At an icebreaker game before the ceremony, my friends had lined up ten photos for my soon-to-be husband, Jason Lynch, asking him to pick the one he thought was most beautiful. Among them were our wedding photos, a candid shot of me from the night he proposed, an awkward graduation picture...

And somehow, a selfie of my friend Jacqueline—dressed way too provocatively—had slipped into the pile.

One of the groomsmen teased, “Jackie, aren't you stirring the pot here? There's no way Jason's picking you.”

“Exactly. You two never really hit it off. Remember when Jason secretly changed Shay's school application just to keep her away from you?”

Laughter and teasing swirled around us, but Jacqueline just stood there blushing.

But Jason's hand had already landed on Jacqueline's photo. He held it up with a confident smile.

“I choose her,” he announced.

He pulled Jacqueline into his arms and turned to me. “Shay, I've been waiting for you to figure it out. I didn't expect it to take you this long. Yesterday, I told you the bruise on my thigh was from practice, and you actually believed me.”

“Now it's your turn to choose—go through with the wedding or call it off in front of everyone.”

A sharp buzzing filled my ears, and my mind went completely blank.

Jason chuckled softly. “Honey, I know you'll choose to go through with it. After all, your dad is holding on to life just to see us get married. You wouldn't really let him down, would you?”

All eyes were on me—some curious, others full of pity.

“Why?” My voice trembled uncontrollably.

This was the wedding he had planned down to the last detail. Just yesterday, he'd told me, “Darling, just the thought of marrying you keeps me up at night.”

“I wish time would hurry up so I can finally call you my wife.”

Even this morning, he was overseeing every little detail to make sure the wedding was perfect for me.

Jacqueline pulled away from Jason and reached out to steady me as I swayed on my feet. Her perfume—matching Jason's—made me gag.

Seeing the tears in her eyes took me back. The last time I saw her cry was when we first met at ten years old. My parents had taken her in after she entered foster care, and from that day on, we were inseparable.

I was the quiet one; she was fiery and always stood up for me.

When Jason first pursued me, he was constantly dodging her attempts to chase him off. He'd always say, “Jacqueline, you're too wild. Don't lead my sweetheart astray.”

“Sweet Shay, keep your distance from Jacqueline. I don't like how she's always clinging to you.”

I tried to fix their relationship, but they were always at odds, bickering like sworn enemies. They only played nice when I got upset.

Jason knelt down to adjust my shoes. “Come on, don't frown. Haven't you been looking forward to this wedding? Let's just smile and get through it.”

Then something inside me snapped, and I slapped him hard.

Jason didn't get angry. He gently took my hand and blew on it. “I didn't want to ruin your day, but you insisted we go to the county clerk's office after the wedding.”

“For the baby's sake, Jacqueline and I have already registered our marriage.”

“Better you hear it from me now than find out later.”

My heart twisted painfully. Jacqueline's averted gaze and the slight swell of her belly confirmed everything.

I remembered when we were taking wedding photos. I'd teased her, “Your waist looks thicker. Have you been stress eating lately?”

“Better not gain another pound, or you won't fit into the maid of honor dress.”

In my blissful ignorance, I completely missed the knowing looks she exchanged with Jason.

At some point—I don't know when—Jason had shooed everyone else out. Only the three of us remained in the room amidst the chaos.

The festive decorations I'd started planning a month ago now felt utterly absurd.

My lips twisted into a smile that felt more like a grimace.

“When did it start?”

Jacqueline hesitated, then admitted, “The first time was the day after finals.”

“Shut up!”

Jason quickly clamped his hand over Jacqueline’s mouth. I watched them in silence, fists clenched.

“Let her speak. I wanted to hear it.”

Jacqueline glanced at him, hesitated, then said, “It happened after finals. We were all drinking pretty hard.”

“We ended up in a bathroom stall at the bar.”

“After that, it turned into an addiction. We couldn’t go more than a few days without it.”

Every word landed like a punch to the gut.

That day was the beginning of my relationship with Jason. When I finished my exams, he was waiting outside holding a bouquet that symbolized everlasting love. The moment was wrapped in perfect sunlight and a gentle breeze. My heart soared.

