She Touched The Wrong Groom

The night before our wedding, I saw the photo on my fiances phone. It was a mock wedding portrait of her and her male best friend, Chase.

Ruby quickly swiped it away, her face flushing as she offered a rushed explanation.

Chase was just messing around, she said, her voice breezy but defensive. He photoshopped it as a joke. Don't take it to heart, Alex.

But the next day, at our wedding reception, Ruby was blindfolded for the "Find the Groom" game.

The groomsmen and a few male guests sat in a neat row, and she was supposed to touch their ankles and feet to identify me.

She paused, her hands lingering on one particular ankle, and then gripped it tightly. "Found him! This is my husband!" She pulled off her blindfold, a triumphant grin on her face.

But she was holding Chase.

The bridesmaids, always eager for a spectacle, immediately began to whisper and snicker. "Well, Ruby, are you planning on taking two husbands home today?"

Chase laughed, leaning his head against Rubys shoulder with shameless ease. He waved a hand in my direction. "Come on, kiddo. I know you love your favorite guy, but you got the wrong man. Your actual groom is standing over there."

I stood a few feet away, feeling the cold weight of the room press down on my chest. A bitter, empty smile pulled at my lips.

Slowly, I slid the platinum band off my finger and let it drop into a nearby trash can.

"She didnt get the wrong man," I said, my voice quiet but perfectly clear. "Her groom was never going to be me."

At my words, Rubys face darkened. She stood up, her wedding gown rustling loudly in the sudden silence of the hall.

"Alex, seriously? I made a silly mistake in a party game. Is that really worth calling off the entire wedding?"

"Hey, don't get mad at her, man. She didn't mean it." Chase stood up, playfully tugging Rubys ear and nudging her toward me with a wide, easy grin. "Come on, sweetie, apologize to your man."

My chest tightened. I took a step back, avoiding his touch entirely.

"There's no need to apologize," I said. "Since you're the one she chose to hold onto, you can be her groom today."

Ruby knitted her brows, her impatience finally breaking through. "Chase and I are basically brothers. Why would I marry him? Besides, Alex, if I actually wanted to be with him, do you really think youd even have a chance?"

A dry, painful laugh escaped me.

We had fought about Chase more times than I could count.

Once, when Chase had a mild cold, she left me sitting alone in a dark movie theater for hours. Another time, because Chase said he was terrified of thunderstorms, she abandoned me at the clinic while I was running a high fever. Even on our fifth anniversary, she walked out on our dinner to take care of Chases dog because it had overeaten.

And now, on our wedding day, after humiliating me in front of everyone, her explanation was still the same dismissive script.

The whispers among the guests were growing louder, turning into a steady hum of gossip.

Chase noticed, quickly stepping in to cup his hand over Rubys mouth. "Alright, it's a big day. Stop making it worse," he murmured. Then, he turned to me, his eyes wide and pleading.

"Alex, I swear there's nothing going on between us. Today was just a stupid accident. If it really bothers you, I'll step back. I promise I'll stay away from her from now on. Here, let me make it up to you."

He grabbed a full bottle of whiskey from a passing waiter's tray, popped the cap, and began to chug it.

Ruby gasped, panic throwing her into motion. She ripped the bottle from his hands. "Are you insane? You're severely allergic to alcohol! Do you want to kill yourself?"

She cupped Chases face in her hands, inspecting him like a priceless, fragile heirloom. Once she was sure he wasn't breaking out in hives, she whirled around and glared at me, her voice dripping with resentment.

"Alex, this has gone too far. You forced him to do this."

I looked at her, the last embers of my hope quietly dying out. I didn't say another word. I turned on my heel and walked toward the exit.

Ruby rushed after me, grabbing my wrist. "If you walk out now, what about the guests? What about our families?"

I yanked my hand back, tears finally burning in my eyes. "Do you even care that today was supposed to be our wedding? You're marrying me, yet you're putting on a show of star-crossed lovers with another man right in front of me!"

Perhaps the sip of whiskey was already hitting him, or perhaps he just couldn't help himself. Chase leaned back against a table, his face flushed, a mocking glint in his eyes.

