Walking Down the Aisle to a Different Groom

At the wedding I've spent months planning, my usually stoic fiancé, Anthony Scott, is about to run off with his assistant, Erica Jones. To top it all off, she is wearing a wedding gown.

Out of nowhere, his younger brother, Christopher Scott, grabs my hand and plans to pull me straight to City Hall.

He disregards my panicking eyes. "Let's get married," he says, as if it's the most normal thing in the world.

Then, the stage decorations suddenly collapse, revealing a room full of guests mocking and laughing at me.

The two men who once swore to love me forever do all just to make Erica smile.

The three of them clink glasses and drink a love toast on stage, completely lost in their own moment.

"The wedding you planned was way too outdated. You should thank Erica for turning it into a bachelorette party!"

"The real wedding will be this Sunday. Isn't Erica's idea amazing?"

Anthony and Christopher were confident that I wouldn't dare leave them. But I quietly pick up my phone and type a message.

"Let's set the wedding date for this Sunday, Levi."

My phone relentlessly buzzed with excited messages. "I'll start planning the wedding right away!"

Erica Jones leaned against Christopher Scott while pouting. "Scarlett, you know I never believed in marriage. I just wanted to experience it once, and Anthony and Christopher jumped at the chance to make it happen!"

I said nothing. Before I could even react, Christopher slapped the phone from my hand. "Are you deaf? Didn't our family teach you any manners? Erica's being sincere. Why do you have to be so petty that you can't even answer her?"

My fiancé, Anthony Scott, stepped in front of me—not to defend me, but to shield Erica. He glanced down at the screen. "What are you planning? Are you going on a trip?"

I quickly picked up the phone and locked it. "It's a company project."

The three of them stood there like a perfect picture, like a scene straight out of a magazine. And me? I was the joke.

Around me, murmurs swirled like smoke.

"She still thinks she's the bride? Please. This whole party was clearly planned for Ms. Jones by the Scott brothers."

"She tried to marry Mr. Anthony, and when he bailed, she latched onto Mr. Christopher. Honestly, Mr. Anthony must've realized just how desperate she is for a man..."

The guests were all rich socialites. To them, I was nothing more than entertainment.

And the two childhood sweethearts who once promised to protect me forever? Their eyes never left Erica.

I scanned the room. The romantic setup I'd painstakingly crafted for weeks lay in ruins. White balloons and delicate roses were defaced with blood-red spray paint that read, "Cheers to Single Life!"

What a cruel performance to humiliate me. It was staged and directed by Anthony and Christopher, meant to showcase just how much they adored Erica.

I picked up one of the roses, but I couldn't