Loading promotion info...
Wedding Day Vengeance: My Groom and My Best Friend's Billion-Dollar Lie
NovelShort
Completed
When it was time for the bouquet toss, every single woman at the wedding was staring eagerly at my hands. Instead, I turned around and offered the bouquet to my best friend in her wheelchair. But the moment she reached for it, I raised the bouquet and slapped her across the face with it, hard. Pollen showered down amid her screams, and the thorns scratched her face. Every guest in the room gasped in shock.
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1
When it came time to toss the bouquet, every single girl at the wedding was staring at my hands, hoping. But I turned around and held the bouquet out to my best friend in her wheelchair.
The instant she reached for it, I raised the bouquet and slapped it hard across her face.
Pollen showered down along with her scream, the thorns scratched her face, and every guest in the room gasped.
I just tossed the ruined bouquet under her wheelchair with a flick of my hand and smiled coldly, saying nothing.
The pollen had my best friend choking, barely able to breathe, yet she shakily tumbled out of her wheelchair.
Lying on the floor, she gathered up the wrecked bouquet and hugged it to her chest.
"Sloanie's getting married... I just wanted to share a little of your happiness. I hope you're happy forever..."
As she spoke, red blotches visibly spread across her skin, and her voice grew weaker and weaker.
The groom panicked and wanted to call an ambulance.
But I had the banquet hall doors sealed and, without any expression, insisted the ceremony go on.
The guests frowned and whispered to each other.
"I heard that years ago this best friend saved the bride from some thugs. Not only was she assaulted herself, those thugs left her paralyzed from the waist down. She'll never stand again for the rest of her life."
Contemptuous looks came at me from every direction, but I just straightened my corsage.
I took a deep breath and said coldly,
"Once this wedding is over, you'll understand why I'm doing this."
...
With that, I grabbed Sabrina Shaw by the collar with one hand and hauled her back into her wheelchair.
The edge of her collar dug into her neck and left a red mark, and her skin, which should have been pale and smooth, was now covered in a frightening allergic rash.
She slumped into the chair, still clutching the bouquet, refusing to let go.
I looked down at her with disgust.
"No mom, no dad, and a body full of delicate little ailments. You're ruining my big day."
Sabrina instantly panicked. She shook her head and looked up at me with tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Sloanie... I, I didn't mean to."
She hugged the bouquet a little tighter.
"I just... wanted to see you happy. I know you look down on me for being an orphan with no parents, but as long as you're happy, I... I can be at peace..."
The pollen kept her gasping. She was clearly breathing out more than she could breathe in.
Her chest heaved violently, but she still forced out the words to defend herself,
even though the rash on her face had spread into solid patches and her throat was so swollen she could barely make a sound.
The guests looked at her with heartache, then turned to me with their fists clenched.
"Someone like her gets to get married? That friend right there saved her life!"
"Coming to this woman's wedding is taking years off my life! She's even bullying an orphan. God will punish her for this!"
A few of the older guests were so furious they were glaring and huffing, their chests heaving harder than Sabrina's.
They said it loudly on purpose so I'd hear, hoping to force me into feeling something.
Sabrina reached a trembling hand into her bag for her allergy medicine, her breath wheezing in and out like a broken bellows.
I watched her coldly and brushed out the wrinkles in my wedding dress.
Shaking, she tipped two pills out and was just about to put them in her mouth
when I stepped forward and yanked the ruined bouquet out of her arms. The pills went flying and the bottle rolled away.
The thorns raked deep across her arm again, and beads of blood soaked into her white bridesmaid dress.
"You're allergic to pollen and you still won't let go of these stupid flowers? I'll throw them out for you, so you don't drop dead in front of me."
With that, I carelessly flung the bouquet she'd worked so hard to pick up off the stage.
The already battered bouquet lost its last petals.
The rest of the pollen scattered across the stage, and Sabrina broke into a violent coughing fit.
She coughed so hard she nearly fell out of her wheelchair.