"You're such a drama queen, Alex," Chase sighed, his voice taking on a childish, whiny lilt as he looked at Ruby. "Honestly, babe, you're too popular. If your husband is this insecure over a game, how is he going to handle all the other guys who look at you? Maybe we really shouldn't see each other anymore. I need to save myself for my future wife, anyway. I don't want people talking dirty about me."

Ruby didn't even hesitate. "Don't say that. If no one wants you, I'll take care of you forever."

I let out a cold laugh, turned my back on them, and walked out of the venue. Behind me, the whispers of the guests drowned out whatever Ruby was shouting.

When I got back to our apartment, I didn't waste time. I gathered every photo, every souvenir, and every little token of our relationship and threw them into a heavy black trash bag. Then, I dragged my suitcase out and began to pack my clothes.

The bedroom door clicked open, and Ruby walked in. She stopped, staring at the mess on the floor, and cleared her throat. Her voice was softer now, trying to sound reasonable.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I know I messed up." She walked over, trying to touch my shoulder. "But Chase and I really are just friends. If it makes you feel better, I'll tell you every time we hang out from now on."

I didn't stop packing. I zipped the suitcase with a sharp, definitive snap. "I'm tired, Ruby. It's over. Let's break up."

I had spent seven years building a life with her. We started in a damp, moldy basement apartment with nothing but instant ramen and big dreams. I had poured every ounce of my youth, my energy, and my soul into supporting her career.

Now, I was completely empty. I just wanted to go.

As I reached for the doorknob, Rubys voice dropped, cold and laced with a quiet threat.

"If you walk out that door, Alex... what happens to your mother?" She paused, letting the silence stretch. "Her specialized nursing facility, her physical therapy, her upcoming surgery... I'm the one paying for all of it."

My heart stopped.

I turned around, staring at her in utter disbelief. I couldn't comprehend that she was using my mother to blackmail me.

My mother was paralyzed because of a car accidentan accident that happened because she threw herself in front of a skidding truck to save Rubys life. Back then, Ruby had knelt by my mothers hospital bed, sobbing, swearing to God and to me that she would protect me and care for our family forever.

Now, she was using that very tragedy as a leash.

Tears spilled over my cheeks, hot and bitter. My hands shook so violently I could barely stand. "Ruby... what do you actually want from me? What will make you happy? Im willing to walk away and leave everything to Chase. Isn't that enough?"

"I don't want anything," she murmured, her expression softening into something almost smug as she stepped closer. "I just don't want you to leave me."

She reached up to wipe a tear from my eye. But before her fingers could touch my skin, her phone vibrated.

The screen lit up with Chases name. She answered, and though she didn't put it on speaker, the loud, drunken music and Chases slurred voice leaked into the quiet room.

"Babe! Where are you? The party's dying without you!"

The warmth drained from Rubys eyes, replaced instantly by that familiar, restless distraction. She looked at me apologetically.

"Alex, I have to go handle something. I'll be back soon." She reached out, trying to coax a smile from me. "We didn't get to finish the wedding, but we still need to get our marriage license. I'll take you to City Hall tomorrow morning, okay?"

She left without waiting for my answer.

Not long after the front door clicked shut, my phone screen flashed. It was a message from Chasea photo of a crowded bar table covered in expensive bottles, followed by a video.

I stared at the screen, my thumb hovering, before I finally tapped play.

In the video, Ruby was laughing, raising a glass. Her voice carried over the music, sharp and full of disdain. "Alex is just so exhausting lately. He throws a tantrum over the smallest things."

My hand froze in mid-air.

In the background, Chases voice chimed in, mock-scolding her. "Now, now, babe, what did I tell you? You can't talk about your man like that. He only acts crazy because he loves you so much."

"Oh, shut up," Ruby laughed, shoving his shoulder. "Who are you calling 'babe'? Call me daddy."

The rest of the table burst into cheers, someone yelling, "You two seriously look more like newlyweds than the actual couple!"

