I want to say I'm not nervous about exposing Tristan's secrets today, but I am. And as my mother does my hair, I have to keep reminding myself not to cry and to breathe.

Despite the evidence I have proving Tristan's unfaithfulness these past few months, I feel he'll still try to deny what he got himself caught in. And I'm more than sure he'll have a ton of excuses trying to justify what he'd been doing with Harvey and Miranda.

I'm also sure he'll be like all the other cheaters on this Earth by saying he's sorry, that he'll change, and that it'll never happen again. He already fooled me, and I won't let it happen again. Once a cheater, always a cheater.

He'll never be trusted again—at least by me.

Telling someone you love them when you don't respect them enough to be faithful and honest is disgusting.

Tristan cheating on me should be enough for him to know he cheated himself out of loyalty and respect—something he'll never get from me again.

"Are you ready to do this?" my mother asked as she lined my lips.

Yes and no.

"More than ready..." I emphasized, somewhat lying. I'm ready to do this to get it over with so I can get out of here and away from everyone for a little while. But I'm also not ready; I'm nervous about how this will all go down and what'll happen once I expose Tristan and Harvey. "Thank you for helping me with everything you did. It means a lot to me."

She smiled, but I could tell it was forced. I see it on her face; she's sad for me and bummed she won't have the grandchildren she's been wanting to have any time soon—the one big thing Tristan and I promised we'd give her after marrying.

"You're welcome," she said, brushing my cheek with blush. "I still can't get over what Tristan did. I really liked him."

I really liked him, too...

Actually, I loved him more than anything. He was my world and made it seem like I was his, too. So it's a slap in my face, knowing he could do this to me. And it hurts.

"Yeah, I know. Things happen when you least expect it. And this happening with Tristan only made me stronger." My comment made my mother smile—a real one. "I realized it's not the end of the world, that there's someone out there for me, one who'll love me and only me. I just need to find him. Once I do, I promise you, you'll get the grandchildren you've wanted."

She had a serious look in her eye when they gazed into mine. With her hands on my shoulders, holding me still, she demanded, "Make sure when you meet that man, he's nothing like Tristan—I want grandkids."

You don't have to worry. The next man I meet will be asked many questions, and the one thing I'll make sure of is that he wants children.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure you'll get them," I promised, genuinely smiling.

My mom stepped back, and with a hint of a saddened smile as she eyed me, she said, "You look so beautiful."

"I'll be even more beautiful the day I marry the right man."

Tristan always called me his princess, and since the meaning behind princess means they're kind, loving, loyal, and faithful, that's the style of dress I made. That's the type of person I am, who I always will be, and one Tristan will lose forever.

"Knock, knock," my father said, opening the door. "Is it okay if I come in?"

"Of course, you can," I answered, rising to my feet. "Mom just finished with my make-up." I swayed my body from side to side, asking, "How do I look?"

"Beautiful as always," my father said while heading toward me. "It's too bad today has to be the way it will. I looked forward to proudly walking my daughter down the aisle and passing her off to the man I once adored and trusted."

"Someday, you'll get that opportunity to adore another man I fall in love with," I assured.

"I know I will," he smiled. "Even though today isn't going how it was supposed to, I'll still proudly walk you down the aisle. You're a strong woman, Kinsley. And I'm proud of that. Only an indestructible woman can pull off what you'll be doing," he winked, embracing me with a hug.

"Thanks, Dad. Again, I'm forever grateful for what you'll do to help me today."

"I'd do it again if I had to," he grinned. "Anyway, everything is ready. All we need to do now is walk you down the aisle and expose Tristan for the treacherous person he is."

My smile grew much wider. "I can't wait to do that. And I'm anxious to see the expression on Tristan's face when I call him out in front of his family. Hopefully, this teaches him a lesson never to mess with someone's feelings again."

Kristine peeked around the door, grinning as she alerted us, "They're ready for you. And so are we." Her smile showed she was anxious to watch me expose Tristan.

