I Changed The Wedding Into A Cancellation Mid-Ceremony Chapter 01

I Changed The Wedding Into A Cancellation Mid-Ceremony Chapter 01

My parents had barely lifted their glasses when they shattered in their hands.

Red wine, cream, and hot sauce sprayed across their faces and clothes.

The mother-of-the-bride dress my mom had chosen was ruined in seconds. Cream clung to her hair.

My dad reached for her on instinct, but his foot slipped on broken glass and he went down hard.

Nathan Hayes’s secretary, Vanessa Blake, doubled over laughing.

“Oh my God, you two look like drowned rats!”

“It was a little surprise I set up for the wedding. I didn’t think the gag glasses would pop quite like that.”

I was shaking. She just kept going.

“Oh, come on, don’t make that face! Brides are supposed to smile on their big day!”

Nathan caught my wrist. His voice dropped low.

“She was just trying to lighten the mood.”

“Look around. Everyone’s having a great time. Don’t make a scene.”

My mom was wiping cream off her face, eyes red and swollen, but she still found a smile for me.

“Elena, sweetie. We’re okay.”

“It’s your wedding day. Don’t let us ruin it.”

My parents stood there soaked and humiliated, still scrambling to save face for Nathan.

This whole wedding made me sick.

My parents would never embarrass me. Nathan just did.

Fine. The wedding was off.

…

My dad braced his hand against the floor and pushed himself up. Blood from his palm smeared across the red carpet.

Vanessa’s eyes went straight to the carpet.

“Careful, Mr. Ashford. You’re staining the venue’s carpet.”

My mom dropped to her knees in a panic, scrubbing at the stain with her sleeve.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“We didn’t mean to.”

Vanessa looked down at them and sighed, like she was dealing with children.

“I did mention the gag glasses beforehand. Maybe Mr. and Mrs. Ashford were just too nervous to catch it.”

The murmur around us died.

Someone snickered.

“She told them ahead of time.”

“They’ve probably never been to a wedding like this. No wonder they froze.”

My hands were shaking.

“Vanessa, you…”

I didn’t even get the words out. Nathan stepped between us.

“She apologized.”

“And your parents said they’re fine.”

He glared at me, jaw tight, voice a harsh whisper.

“There are over a hundred guests out there. Are you really going to start a fight right now?”

I stared at him.

My dad’s palm was still bleeding. My mom’s shoulders shook from the cold.

And the only person he was worried about was Vanessa.

My dad tugged my sleeve before I could say another word.

“Elena, let it go.”

“We’ll get cleaned up. You go back out there.”

Vanessa jumped right in.

“The bridal suite is packed with Nathan’s family. Mr. and Mrs. Ashford can use the supply closet out back.”

“There’s rags and a mop in there.”

“You might want to hurry, though. The cream’s going to stain the floor.”

The color left my mom’s face. She ducked her head.

“I’m sorry.”

“We’ll clean it up.”

She was the victim here. Yet she backed out of that room apologizing the whole way, like she was the one at fault.

I followed them.

The supply closet was barely wide enough for one person. My mom stepped inside and her hem caught on a metal rack, tearing a long gash in the fabric.

She pressed the torn edge closed with her hand.

“It’s fine.”

“The lighting out there is dim. Nobody’ll notice.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out a shawl, neatly folded.

“I was saving this for the main reception.”

“I didn’t want to embarrass you in front of his family.”

One corner was already soaked through with wine.

She dabbed at it with a tissue anyway, slow and careful. When the stain wouldn’t come out, she folded it inward so it wouldn’t show.

My dad reached into his pocket and pulled out a check. It was crumpled from the spill, the corners gone soft.

He smoothed it out against his knee, over and over. When he spoke, his voice was barely there.

“Your mom and I put this together for you.”

“I wanted to hand it to Nathan in person. Make a good impression.”

“Now look at it.”

He gave me a small, sheepish smile.

“I know it doesn’t look like much now.”

The tears came before I could stop them.

They’d been preparing for this day for months.

They’d agonized over what to wear. They’d rehearsed every word so they wouldn’t say the wrong thing.

They did all of it so I could hold my head high in front of Nathan’s family.

All that preparation, and this was what Nathan gave them: a set of wine-soaked clothes, a roomful of strangers laughing, and a supply closet.

My phone buzzed. It was Nathan.

[Come back out when you’re done.]

[It was just a joke. Don’t blow it out of proportion.]

I read it. And I smiled.

So that was it.

My dad’s hand was bleeding and my mom’s dress was destroyed. To Nathan, none of it mattered.

I wiped my face and helped my parents sit down.

“Mom. Dad.”

“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

I turned and walked out.

The wedding planner was pacing at the end of the hall.

“Are we still on schedule?”

I looked toward the reception hall. The lights were blinding.

Nathan stood at the far end of the aisle, leaning close to Vanessa, murmuring something to her.

I turned back to the planner. My voice was steady.

“Keep going.”

The planner exhaled.

“But there’s one change.”

“Cancel the champagne toast.”

“Instead, I’ll be calling off this wedding.”