I sat in the dark, the phone glowing cold against my skin, feeling a pain so sharp in my chest I could barely breathe.

I didn't sleep a single wink that night.

The next morning, Ruby came home looking bright and refreshed, as if she had spent the night sleeping on a cloud rather than drinking with her friends.

Without asking how I was, she grabbed my coat and pulled me out of the apartment. I let her drag me. My eyes were sunken, dark circles bruising the skin beneath them, my mind entirely numb.

We sat at the marriage registry desk. The clerk took our documents and prepared the heavy steel seal to stamp our marriage license.

Just as the metal was about to hit the paper, Rubys phone rang. She swiped it open, putting it on speaker as she signed her name.

Immediately, Chases frantic, sobbing voice filled the quiet office.

"Ruby... please, tell Alex to stop. I'm sorry if I made him mad, I'll do whatever he wants... Ruby, help me! I've been kidnapped! They have me in some warehouse..."

The line went completely dead.

Rubys pen snapped against the table. Her face turned pale, then instantly contorted into pure rage. She grabbed my collar, pulling me up from the chair so violently that the pens and paperwork scattered across the floor.

"Alex! Where did you put him?" she screamed, her grip tightening. "I told you a thousand times we are just friends! Why would you go this far? Why would you kidnap him?"

The sheer, blind accusation felt like a physical blow. A bitter sob caught in my throat. She didn't ask if I was okay. She didn't think for a single second. She just assumed I was a monster.

"It wasn't me," I whispered, my voice cracking.

Seeing my face pale from pain, she shoved me away. I lost my balance and fell hard against the edge of the desk, tumbling onto the cold tile floor.

"Don't lie to me!" Ruby didn't even look down at me. She whipped out her phone and began barking orders to her head of security. "Mobilize everyone. I want Chase found today!"

Outside, the sky broke, and a torrential downpour began to slash against the windows.

I dragged myself up from the floor, ignored the stares of the registry staff, and walked out into the rain. I walked all the way back to the apartment, my clothes soaked through, my body shivering.

But when I pushed the door open, I froze.

There, sitting on our living room sofa, was Chase. He was damp, wrapped in one of my softest blankets, weeping hysterically. The moment he saw me, he flinched, burying his face in his hands.

"Alex... why did you do that to me? If you hate me that much, just tell me. I'll pack my bags and leave the city. I'll never speak to Ruby again."

Ruby, who had clearly just arrived, rushed over and wrapped him in a tight hug. Her heart broke visibly at his tears. "You did nothing wrong, Chase. Why should you have to leave?"

She turned to me, her eyes burning with fury. "Alex, apologize to Chase right now. If I hadn't found him in time, do you have any idea what those thugs would have done to him?"

I stood in the entryway, water dripping from my hair onto the hardwood floor. My chest heaved as I looked at the two of them. "I did nothing wrong. I am not apologizing."

Rubys expression turned utterly cold. "You are completely delusional."

Without another word, she scooped Chase up in her arms and carried him up the stairs to the guest bedroom.

I stood downstairs in the silence, biting my lip so hard the taste of copper filled my mouth. I dragged my exhausted, aching body to my own room and collapsed onto the bed. My forehead felt like it was on fire, my vision blurring into darkness as I drifted into a feverish unconsciousness.

Hours later, I woke up to a cool sensation on my forehead.

Ruby was sitting on the edge of the bed, gently pressing a cooling gel patch to my skin. Her expression was tired, almost gentle.

"Chase decided not to press charges," she murmured, smoothing my hair. "Let's just put this behind us, Alex. Don't try to hurt him again."

I didn't answer. I just stared blankly at the ceiling, my mind as cold and empty as the room.

In the middle of the night, my throat felt like sandpaper. I sat up, shivering, and quieted my breath to get a glass of water. But as soon as I slid the door open, a sound caught in my ears.

From the guest room down the hall, came the rhythmic, unmistakable creaking of a wooden headboard, accompanied by hushed, breathless whispers.

"Ruby... slower... what if he hears us?"

"Let him hear," Rubys voice came, thick with desire. "I don't care anymore. I'm not losing you."