After my mom and Kristine left the room, I looked at my dad, took a deep breath, and shook the nervousness that suddenly hit me out of my system. I may still be a little upset it's come to this, but I'm optimistic about what's coming next for me.

"I'll be a free woman in about a half hour," I told my dad.

He pulled me in for another hug. "Yes, you will, and that's okay. You're a beautiful woman. Inside and out. I know the next guy who enters your life will see what kind of person you are and will do everything not to lose you." He pinched my nose and winked. "I just know it. I feel it. So, don't give up hope."

"I won't."

He looked at the open door and said, "Let's get this over with, shall we?" he said, linking his arm with mine.

As we reached the end of the line, he leaned into my ear, quietly saying, "Before I forget. I warned the priest of what you'll be doing."

My eyes widened, and I snapped my head his way, loudly whispering, "What? You did?"

He quietly chuckled and admitted, "I did. I was afraid of him keeling over once the slideshow started, and he saw what they were. So I told him what you were doing and asked that he don't look at the screen when you're saying your vows."

"And he was okay with it?" I whispered loudly, my heart beating faster yet.

"Yes and no. He didn't like the idea of what you'll be showing inside the church. But he said he'll do his best to ignore the screen so you can do what you have to do since he refuses to marry unfaithful couples."

That's a relief...

Still, I'm secretly face-palming, knowing the priest is in on it now. And the guilt I've felt about doing this inside the church instead of at the reception just got stronger.

The thing is, I didn't want to go through the marriage ceremony and then have to go through the trouble of filing for an annulment.

This was the best way for me to do this.

I'd love to say my nervousness faded away, but it didn't. As my dad guided me down the aisle, my heart thumped against my chest fast and hard. However, when I saw Harvey and Tristan's smiles as their eyes were on me, it helped me relax.

Don't ask me why because I don't have an answer to that.

Both of them looked proud and like the friends they'd always been. They also didn't look bothered a marriage was about to take place, which helped bring out the anger within me.

When we got to the end, and Tristan stepped toward me, my dad kissed my cheek and winked, and before he handed me to Tristan, he whispered some encouraging words in my ear, "Stay strong. You can do this, so hit him where it hurts."

"You look gorgeous, princess," Tristan whispered, walking us to the priest.

Pfft. I discreetly rolled my eyes.

"Should anyone present know of any reason this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace," the priest said, eyeing the attendees.

My eyes immediately flickered to Harvey, expecting him to be the one to object to us marrying, but he didn't. He just eyed Tristan and me with a grin.

I don't know what frustrated me more. Harvey not objecting to Tristan marrying me. Or, how he smiled at us, like he was proud of us, or proud, assuming they got away with their escapades.

Pushing my frustrations aside, knowing Harvey and Tristan wouldn't be smiling much longer, my eyes and ears returned to the priest, wasting his time preaching the matrimony.

It was hard listening to the officiant speak. It was also hard for my eyes to stop wandering and stay focused on him. I felt guilty about him knowing this ceremony wasn't going anywhere, and that guilt was increasing the closer he got to us saying our vows.

My heart gained speed, and my knees trembled when I saw my father standing out of the corner of my eye. Heads are about to explode any minute.

"Tristan, do you take Kinsley to be your wife? Do you promise to be faithful to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and health, to love and honor her all the days of your life?"

"I do."

"Face your bride and repeat after me. I, Tristan, take you, Kinsley, for my lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part."

I swallowed the phlegm that suddenly built in my throat, blocking my airway, when the priest's eyes diverted to me.

My body trembled even more after the priest eyed me with hesitation on his face, knowing my answer would be a lie to what he was about to ask me.

I hate lying. Especially to the man standing before us inside his house of worship, knowing I was seconds away from lying to everyone.

Finally, after stalling to gain the courage to continue with this scam marital ceremony he was conducting, he said, "Kinsley, do you take Tristan to be your husband? Do you promise to be faithful to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and health, to love and honor him all the days of your life?"