The groom, Jordan Crane, quickly had someone bring Sabrina some water, then turned on me sharply.
"Sloane! All these years we've been together, and I never saw what a vicious person you are!"
"Don't forget, if Sabrina hadn't saved you, there's no way you'd be standing here in one piece marrying me today!"
My lips curved, but I didn't smile. I gently ground the pills on the floor under the toe of my heel.
Then I picked up the pill bottle and toyed with it.
"Saving me was her own choice. Too bad those three thugs didn't just have their fun with her until she died back then."
The moment I finished, there was a loud clang.
I'd thrown the bottle, which Sabrina could have reached with one hand, to the other side of the stage.
Her eyes went wide, and a rasping, disbelieving wheeze came from her throat.
Her outstretched hand froze in midair.
Struggling for breath, Sabrina begged me,
"Sloanie... I feel so awful... Will you please give me my medicine back? Please..."
The guests below were gritting their teeth with rage.
"Fuck, this woman's insane!"
"She gave up her legs and all she saved was an ungrateful snake!"
Some glared at me with pure hatred.
Someone rushed forward to grab the pill bottle.
I shoved over the microphone beside me.
A huge, piercing screech of feedback tore through the banquet hall.
Everyone clapped their hands over their ears.
Sabrina was so startled she fell out of her wheelchair onto the floor.
But I just pointed at the pill bottle across the stage and smiled at her.
"Want your medicine? Then crawl over and get it yourself."
Everyone watched Sabrina, pitiful and helpless, struggling to crawl.
But not one of them noticed my hands clenched tight behind my back.
Chapter 2
Sabrina wheezed as she crawled, covered head to toe in red welts, her lower body completely useless.
It was less than fifteen feet, and it took her a full twenty minutes.
I stood on the stage, but no one noticed the strained look on my face.
I stared at Sabrina's back as she dragged herself along, and I couldn't say whether what was in my eyes was joy or grief.
At last she reached the pill bottle and took her medicine.
Only then did I curl my lips into a smile and turn to the guests.
"All right, it's about time. Let's get dinner started."
But the guests were shouting that they were leaving, and some even jabbed a finger in my face and cursed me.
"You vicious witch! I couldn't eat your food with a clear conscience!"
"Open the doors and let us out!"
Even Jordan was so furious that he threw his groom's corsage on the floor and shouted:
"I'm not marrying you! Marrying someone like you would disgrace every Crane there is. I couldn't face my ancestors!"
I looked into every pair of eyes in the room, one by one, until my gaze stopped on Jordan's face.
He glared at me, eyes blazing, and I burst out laughing.
I laughed until everyone's skin crawled, and only when I'd had my fill did I speak to the room:
"Fine. Anyone who doesn't want to eat can leave. That includes you, Jordan."
Before I'd even finished, people started moving toward the doors, and Jordan began pushing Sabrina's wheelchair out too.
I went on, unhurried:
"But... if anyone dares to take one step out of here today, I'll cut off Jordan's mother's medical payments on the spot."
"So think hard about who's really hurting people here."
Jordan stopped dead, as if I'd grabbed his weak spot, and stared at me in disbelief.
I admired the manicure I'd gotten yesterday, not even bothering to look up.
"That old hag of yours is still waiting on my money to stay alive. All I have to do is say 'turn off the ventilator,' and in less than five minutes you'll be going straight from your wedding to her funeral."
At that, every guest flinched.
One man who had already stepped out jerked his foot back in fright.
Sabrina instantly grabbed my hand, her voice thick with tears.
"Please don't, Sloanie. The Cranes put every cent they had into scraping together three million dollars in engagement money for you. You promised to take care of Jordan's parents in their old age."
She turned to the guests, crying frantically:
"Everyone, please don't go. Stay and eat... Jordan's mom is hanging on by a thread. You really can't let her medical payments get cut off!"
Anyone who heard it was heartbroken and moved to tears.
"That girl is so kind. The bride treats her like dirt, and she isn't thinking about herself at all. She's worried about the groom's mother instead."