Later, at the celebratory dinner, I noticed Jacqueline had been gone for a while. Worried she’d had too much to drink and gotten herself into trouble, I went looking for her. When I found her, her face was flushed and she could barely walk straight. I assumed she’d been trying to fend off drinks meant for me and had gone overboard, so I spent all night taking care of her.

Even Jason—who usually let his jealousy of Jacqueline show—was unusually considerate, texting to check in on us. I thought my efforts had finally paid off. The man I loved and my best friend seemed to have finally made peace. I was already dreaming of the good times we’d have together at college.

The memories rushed back with brutal clarity.

“So, why did you change my college application?” I asked.

Jason stood and tousled my hair. “You’re sharp, sweetheart. Jacqueline gave me her first time. She wanted Columbia—how was I supposed to say no?”

“You scored higher than she did. If you’d chosen Columbia, it would’ve hurt her chances.”

“You’re kind and soft-hearted. If you came with me to NYU, I could take care of you.”

He knew Columbia had always been my dream. For three years of high school, I’d been relentless—waking at dawn and staying up past midnight—all to reach it.

When I found out my application had been changed to NYU, my world fell apart. I confronted Jason in a frenzy. He cried and begged on his knees, saying he was afraid distance would make me fall for someone else, that it would wear our love down, that I might outshine him.

He knelt outside my house for three days before I finally went out to see him.

Turns out, all those fears were lies.

The real fear was that I’d stand in Jacqueline’s way.

Once the thoughts started, the pieces clicked into place. Every weekend he had to slip away, Jacqueline would be slower to text back. The figure that kept popping up in Jacqueline’s Instagram was starting to look more and more like Jason.

Jacqueline quickly spoke up. “Shay, I never meant to steal him from you.”

“I never wanted to hurt you, but attraction doesn’t exactly follow logic.”

“The baby’s innocent. I don’t want her growing up without a father the way I did. To the outside world, he can still be your husband.”

The absurdity of it all was overwhelming. All I could manage was a bitter laugh.

I didn’t say another word. I pulled out my phone, scrolled through their conversation one last time, and sent a message to Karim, whose profile photo was a nondescript silhouette.

Once I saw the confirmation, I finally set my phone aside.

Jacqueline was in the middle of one of her dramatic gestures when her necklace slipped down from her neckline, flashing a vivid red gemstone. That ruby—the one Jason had acquired at auction and spent three months crafting by hand—was now sitting right against her skin.

Under the weight of my stare, Jacqueline quickly tucked the necklace back into her collar. Jason let out a low chuckle, all helpless indulgence, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.

“Darling, that ruby pops more with her bubbly style,” he said. “I picked something else just for you.”

Inside the box was a pearl necklace—understated but clearly expensive—though I knew it was just a companion piece to the ruby.

“Our love doesn’t need a piece of paper,” Jason murmured, his voice warm as he clasped the necklace around my neck. “A man knows the difference between love and lust. You’re too soft for me to be rough with in bed. She’s different—she satisfies every need I have.”

Jacqueline’s face shifted the second she heard that. “Ugh, Jason, you told me you couldn’t live without me when we were together. Now you’re saying this? Don’t bother crawling into my bed tonight.”

“As if I’d want anywhere near your bed.”

Their usual bickering twisted like a knife in my chest. God, I’d been so naive.

Back in college, every time the three of us were together, it was all about their bickering—fighting over who cared more, who got more of my time. I was always too busy keeping the peace to see what their exchanges really meant.

I ripped the necklace off, screaming, “Get out!”

As I yanked it away, the chain left a long scratch across my neck, beads of blood rising to the surface. Jacqueline stepped back, clearly startled by my sudden fury.

In her mind, I had never truly lost it. I never raised my voice at anyone. Even when my college application was tampered with, I didn’t curse Jason once—I just cried alone in my room.

That’s exactly why they were so sure I’d swallow my pride, stay quiet, and retreat like always.

She clutched her belly, her breathing going rapid and shallow. Jason shot me a disapproving look as he gently pulled her against him. “Shay, why are you acting so reckless right now? She’s pregnant—don’t scare her.”

The man who once worried over a bug bite on my skin was gone. Whatever hope I’d been holding onto was completely snuffed out.