My eyes slowly traveled to my anxious friends waiting for the ball to drop, and when I saw Kristine's eyes sparkle with mischievousness, knowing the slideshow was about to start, my gaze returned to the priest, and I answered, "I do."

He looked from me to Tristan and then at the wedding attendees, saying, "Kinsley came to me a few days ago, asking if she could recite the vows she had written for Tristan instead of saying the traditional vows. I granted her request." His eyes returned to mine; he raised the bible he held in his hands and tipped it toward me as he said, "You may now say your vows."

I faced Tristan, took a deep breath, and the instant the vows I wanted to say flowed from my lips, my father started the slideshow with Tristan and me when we were happy and madly in love.

"Five years ago, my life forever changed when I met you. I knew from that very moment I'd found the one I couldn't live without. In those amazing five years of us planning our future, I spent showing you my love and devotion. We had our ups and downs and worked those issues out, getting through them like all other normal relationships."

Looking up and seeing the pictures of Tristan and me happy flashing on the screen, I continued with my troth.

"A year ago, you made me the happiest girl ever to walk the Earth when you proposed to me. I was ecstatic and elated that my dream of becoming Mrs. Everhart and having your children was finally becoming a reality. That day, I vowed to continue making you happy and proud you chose me to be your wife, to be the mother of your children, and to continue giving you everything you've ever hoped and dreamed of having."

Hearing gasps from behind me, my eyes traveled up to the screen, and I stopped speaking when I saw the photo of Harvey and Tristan with one another's dicks in their mouths—in a compromising position—sixty-nine position.

Since Tristan was eyeing me instead of the screen in front of us, and I wanted Tristan to hear what else I had to say, I continued before he saw what my father was showing everyone.

"However, about two months ago, something came to my attention, and my hopes and dreams of becoming Mrs. Everhart were shattered after seeing text messages exchanged between you, Harvey, and Miranda. As well as pictures in your phone's photo gallery and the images sent to you from Harvey and Miranda."

Tristan's face quickly turned pale, and his smile faded from my latest declaration.

Enjoyment hit my lips, causing them to curve slightly upward after seeing the panic on his face. Since I wasn't finished exposing his infidelity, I removed a folded-up piece of paper from my dress pocket that I had added specifically for this moment and looked at Tristan as I unfolded it.

When his mouth parted like he was about to say something, I said, "This message was from your best man and best friend, Harvey. I can't believe it took us fifteen years to realize you and I are more than friends." Moving my gaze to Harvey, I said, "Your response was: I can't believe it either."

I was immediately hit with elation at the sight of Harvey's red-as-a-tomato face, loving how he also appeared to be seconds away from fainting.

Since I wasn't finished exploding heads, I continued with the heartbreaking messages I found.

"This message is from Miranda. Tristan, having a threesome with you and Harvey was exhilarating. It was the greatest moment I'd ever experienced. I'm hooked. I'm looking forward to having more of those with you and Harvey. Watching you and him explore one another and your secret desires—touching, kissing, tasting, and swallowing each other was over the top exhilarating." I gazed into Tristan's eyes and said, "Your response was: I enjoyed it also, and I'm looking forward to it happening again between us."

Tristan's hands flew to his face, covering his eyes and lowering his head in shame.

"Here's another message from Harvey." I looked at Tristan and smiled as I quipped, "This one is good." Returning my eyes to the paper, I read aloud, "I had a good time tonight, just the two of us. How did we not realize this before? I'm married, and you're about to get married. I love Miranda, and I know you love Kinsley, but what about us? What will we do now that we've realized we're in love and meant to be together?"

My eyes welled with tears when I looked at the screen and saw Harvey and Tristan in a heated kissing moment.

I didn't want to be in Tristan's presence any longer, and since I was growing anxious to get out of his face and turn into that runaway bride, I continued, "... your response was: I enjoyed our time tonight also. I agree with you. How did it take this long to figure out we're in love? I know you asked that I call off the wedding, but I can't. I love Kinsley, and I'm in love with her as much as I'm in love with you. I'm torn, lost, and confused about what to do. My family would disown me if I called off the wedding and admitted my feelings about you to them. I'm sorry, but I have to marry Kinsley. I hope you understand. Don't worry. I'll make sure you and I will find time to be alone."

