On the day of my wedding, Jacqueline Ortberg found out I was marrying Clyde McGlinchey.
Suddenly, she had a heart attack at the venue. And just like that, Clyde announced the wedding was canceled.
The groom left the bride behind and swept another woman into his arms as he walked away.
I became the subject of whispers and ridicule.
Guests pointed at me, their eyes full of blame, calling me heartless. A murderer, even.
And even Clyde looked at me with disgust.
“Why couldn’t it have been you instead?” he spat.
That was the moment I tossed my wedding dress in the trash… to let go of the seven years I loved him.
——
Right after he left, the guests I had personally invited rushed toward me.
Not to comfort me—but to judge.
“If you did something wrong, admit it, Mallory. Apologize to Jacqueline, or I don’t want to be friends with you anymore.”
“No wedding? Give me back the money I gave as a gift!”
“What a terrible sign!”
Their words were sharp, their tone harsh. But strangely, I didn’t feel sad. Not even a little.
I didn’t say a word. I just turned and walked away from the venue, barefoot, leaving my wedding dress behind in the trash.
The ceremony had been held halfway up a mountain. There weren’t many cars around, so I walked without my heels on the empty road.
My feet were aching when Clyde called. The moment I picked up, he started yelling.
“I worked so hard to keep this from Jacqueline! Why the hell did you let that damn wedding slip?!”
He was right about one thing—he did hide it well.
The wedding was remote and quiet.
No friends from his side, no family.
Only the folks I invited. And still, the place felt so empty.
His tone got sharper. “Jacqueline didn’t even want this wedding to happen. Now that she knows, it’s ruined. You brought this on yourself, Mallory!”
That earned a sarcastic laugh from me.
“What is she—your mom? your dad? You need her permission to get married now?”
He went silent for a moment.
Then tried to sound generous.
“Fine. Just apologize to her. If she forgives you, maybe we can still go through with the wedding.”
“No.”
He paused. “No? What no?” He scoffed. “What, are you saying you don’t want to get married anymore? Come on, who are you joking with?”
And honestly, I couldn’t blame him for thinking it was a joke.
I’d been with him for seven years, and I’d even proposed to him six times.
Marriage had become my obsession.
I opened my mouth to respond—but then I heard her voice through the phone.
“Clyde, did you say you wanted to marry her?”
And right away, he denied it. “No. Of course not. I would never marry her.”
The next thing I heard was the call disconnecting.
Just like that, my almost-husband cast me aside like dust in the wind.
Just when I thought the day wouldn't get any worse, a heavy rain started falling, soaking me from head to toe.
The cold stung—but it also woke me up.
My dream wedding with Clyde… It started melting away.
When I got home, I had a fever. My throat burned.
I took some meds and collapsed into bed.
Some time later, half-awake, I saw the man who left me at the altar.
His fingers stroked my cheek. His expression was gentle, so different from the way he screamed at me at the wedding venue.
When I sat up, he handed me a shopping bag.
“The wedding didn’t happen, but you should still have the ring,” he said.
I opened the bag.
The receipt was still inside—proof that he just bought it.
‘Great. Even before our wedding, he hadn’t planned a thing.’
Keeping my face blank, I picked up the ring and slipped it onto my finger.
I stared at him as I held my hand up in front of him.
I tilted it down, and just like that…
The ring slid right off.
With a click, that thing fell to the floor.
