He Gave Me a Used Condom at the Altar

My finger struck the *Enter* key on the media control tablet, the crisp click echoing loudly in the quiet bridal suite.

I unlocked the heavy oak door and yanked it open.

Julian immediately stumbled forward, his face flushed purple with rage. He checked his gold watch, glaring at me.

"Finally!" Julian snapped. "Your little tantrum is over. Get out there right now and—"

"Move," I ordered, cutting him off.

I shoved past him, my heavy silk train dragging over his polished shoes. Silas followed right behind me, his expression unreadable.

"Aria, what is wrong with you?" Julian demanded, chasing after me down the narrow corridor. "The organist has been playing the same loop for ten minutes! My mother is having a panic attack in the front row!"

I didn't answer. I kept my eyes fixed on the double doors leading into the main sanctuary.

"Are you listening to me?" Julian grabbed my elbow. "You are embarrassing me!"

I ripped my arm out of his grip. "Don't touch me."

I pushed through the double doors.

The sanctuary was packed. Two hundred guests turned their heads to look at me. The organ music swelled, anticipating my walk down the aisle.

I didn't look at the guests. I stared straight up at the massive drop-down screen hanging above the altar.

The romantic slideshow of our engagement photos vanished.

A new image replaced it.

In brilliant, 4K high-definition, my gray velvet sofa filled the screen. Chloe sat straddling Julian's lap. She wore absolutely nothing.

The church's surround sound system blasted their voices across the vaulted ceiling.

"Are you really going to say 'I do' tomorrow?" Chloe's voice whined through the speakers.

"I have to," Julian's digital voice replied, laughing. "The Sterling family connections are too good to pass up. Her dad practically handed me the VP spot."

Complete chaos erupted.

Guests screamed, gasped, and leaped out of the wooden pews.

"What is this?" Julian's mother shrieked, collapsing against her husband. "Turn it off!"

My father stood up from the front row, his face contorted in absolute fury. "Julian! What the hell is going on?"

"Turn it off!" Julian shrieked, sprinting down the aisle behind me. He waved his arms frantically at the sound booth. "Someone cut the power!"

I ignored his frantic shouting. I climbed the three carpeted steps to the altar and snatched the microphone from the pastor's trembling hands.

Chloe stood frozen in the front row. Her pink bridesmaid dress suddenly looked ridiculous. Her jaw hung open, her eyes darting frantically around the room as the guests pointed and shouted at her.

"You left a used condom in my ring box, Chloe," I spoke directly into the microphone. My voice sliced through the uproar, silencing the front rows. "Did you really think I wouldn't check the security cameras?"

"Aria, no, wait," Chloe stammered, backing away. She bumped into a floral arrangement, knocking a vase to the floor. "It's a fake! That isn't me! Someone hacked the screen!"

"Julian, tell them!" Chloe pleaded, turning to him. "Tell them it's a lie!"

Julian didn't even look at her. "Shut up, Chloe! You ruined everything!"

I reached into the bodice of my gown and pulled out a folded stack of papers. Silas had printed them for me in the church office just minutes ago.

"I also checked the IP address from the university forum," I announced.

Chloe's eyes widened in genuine terror. The color drained completely from her face. "Don't."

"For three years, an anonymous user posted daily threads telling me to drop out, calling me worthless, and urging me to kill myself," I said, my tone ice-cold.

"Stop talking!" Chloe screamed, covering her ears.

I threw the papers at her. They fluttered through the air, landing at her feet.

"The IP address matches your parents' router," I stated, staring her down. "You didn't just sleep with my fiancé. You are the coward who tormented me for years."

"You deserved it!" Chloe shrieked, bursting into tears. Her fake innocent facade finally cracked. "You always had everything, Aria! The money, the clothes, the perfect grades! You made me sick! I just wanted to take something away from you!"

The crowd erupted in disgusted murmurs.

Julian scrambled up the altar steps, his perfectly styled hair now a tangled mess. He dropped hard onto both knees right in front of my dress.

"Aria, please," Julian begged, grabbing at the air. "She means nothing to me! It was just stress from the wedding! I swear, it was a mistake!"

"A mistake is a typo, Julian," I replied, staring down at him. "This is a betrayal."

"You can't cancel the wedding!" he yelled, panic raising the pitch of his voice. He pointed wildly at the third row. "My boss is right there! My career will be ruined!"

"Consider it destroyed," I said. "My father will fire you before you even leave this building."

"You owe me!" Julian roared, desperation twisting his features into something ugly. Tears streamed down his cheeks, ruining his expensive cologne. "Have you forgotten what I did for you? I dragged you out of that burning storage room! I shattered that glass! I saved your life, Aria!"

He lunged forward, reaching to grab my waist.

His hand stopped in mid-air.

Silas stepped between us. He clamped his large hand around Julian's wrist, gripping the bone tight enough to make Julian wince in pain.

"Don't touch her," Silas warned, his voice low and dangerous.

"Get off me, you nobody!" Julian spat, trying to yank his arm free. "This is between me and my wife! She owes me her life!"

Silas didn't let go. He tightened his grip, forcing Julian to stay on his knees.

With his free hand, Silas reached into the breast pocket of his black suit jacket.

He pulled out a heavy silver object.

It was a university badge. The metal was heavily scratched, and dark, dried blood crusted the sharp edges.

Silas hurled the badge directly into Julian's face.

The heavy metal struck Julian's cheekbone with a sickening crack. Julian cried out, falling backward onto the carpet. A thin line of fresh red blood welled up where the badge had cut his skin.

The silver pin clattered against the wooden floorboards, spinning before coming to a complete stop.

"What is wrong with you?" Julian screamed, clutching his face. "Are you crazy?"

I stared at the silver badge. The dried blood on the metal matched the jagged scar on Silas's right hand. The same hand that had smashed the safety glass seven years ago. The same hand currently holding Julian down.

Silas took a step forward. He drove the heel of his leather shoe directly down onto the back of Julian's hand, pinning it firmly to the floor.

Julian let out an agonizing howl.

Silas leaned down, his dark eyes locking onto Julian's terrified face.

"You stole my jacket to claim the credit," Silas said, his voice echoing loudly through the microphone I still held. "Now, I'm taking what's mine."