I shoved his chest. Hard.
My right foot caught the heavy tulle of my skirt. I stumbled backward, losing my balance. The dull, rigid thud of carbon fiber striking the hardwood floor echoed through the microphone feedback.
"Repay me?" I asked, my voice slicing through the silent room.
Leo didn't flinch. He adjusted his cuffs, entirely unbothered by the scene unfolding around us.
"Sixteen years old," I said, pointing a shaking finger at him. "I threw myself in front of your father’s golf club so he wouldn't cave your skull in. He shattered my femur into fifteen pieces. The doctors amputated below the knee."
I took a step forward, the mechanical joint of my prosthetic clicking faintly.
"You think a fake wedding pays off a missing limb?" I demanded.
"I gave you the spotlight," Leo replied, his tone chillingly even. "I let you play the bride. You got your perfect day. What more do you want?"
The heavy oak door near the kitchens swung open.
The rustle of heavy silk cut through the tension. Guests parted immediately, clearing a path down the center of the ballroom.
Serena Vale stepped into the golden chandelier light.
She wore white. Not just any white. She wore the dress.
Thousands of hand-sewn Swarovski crystals caught the light, throwing fractured rainbows across the walls. I recognized every single stitch. I had drafted that lace pattern on a cheap notepad in my college dorm. I had spent eight years refining the silhouette, pricking my fingers on needles at three in the morning to get the bodice exactly right.
Serena walked toward the head table. Her eyes were rimmed with red. She clutched a bouquet of white peonies, her knuckles white.
"Mia, I'm sorry," Serena whispered. She stopped two feet away, her voice trembling just enough to sound completely broken. "I just wanted a wedding with Leo so badly."
I stared at the intricate pearl work lining her collarbone. My chest tightened until it physically ached.
"Don't worry," Serena continued, reaching out to touch my arm. "I'll make him marry you, to fulfill your ten-year dream."
I swatted her hand away.
"You told me to stop working on it," I said.
"What?" Serena blinked, a single tear slipping down her cheek.
"Three years ago. My eyes were bloodshot from sewing those exact pearls." I pointed at her chest. "You sat on my bed and said, 'Even if you give me a rag, I'll love it, Mia. Don't hurt your health.'"
Serena bit her lip. "I meant it. I value our friendship."
"You value my usefulness," I corrected. "You're wearing eight years of my blood and sweat to marry the man I love."
A laugh tore its way out of my throat. It started low, a bitter chuckle that quickly escalated into a harsh, ringing sound.
The guests shifted in their seats. Whispers broke out across the room, an abrasive background noise of judgment and pity.
I turned my back on Serena and Leo. I walked straight to Table One, the heavy silk of my own useless dress dragging behind me.
"I guessed wrong, didn't I, Chris?" I shouted, grabbing a shot glass of tequila from the center tray.
Chris stiffened on his chair. "Mia, put that down."
"The rules of the game," I said, raising the glass high. "A penalty for the loser."
I threw the liquor back. The burn seared my throat, grounding me in the present. I slammed the empty glass onto the tablecloth.
I reached across a terrified bridesmaid and snatched her champagne flute.
"To ten years of loyalty," I announced, draining the bubbly liquid in three gulps.
I moved down the table. I grabbed a tumbler of whiskey neat from a groomsman's coaster.
"To my best friend," I said, tossing the amber liquid down. "And to the man who thinks a fake ring buys a real leg."
I reached for a full bottle of red wine sitting near the floral centerpiece.
"Mia, that's enough," Ethan yelled from the family table.
"Shut up, Ethan," I snapped, wrapping my fingers around the neck of the bottle. "I'm celebrating the end of a marathon. Open bar, right?"
A large hand clamped over mine.
Leo stood right beside me. His jaw tightened, a muscle ticking wildly under his skin. The detached groom was gone, replaced by something volatile and dangerous.
"Stop making a scene," Leo ordered, his grip bruising my knuckles.
"Let go of me," I warned, pulling the bottle toward my chest.
"You are embarrassing yourself," he hissed, yanking the bottle back.
We fought for control over the glass neck. His strength easily overpowered mine. He twisted his wrist, ripping the bottle from my grasp with brutal force.
The sudden movement sent the open bottle tipping backward.
Dark crimson wine sloshed violently over the rim. It arched through the air in a heavy splash, landing directly on Serena, who had followed him over.
Red liquid bloomed across the pristine white silk. The jagged, ugly stain soaked through the hand-sewn lace, ruining the masterpiece instantly.
Serena shrieked, jumping backward.
"My dress!" she cried, grabbing handfuls of the ruined fabric.
Leo dropped the bottle. It shattered against the floorboards, sending shards of green glass scattering across the ballroom.
He immediately turned his back to me. He grabbed Serena's shoulders, scanning her face.
"Are you hurt?" Leo asked, his voice thick with a panic he had never shown me. "Did the glass cut you?"
"I'm fine," Serena sobbed, staring at the massive red stain covering her stomach and thighs. "But the dress is ruined."
I stood there, my hands empty, watching the man I loved fuss over the woman who had stolen my life. The bitter clarity settled deep in my bones. I was done. The ten years were finally over.
Serena looked up from her ruined skirt. She met my eyes.
The tears vanished from her expression, replaced by a cold, calculating gleam. She awkwardly pulled the stained fabric away from her legs, stepping over the shattered glass to close the distance between us.
She leaned forward, pretending to brush a stray piece of confetti from my shoulder. Her signature perfume filled my senses.
"It doesn't matter if you stain it, Mia," Serena whispered, her voice dropping the fragile act completely. "He already tore it off me in the dressing room an hour ago."
