded by relatives, having Jack present was the one thing that kept me grounded during the ceremony. I loathed Erica and Stan, but seeing them get married touched my heart.

What about now? Seeing Jack? I felt comfortable. “Shall we go?” I inquired. Jack shook his head and stepped up to me.

Gasps echoed across the throng as he came toward me, each stride deliberate and determined. Without hesitation, he sank to one knee.

The audience, already horrified by the incident on film, went silent.

Jack went into his pocket and took out a little velvet box. He opened it, exposing the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen.

“I’ve waited long enough to ask you this, my love,” he continued, his voice firm, clear, and confident. “Paige, will you marry me?”

A quick inhalation spread over the throng. Erica made a choked sound. “Are you…are you kidding me right now?” she said. “Paige! Why? What the hell? Now? Attending my wedding?!”

She looked like a deer in headlights, but she also resembled a cannon preparing to explode through the room, destroying everything in its path. For a second, I felt guilty. But overall, I felt vindicated.

I grinned, the weight of the previous year lifted from my shoulders.

She’d stolen the wrong man. Stan was nothing compared to Jack. Jack was everything Stan had not been. He was trustworthy and confident in his life and love for me.

Stan? Stan just wanted to have a wonderful time. But as I looked at him now, he appeared devastated. He appeared to have experienced everything that might go wrong, and the weight of it all was stifling. He looked at Erica, who was still angry. He even attempted to reach out to grab her hand, but she yanked it away with such force that he appeared stunned.

I’d have checked on him. But he was not my concern.

Instead, I turned back to Jack, my chest tightening with emotion. “Yes!” I remarked, my voice steady. “Yes, Jack. “I will!”

The room erupted. Some attendees, still reeling from the incident, began to celebrate. This time, my mother brushed away tears of delight rather than shame.

Erica’s face contorted with uncontrolled wrath. Her wrath seemed strangely foreign. I hadn’t seen her this upset in my life. Erica was accustomed to getting what she wanted, but on the most crucial day of her life, she had lost control. Her behaviors conveyed no delight. There was no more victory over me.

There was just… rage and hurt. And disappointment. I should have felt awful, correct?

But I could not. I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

“This is my day!” she said, pounding her foot and knocking over her chair.

I turned to her, tilting my head.

“Oh, honey,” I murmured, my voice full of tenderness. “You took that fool away from me and my wedding.”I simply returned the favor and stole the show.”

Then, holding Jack’s hand, I walked out of the hall, leaving my sister embarrassed, deceived, and devastated at her wedding celebration.

My heart was still beating, even though the wedding was well behind us. The sounds of gasps, whispers, and Erica’s cry lingered at the borders of my memory.

Now, it was just Jack and me.

We sat opposite from one another at a little 24-hour restaurant, both ridiculously overdressed for a place that served greasy fries and milkshakes in chipped glasses. My beautiful black outfit felt out of place against the cracked leather seat, and Jack appeared to have just stepped out of a movie scene.

Nonetheless, this was the most comfortable I had felt all night.

Jack shoved a platter of fries in front of me.

“Eat,” he ordered. “You’ve had a long day.”

“That’s an understatement,” I joked, but I picked up a fry anyhow.

For a time, we sat there, the diner’s hum filling the stillness. It wasn’t awkward; it was simple. But that was how my life has been since meeting Jack.

Finally, I put down my glass and met his eyes. “So… how long were you planning that?”

“The proposal?” he asked, smirking. He breathed and leaned back against the booth.

“I have wanted to ask you for months, Paige. But I knew you were not prepared. Not only were you unprepared for marriage, but were you unprepared for overall commitment? You needed time to recuperate. “I was not going to rush that.”

His fingers made patterns on the table before picking up his milkshake.

“What happened when I discovered she had invited you? That was the final turning point. I was not going to leave you standing there alone as she flaunted him in front of you.”

“And you got a job in the catering industry, or you snuck in?”

“I called in a favor, honey,” he said with a smile. “Apparently, I look good holding a tray.”

I laughed heartily for the first time in a long time.

Jack leaned closer, his countenance gentler now.

“Paige, I meant every word. I love you. I’ll wait as long as you need. But this evening seemed like the appropriate time to finally ask.

“I think,” I added after a time, “that you chose the perfect moment.”

And, for the first time in a long time, I felt victorious.

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