\nOne week before our wedding, I was drowning in stress. Between work, last-minute details, and planning, I barely had time to think. Patrick and I were staying at my parents\u2019 house to save money before the big day.
\nThat afternoon, I left work early, feeling nauseous and off. I pulled into the driveway, entered quietly through the side door, and immediately froze.\n
Sobbing. From the living room.\n
I crept closer, heart pounding. Peeking around the corner, my stomach dropped.\n
Patrick\u2014on his knees. Begging.\n
My mom stood over him, her face unreadable. Then, in a cold, steady voice, she said, \u201cOkay, I won;t. But only under ONE condition.\u201d\n
\n
Patrick\u2019s voice choked with tears. \u201cPlease, Diane. Don\u2019t do this to me.\u201d
\nThat was it. My heart sank, my brain screamed. What was this secret? What was he begging for?\n
I couldn\u2019t hold back anymore. \u201cDo what?\u201d I burst in, needing answers.\n
Both of them snapped their heads toward me.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s begging because I told him that I\u2019d tell you everything. He thinks that his pleading and begging will prevent me from telling you the truth, Amanda.\u201d\n
\u201cTell me what?\u201d I asked simply. There was no time for niceties. I needed to know what was going on.\n
Patrick got to his feet and grabbed my hands.\n
\u201cAmanda, please, babe, just let me explain.\u201d\n
Explain what?\n
I yanked my hands away from him.\n
\u201cYour fianc\u00e9 has been lying to you, Amanda,\u201d my mother said.\n
\u201cLying? About what?\u201d I asked. My voice barely sounded like my own.\n
\u201cAbout who he really is,\u201d my mother said.\n
Patrick shook his head furiously.\n
\u201cNo, no! That\u2019s not\u2026 She\u2019s twisting it! Stop it, Diane!\u201d\n
\u201cShut up!\u201d My voice was sharper than it had ever been.\n
He looked wounded and betrayed.\n
\u201cMom, tell me what you know,\u201d I said.\n
\u201cHe was engaged before, Amanda. And he did something so horrible to her. Something that he confessed he was going to do to you!\u201d\n
\u201cNo, Diane! Amanda, it\u2019s not like that!\u201d Patrick shouted.\n
\u201cHe left her at the altar, darling. He ran off the morning of their wedding with every dollar she had saved for their future, including their down payment for the house they were going to move into. How sickening. Despicable.\u201d\n
I felt like I was going to be violently ill.\n
\n
\u201cIs that true?\u201d I whispered.\n
Patrick\u2019s mouth opened. And then he sighed.\n
His silence was my answer. And suddenly, the last three years snapped into focus.\n
\u201cFinances stress me out, babe. Let\u2019s just focus on us. Yeah?\u201d\n
Or what about that time he convinced me to put the wedding deposits on my card?\n
\u201cI\u2019ll pay you back, I swear, babe. You have better credit than me and all that stuff.\u201d\n
And what about how weirdly quiet he got when I mentioned wanting to open a joint account after the wedding?\n
\u201cWe can cross that bridge when we get there,\u201d he had said. \u201cLet\u2019s make it to our honeymoon first.\u201d\n
There were also the few times I caught him watching me, almost like he was studying me.\n
I had called it love. I had called it adoration. I had told myself that Patrick was just a live in the moment kind of guy. That he wasn\u2019t avoiding the future, just that he loved and trusted me enough to handle it.Best gifts for your loved ones\n
But now?\n
My goodness. Now, I knew the truth.\n
This man had never planned a future with me at all.\n
\u201cYou scammed her? You scammed a woman that you claimed to love? Did you help plan an entire wedding just to steal her money?\u201d\n
Tears streaked down Patrick\u2019s face. He just looked like a loser.\n
\u201cAmanda, I panicked. I was young! I was stupid and reckless, and I thought that a meaningful life meant having a lot of money.\u201d\n
My mother cut him off with a wave of her hand.\n
\u201cAnd guess who tracked him down? Noelle.\u201dBest gifts for your loved ones\n
She reached into her handbag on the coffee table and pulled out a letter.\n
\u201cPatrick\u2019s ex-fianc\u00e9e contacted me three months ago,\u201d she said. \u201cShe thought that the truth rather come from me than a stranger on the internet. She found me on Facebook. This is a copy of our conversation.\u201d\n
\u201cThree months ago, Mom? And you didn\u2019t tell me?! You just helped me pick out my wedding dress and sort out the menu? And the entire time, you didn\u2019t tell me?\u201d\n
My mother looked guilty. But she regained her composure quickly and took command of the room again.\n
\u201cI needed proof first, Amanda,\u201d she said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t going to blow up your life without it. Obviously.\u201d\n
Patrick looked at me, frantic.\n
\u201cAmanda, I love you! I would never! Noelle just told your mother lies! She told her what Diane wanted to hear. Your mother has never liked me. You know that!\u201dBest gifts for your loved ones\n
\u201cWhat was the one condition you mentioned, Mom?\u201d I asked.\n
She smirked.\n
\u201cThat he leaves. Tonight. No wedding, no explanations, just a groom who vanished into thin air.\u201d\n
Patrick looked at me again.\n
\u201cIf you\u2019ve ever believed in me, Amanda, don\u2019t do this. We can fix this!\u201d\n
\u201cGet out now!\u201d I shouted.\n
And for the first time, Patrick listened.\n
Three days after I called off the wedding, I stood in my bedroom, staring at the ivory lace gown hanging on the closet door.\n
I stepped closer, running my fingers over the fabric. And then I noticed it.\n
I hadn\u2019t noticed the tag before because the bridal shop had told me everything had been paid in full. Patrick had insisted on covering it.\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my gift to you, babe.\u201d\n
But the tag told another story.\n
Payment Outstanding: $3,200.\n
He never paid for it. Not fully. He never intended to.\n
Patrick had let me believe that the wedding was ours, when really, it was just another one of his investments. A scam. A setup.\n
If I hadn\u2019t found out, I would have woken up on my wedding day believing in forever with him, while Patrick had already planned his escape.\n
Two weeks later, I sat across from Noelle. Patrick\u2019s ex-fianc\u00e9e.\n
\u201cDid he tell you that he wanted three kids?\u201d I asked.\n
\u201cOf course, he did! And that he wanted to name the oldest one after his dad.\u201d\n
\u201cHe told me that his dad died when he was six.\u201d\n
She shook her head.\n
\u201cNope. Fred is alive and well. I went searching for his parents after he took all my savings.\u201d\n
We both went quiet.\n
\u201cYou know, I used to think I was stupid for falling for it. But the entire act was just so\u2026 believable.\u201d\n
\u201cMe too,\u201d I said quietly.\n
\u201cBut you know what?\u201d\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not stupid, Amanda. We are just good people who believed in love. And Patrick used that against us.\u201d\n
\u201cTo us. And to making sure that he never does this again.\u201d\n
I lifted my glass, and she clinked hers against mine again.\n
\u201cAnd to karma,\u201d she smirked.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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