There were more messages I wanted to read, but I couldn't get myself to read anymore. I lowered the paper to my side and turned to face the guests, telling them as I wiped the tears away from my eyes, "I want to apologize to you all for choosing today to expose Tristan and for wasting your time on attending something that should've been beautiful but turned to be something other than that. So, because you came to share with us what should've been a happy time for us, I ask that instead of leaving here and going home, you head to the reception hall. I still have food being catered, the D.J. will be there, and I have cake and cupcakes I made for you all to enjoy. Please keep any gifts or cards you brought for us. Again, I'm sorry."

I sauntered to Harvey and handed him my bouquet, saying, "You can have these. Even though you're already married, the priest may be nice enough to marry you and Tristan. Or..." I paused, removing my dress. "Miranda can have this so you can renew your vows. Or. I don't think this is legal in the state of Wisconsin, but if it is, maybe all three of you could marry in front of our guests," I said bitterly before turning and heading over to where Miranda sat.

Holding my dress for her to take, I said, "Here. This is for you. Enjoy." When she didn't, I dropped it on her lap, then stepped back and looked at everyone around me.

I know they're quietly watching me, waiting to see what else I'll do. Or they're eyeing the clothes I was wearing underneath my dress.

The front of my shirt was a picture of Tristan and Harvey kissing. On the back of my shirt was a picture of Miranda sandwiched between the two friends having sex. The message on the back of my shirt said: Tristan and I weren't meant to be. Tristan, Harvey, and Miranda are.

The backside of my pants showed on the left side: Congratulations. And the right side said: I hope all three of you have a happy, wonderful life.

Childish? Probably. But do I care? No. I need to show I wasn't an imbecile—they were.

Finally, after getting the priceless expressions I hoped to see from the revelations. At the same time, the slideshow continued playing; I slowly headed down the aisle toward the exit doors, making sure everyone seated in the pews saw the pictures and messages on my clothing.

When I got to the end of the aisle, before Tristan came running after me, I hurried out of the church, ran to my vehicle, and squealed the tires when my foot pressed hard on the gas pedal to drive away.

My heart sank into the pit of my belly when Tristan jumped in front of my car, causing me to slam on my brakes.

"Don't leave, Kinsley. Please," he begged, his face full of emotions, including glossy, watery eyes from what appeared to be him crying. "Please. Let's go somewhere private to talk."

"Screw you, Tristan!" I shouted. "Move away from the car so that I can leave! We're over!"

"Kinsley, we can get through this! I know we can! Please, give me a chance to explain myself!"

I laughed and shook my head at that comment. I knew he'd try throwing an explanation at me.

"You already explained everything in your messages to Harvey and Miranda. So, no. I will not give you a chance to tell me any more bullshit! I don't want to hear any excuse you have, anyway! It'll all be lies!" I yelled. "Nothing you'll say will ever make me want to stay with you. We're done. Finished. Over! So get out of my way before I run you over!"

When Tristan stepped away, I pressed my foot hard on the gas pedal, squealing tires again. My eyes shot up to my rearview mirror, making sure he wasn't coming after me, and when I saw him pulling his hair and yelling at the sky, I shouted as if he could hear me, "I hope it was worth it!"

Do I feel bad for him? No. He made his bed; he can lay in it—without me. He may not enjoy how messy his bed is, and I say oh well to that because he should've made it properly to start with.

Now, all I need to do is walk into the airport with my chin up and shoulders back and show everyone and me who I am—a strong, brave, full of fire, and one very fierce woman.

Life is a journey that has many paths for us to choose from. I may have chosen the wrong direction this last time, but I never will ever again. Because the next paths I come across, I'll make sure to choose wisely.

I hope...

🤞🤞I hope you enjoyed the chapter!! 🤞🤞