A man looking straight ahead | Source: Pexels
“Thank you,” I whispered, meaning it more than I’d ever meant anything. “You did the right thing, Ryan. Despite everything that just happened, you stood up for me when I couldn’t stand up for myself. I’ll never forget what you did for me today. Thank you so much, really.”
But then reality hit me. “I still have to decide if this marriage is worth continuing after it started like this.”
A bride standing barefoot | Source: Pexels
The reception limped along without the groom.
Our family and friends tried their best to keep the mood light, but everyone was talking about what had happened.
My aunt kept shaking her head and muttering, “In my day, men knew how to treat ladies.”
Meanwhile, Uncle Joe kept patting Ryan on the back, saying, “Good for you, son.”
Ed didn’t come home that night. I sat in our apartment, still in my ruined wedding dress, wondering if my marriage was over before it had really begun.
A woman in a white dress | Source: Pexels
He finally showed up the next morning looking absolutely wrecked. His eyes were red and his hair was a mess. He was still wearing the same cake-stained tuxedo.
“Lily,” he said, dropping to his knees right there in our living room. “I’m so sorry. When Ryan shoved my face in that cake, I felt so embarrassed that I wanted to cry. For the first time, I understood how badly I hurt you. I’m really, really sorry.”
A sad man | Source: Pexels
Tears were streaming down his face. “It was stupid. It was thoughtless. I thought it would be funny, but all I did was humiliate the woman I love on the most important day of our lives.”
He looked up at me with genuine remorse. “I swear to you, I will never do anything like that again. Please forgive me.”
I did forgive him, though it took time.
And Ryan? He kept casting Ed wary sideways glances for weeks afterward, making sure his message had really sunk in.
