I Married Another Man At My Wedding

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!”