She Said Yes At The Wrong Venue

A week before the wedding, my fiancé, Julian Vanderbilt, the heir to the Vanderbilt fortune, suddenly changed our wedding venue to a ski resort in Aspen.

His friends teased him. "Just because Scarlett wanted a 'Winter Wonderland' wedding, you relocated the whole thing? You didn't even tell Audrey? What if she shows up to an empty venue?"

"Besides, the Newport cliffside villa was Audrey's choice. Do you really think she'll agree?"

Julian said nonchalantly, "She survived a horrific car crash that left her covered in scars, just to get a critical file to me. She won't make a fuss over a change of venue. Besides, she's handling the details—she'll see the planner's emails."

I stood outside the door, listening quietly. Then, I slipped away without a word.

When the day finally came, Julian called from Aspen, his voice laced with panic. "The ceremony is about to start. Where are you?"

I gazed at the shimmering waters of the Newport cliffside villa and answered calmly, "I'm already here. And my wedding is about to start, too."

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1

Just a week before our wedding, my fiancé, Julian Vanderbilt, relocated the entire celebration from our chosen cliffside villa in Newport to a ski resort in Aspen. It was all because of a single, offhand comment from his childhood friend, Scarlett Lowell.

So on my wedding day, I went to the cliffside villa alone and held my own ceremony.

It was where he'd proposed after I'd nearly died in a car crash trying to deliver an urgent file to him. The place was sacred to me. I never imagined he would toss it aside so casually, all for Scarlett.

I stood frozen outside the private room at the club, the conversation between Julian and his friends drifting through the door. A tremor shot through me, and I had to clamp a hand over my mouth to keep from sobbing out loud.

One of his friends was trying to talk some sense into him.

"This is a big deal, man. You should at least talk to Audrey about it. She'll lose her mind if she finds out you changed it behind her back."

Julian sighed. "That's exactly why I'm not telling her. You know Audrey's temper. She's about to marry into the Vanderbilt family, but she still throws a fit over every little thing. If I told her, I'd waste the whole night calming her down."

"Besides, Audrey loves me. She was willing to risk her life for me. Compared to that, changing a venue is nothing. She'll get over it."

The group roared with laughter, slapping him on the back and marveling at how wrapped around his finger I was.

Finally, someone said what they were all thinking.

"Come on, Julian. We all know you picked Aspen because Scarlett mentioned wanting to see the snow, right?"

Another man chimed in with a smirk. "No wonder. I mean, for Scarlett, who wouldn't? She's gorgeous and from a great family. Honestly, we all thought you'd marry her. Why are you even with Audrey? She was plain before, and now with the scars… she's disfigured."

Julian's expression hardened. "That's enough. Like it or not, Audrey is my future wife. Watch your mouths. If she ever hears you, I'll make you regret it."

They all nodded quickly, shutting up.

Just then, Julian's phone rang. Seeing Scarlett's name flash on the screen, his friends exchanged knowing glances.

Julian ignored their smirks, his own voice softening as he answered the phone. "What's wrong?" Scarlett's voice came through the receiver, sweet and shy. "I received the necklace. Julian, it's absolutely beautiful."

"I saw it at an auction and immediately thought of you. I knew it had to be yours. I hope you like it," he said.

She chirped happily, "Of course I love it! But it must have cost a fortune."

"It wasn't that expensive, just a few million," he said casually. "As long as it makes you happy, it's worth every penny."

"I'll wear it to your wedding," Scarlett giggled.

"I'll have a gown prepared for you, too," he promised. "You'll be the most beautiful guest there."

He hung up and immediately called a top designer. "I need a gown, and it has to be flawless. I want design sketches on my desk in three days."

"Money is no object."

After a pause, he added, "I'll send you the Vanderbilt Blue Sapphire. I want you to feature it on the gown."

His friends were stunned. "The Vanderbilt Blue Sapphire? That's a one-of-a-kind family heirloom. Isn't that the stone from Audrey's engagement ring? Are you seriously putting it on Scarlett's dress?"

Julian waved a dismissive hand. "Audrey has plenty of jewelry; she won't notice one stone. That gown has to be perfect, a match for the necklace."

Bitterness rose in my throat. My own wedding dress was a cheap, off-the-rack gown he'd dismissed as 'good enough.'

The Vanderbilt Blue Sapphire was the promise he'd made after I nearly died for him. In the end, a promise earned with my own scarred flesh was being reduced to a mere accent on Scarlett's dress.