The Day I Said I Do

The staff looked a little awkward and glanced at me, hesitating on whether to proceed.

I took a deep breath and cut Cheryl off. "Ms. Manning, this is my wedding. If you have your own design preferences, feel free to choose them at your own wedding."

I gave a faint, mocking smile. "Or are you hoping I'll hand this one over to you?"

Cheryl's expression darkened slightly, but she quickly composed herself. She flashed an innocent smile, "I'm so sorry. I might have been too straightforward. I didn't mean to offend you, and I hope you won't take it the wrong way."

The way she said it made it seem like I was the petty one.

And of course, Gilbert rushed to defend her, even chiding me slightly, "Jennifer, Cheryl doesn't mean it that way. Don't misunderstand her."

A surge of bitterness and fury rose in my heart, nearly forcing me to cry.

There was no way he couldn't see Cheryl's provocations. He simply chose to ignore them.

With just one excuse from her, she easily earned his defense. Meanwhile, whatever I did was nothing but an irrational tantrum.

The eight years of love we shared had been wiped out in an instant in front of Cheryl.

Gilbert must have sensed that I was upset. Forcing out a smile, he said, "I'll go with you tomorrow to pick up the custom-made wedding dress."

I wanted to refuse him, but he insisted.

…

However, when we arrived at the bridal boutique the next day, what we saw made my heart stop.

Cheryl was standing in front of the mirror, wearing my wedding dress.

She looked at me innocently and smugly, "Jen, I didn't realize our body shapes were so similar. But it's a bit tight around the chest. I feel like it's about to tear."

She looked down dramatically at the straining fabric and feigned guilt. "Sorry, Jennifer. Why don't I buy you a new one?"

My expression darkened as rage surged through me.

Gilbert saw my expression and stepped in before I could speak. He frowned and said to her, "Cheryl, take it off."

Then, he turned to me and tried to smooth things over. "Don't be mad. She just wanted to surprise you and help you try on the dress. She said she wanted to be your bridesmaid, which is why I gave her the address."

I looked at him coldly, feeling my heart sink. Then, I let out a mocking laugh. "She wants to be my bridesmaid? That's why she wore my wedding dress?"

With a sigh, Gilbert replied helplessly, "She's just being childish. Don't take it seriously."

I stared at him and sneered. "Childish? Gilbert, she's older than I am."

He froze, clearly thrown off by that. Even his forced smile faltered.

At that moment, Cheryl walked out with her carefully staged apology. "I'm sorry, Jen. I just really like that dress. That's why I couldn't stop myself from trying it on. Please don't hold it against me."

I gave her a cold glance and didn't bother to respond.

The boutique staff sensed the tension and wisely brought me a new gown.

I took it and turned to the changing room, ready to put it on, only for Cheryl to follow me inside.

I stared at her and asked, "What are you trying to do?"

She smiled as her eyes gleamed with triumph. "Do you really think Gilbert's marrying you out of love?"

Her words enraged me as I shot back, "So what? No matter how much tantrum you throw, I'm still the bride the day after tomorrow. If you're so amazing, go ahead and get him to cancel the wedding."