"She's an orphan, she's paralyzed, and she's still this positive and kind. That can't be easy."
Someone worked up the nerve to call out to Sabrina:
"Honey, you need to stop being friends with this vicious witch. Her heart is pitch-black. She'll be the death of you sooner or later!"
But Sabrina waved her hands and defended me.
"No... Sloanie is a good person. She must have her reasons for doing this."
The man rolled his eyes.
"She's threatening to kill her own mother-in-law. What reason could she possibly have?"
"Three million in engagement money for a wife worse than the devil? If you ask me, this groom got a raw deal!"
The insults grew louder and louder.
I pulled up the hospital's number and waved my phone at Jordan.
"What? You think you got a raw deal too?"
Chapter 3
Jordan clenched his fists, his breathing growing heavy.
In her wheelchair, Sabrina quickly shook her head at him, signaling him not to say anything rash out of anger.
But Jordan slammed his fist down on the table and snapped at me:
"Sloane! I'm done putting up with you, you monster! Go ahead and cut it off if you've got the guts!"
Without another word, I dialed the hospital.
Sabrina frantically tried to stop him. "Jordan, don't do this! Your mom's treatment can't lose its funding!"
With that she tumbled out of her wheelchair again and knelt in front of me, tugging at my wedding dress.
I shoved her away hard, as if she were something dirty.
Sabrina's elbow scraped open in the fall.
But she kept kneeling as if she couldn't feel the pain.
"Sloanie, I'm sorry. I'm apologizing to you for Jordan. Please don't hurt an innocent old woman!"
"Sloanie, please, have a heart. Don't do this on your wedding day..."
Sabrina rubbed her hands together pitifully, begging me, while Jordan stood beside her, angry and helpless.
Finally, with neither side giving in, he mumbled an apology to me, his voice as faint as a mosquito's whine.
But the call to the hospital had already connected, and a nurse answered respectfully:
"Miss Hale, what can I do for you?"
The whole room held its breath, terrified I'd open my mouth and say the payments were cut off.
I glanced sideways at Sabrina on the floor, then spoke without any hurry:
"Didn't the doctor say Margaret Collins's condition has been up and down lately? Why don't you skip her meals today. Going without for a bit will do the old woman good."
I hung up and waved for the servers to start bringing out the food.
Dish after beautiful dish was carried out, but Jordan's face was dark.
He leaned in and spoke low in my ear:
"You're starving my mom on purpose? She doesn't get a single meal, and you make me sit in front of a table loaded with rich food? You're not even human!"
I rolled my eyes and didn't bother answering him.
I turned and kicked the wheelchair, signaling Sabrina to crawl back to it herself.
Then I pushed her over to a table set apart from the rest:
"Come see what delicious food I've prepared for you. You're not leaving until you eat every last bite."
Everyone picked up their forks and looked over curiously.
The next second, they all slammed their forks down on the table.
Their eyes practically blazed.
The table in front of Sabrina was covered in spoiled, stinking leftovers and slop.
Garbage that even pigs out in the country wouldn't touch.
Jordan couldn't stand it anymore. He pounded the table and demanded:
"Sloane! Sabrina saved your life, and she's your best friend! Why on earth are you doing this?"
Without a flicker of expression, I adjusted my corsage:
"Why I'm doing this? You'll understand once the wedding is over."
The truth was about to come out.
Chapter 4
That's right. A camera hidden inside my corsage was livestreaming everything in real time.
From the moment the wedding started, three million viewers had been watching along.
Right now, every viewer on the other side of the screen was just as outraged as the guests in the room.
Curses and insults aimed at me scrolled endlessly across the screen.
But I didn't care.
Once they learned the truth, I doubted they'd have a single word left to say.
Sabrina Shaw stared wide-eyed at the table full of filth.
Her body leaned back on instinct, trying to get away.
I had her wheelchair pinned, and she had nowhere to go.
When she still hadn't moved after a long moment, I gave her a smile that never reached my eyes, forked up a scoop of slop, and dropped it onto her plate.
