“Officially since June.” She buried her face in the tissue, then caught herself. “I just need a moment. That’s all. I love them both and wish them all the best.”
Well, I only liked one of them and wished the other genital warts.
The women in my row began talking animatedly about when they’d dated Connor. There seemed to have been an overlap, which didn’t surprise me. Connor definitely had a wandering eye. And dick.
It was utterly ironic that I was sandwiched between Connor’s exes. What bothered me the most was, Why had they been invited here in the first place? Connor was cruel, but not stupid. Not by a long shot.
I got my answer from a sniffling Tara. “I only agreed to come here because he said I meant so much to him. That he still saw me as his good friend.”
“Same,” the others moaned.
What a gaslighter. He broke their hearts, their trusts, and then, to avoid the consequences, placated them by making them feel like they were still a part of his life.
He was still the same old Connor.
Manipulative. Cruel. Cunning.
Anger simmered beneath my skin. I trained my gaze back on the officiant and couple. And when the elderly minister asked if anyone objected to the pairing, that was when I sprang into action and jumped to my feet.
“Yes, actually.” I raised my hand, like a teacher’s pet trying to answer a tricky question. “I object to this wedding.”
The women in my row gasped in unison, horror written all over their faces. It was so tangible I could see it in my periphery, without even paying them any attention.
The entire room was staring at me like I’d spoken in another language. I forced myself to look Connor in the eye to show him I wasn’t scared. I saw the minute it all clicked in his head, and he realized the girl he’d left behind had grown up to be a woman with a spine who wasn’t so easy to bully and tame anymore.
His browns met my blues, and there was a warning there. A threat too.
Don’t cross me,they said.You know what happened the last time you did.
“Kelly, baby.” Connor placed his hand on his soon-to-be-wife’s arm, his stare still glued to mine. “Where did you—”
“Ma’am ...” The officiant cleared his throat. I was ama’amnow, huh? “If you could please take a sea—”
“No. You asked a question, and now I’m answering it. I object to the wedding on the grounds that the groom is an absolute jackass, and sweet Kellianne over here deserves more. And I’ll elaborate.” I stood straighter.
Murmurs erupted from every corner of the room. Two graying men with Gru-like expressions stood up from the first row and made their way to me. One of them I recognized asConnor’s dad, and I assumed the other one was Kellianne’s dad.
“Take the check, Layla. Do as I say. Start fresh. Forget this ever happened. That these two worlds collided. That my son and you ever entertained the idea of being together.”
I didn’t have much time.
“Kellianne!” I called out, turning to look at her. Her chin trembled as she stared at me. Even through the thick sheet of tears and from afar, I could see the distinct look of confusion, disbelief, and betrayal.
“Please don’t do this.” I pressed my palms together. “He is a terrible partner. I was with him for three years. He dictated what I could wear, eat, and watch. Who I could hang out with. He put down all of my friends. Even the ones he’d cheated on me with. He made me feel stupid, incapable, and insecure. Always told me I needed to lose weight, change my hair, change my perfume. He slept with multiple people while we were together, one of them graciously gifting him an STI. He’d always been bad about giving gifts, but this was a stretch.” Revealing this in front of a venue full of people was not something I’d necessarily add to my CV; then again, I couldn’tnotwarn her off. “And I hate to admit it, but even that didn’t make my dumb twenty-one-year-old ass dump him. It tooksomuch worse for me to realize he was a terrible human.”
I was breathless, panting, the memories gripping my wrists and ankles like vines, pulling me under to a place dark and suffocating. His exes murmured among themselves, elbowing one another. There was excitement in the air. And while I didn’t verbally get their support, I had a feeling they were rooting for me.
The two men were almost at my row. It was time to wrap things up.
“I went along with it because I was dazzled by his good looks and his family’s pedigree. And I’m here to tell you that looks wear off and that conditional money will imprison, not free you.” Finally,finally, I moved. I was squeezing my way past knees and feet, trying to worm out of the row of chairs and make a run for it before their fathers got to me. “When push came to shove, when I needed him, he let me down. He harassed and abused me. He and his entire family.”
“She is a disgruntled ex.” Connor pointed at me, his manicured finger shaking. Maybe he was still handsome, with his honey-brown hair, three-hundred-dollar haircut, and square chin, but I couldn’t see past that ugly personality. “I broke up with her and she never got over it. I mean, really? Telling someone they need to lose weight is abusive now? Kelly, baby, you have to believe me.”
I was already hurrying across the plush white carpet and out the double doors. I didn’t want to wait for the elevator. Not when I was sure their fathers were still after me. I ripped the heels from my feet, gathered them by the stilettos, and took the stairs two floors down instead,thenwaited for an elevator.
I was nauseous with adrenaline. My hair stuck to my sweaty forehead. And I couldn’t, for the life of me, put my shoes back on, because my hands were so shaky.
What had I just done?