"Eat. Didn't you say a long time ago you wanted to eat at my wedding? I put real thought into this just for you. Hurry up and eat!"
My impatient tone scared her stiff, and tears ran down her cheeks.
The livestream chat erupted in another wave of abuse.
[WTF, this woman is seriously sick! Give me three seconds, I want every bit of info on her!]
[Found her! Sloane Hale. She's actually a director at a publicly traded company?? Who would hire a witch like that?]
[I'm in the same city as her. Damn it, I'm heading over right now! A hundred slaps across this bitch's face wouldn't be enough!]
Sabrina's eyes wavered. Then, all of a sudden, she took the fork and nodded.
"Okay, I'll eat... I have to eat at Sloanie's wedding..."
As she spoke, she picked up a rotten, reeking mouthful and started to bring it to her lips.
Then came a loud bang!
Someone had kicked the banquet hall doors open.
The hotel manager charged in, knocked the fork out of Sabrina's hand, and turned on me sharply.
"Miss Hale, I assumed you wanted the slop for some other purpose. I never imagined you'd actually serve this stuff to guests at your wedding reception!"
I looked up at the manager, my voice giving nothing away.
"I'm serving my own guests at my own wedding reception. That's none of your hotel's business, is it?"
The manager was shaking with anger.
"Whatever you do in your own home is none of my concern, but this hotel still has to keep its doors open for business! There's no way we're letting guests be fed this stuff!"
"Besides, forcing her to eat this is flat-out illegal!"
At that last word, I laughed. I pointed at everything on the table and asked Sabrina,
"Tell him yourself. Did I force you?"
Sabrina shook her head at once, her eyes empty and still wet with tears.
"No... nobody forced me. I want to eat it..."
"I've been an orphan since I was little. Food like this is already a good meal."
As she spoke, she lifted her hands, the blood on them already dried into scabs.
She grabbed fistfuls of the spoiled leftovers and stuffed them into her mouth. Everyone in the room froze where they stood, faces twisted in disgust.
The curses in the livestream never let up.
Sabrina gagged as she ate.
She crammed a moldy dinner roll into her mouth and choked on it so badly her eyes nearly rolled back.
I just curled my lips, taking my time.
I unpinned the corsage with the hidden camera and pinned it onto Jordan Crane's suit jacket.
Then, playing the attentive bride, I brushed some dust off his shoulder that wasn't there.
Finally, Jordan couldn't take it anymore. He snatched the rotten roll and hurled it at my custom-made, wildly expensive wedding gown.
Then he swept the whole table of slop onto the floor, grabbed the handles of Sabrina's wheelchair, and roared,
"Enough, Sloane! I'm not going to stand here and help you humiliate a good person who once saved you from hell!"
"Sabrina, we're leaving. This wedding is off!"
With that, he pushed the wheelchair and ran for the parking garage.
Nobody tried to stop him. Instead, everyone turned to look at me with mocking eyes.
The livestream exploded instantly.
[Hell yes! This bitch deserves every bit of it!]
[Husband runs off with the best friend in the middle of the wedding. Most satisfying thing I've ever watched! Good people deserve to end up with good people!]
[Supporting this! The groom and the best friend saving each other!]
[Back when this witch ran into those thugs, they should've just let her get abused to death! Such a waste, a best friend that good saving someone like her. Ugh!]
I wiped the spattered gravy off my hand and dropped the mocking smile I'd been wearing.
With every eye in the room on me, I unplugged the cable from the big screen on the stage and connected it to my phone.
In an instant, the camera's live feed filled the big screen.
In the parking garage, Jordan was in front of the wheelchair, reaching out to wipe Sabrina's tears.
From the angle, he was half crouched.
Everyone stared at the screen, not understanding.
I gripped my wedding gown a little nervously. My heartbeat was so loud I could hardly hear anything else.
Almost there!
The real villains were about to show their true faces!
And then, what appeared on the screen sent every viewer online and every guest in the room into an uproar.
