Swapping Out the Groom

The next morning, I was awakened by a loud, insistent knocking at the door.

It had been the best sleep I'd had in a long time. So deep, in fact, that when I got up, I was still dazed. I didn't even check the peephole—just opened the door.

Standing there were Jayden's parents.

They didn't look pleased. His mother took one look at my bleary eyes and gave a cold, sharp laugh.

"Leah! I heard from your parents—you're not planning to keep looking for Jayden? What's that supposed to mean? Do you not love him at all?"

"That's right, Leah. Why would you suddenly stop looking? As his parents, of course we're worried!"

Her voice was sharp and aggressive, while his father chimed in almost instantly, brushing past me and walking straight into the apartment.

I looked at the two of them—dressed plainly, yet with an air of calculation that felt almost practiced. Something inside me gave a dry chuckle, though on the surface, I let my face take on just the right amount of sorrow, my eyes even turning red at the corners.

After everything Jayden had put me through, wearing that expression took no effort at all.

I said quietly, "But we've been searching for so long already. Maybe… maybe something bad has happened. Perhaps it's time we called the police."

"What do you mean something bad? Are you cursing your own fiancé? Our Jayden's probably just gone out to clear his head!"

His father immediately grew angry, settling heavily onto the sofa and reaching for my cup of coffee.

Jayden's mother snapped, "Leah, you're my son's fiancée. The wedding's almost here—how can you just stop looking? Go find him now. Then we'll have the wedding as planned!"

"But I really don't know where he is," I said, trying to keep the annoyance from leaking into my voice. "Maybe we should just call the police."

Every time I brought up the police, her reaction was unusually intense.

A flicker of guilt passed over her face, quickly masked by a burst of false bravado as she slapped the coffee table. "Calling the police? What would that look like? The wedding invitations have already gone out. Do you know how unlucky that is? How disgraceful?"

"Exactly," her husband echoed. "The police would have to investigate, ask questions—how would it look to have the groom missing right before the ceremony?"

I laughed silently to myself. They said calling the police was bad luck, but the truth was, they were all in on it—two of a kind, and not the good kind.

"Oh, my poor son!" Jayden's mother wailed, suddenly reaching for tissues. "Leah! If you hadn't been so controlling, he wouldn't have run away! You rich girls are all the same—spoiled! If I'd known, I never would have agreed to this match. I should've let him be with Sophie instead!"

Her words turned to sobs, painting me as manipulative, high-maintenance, and unworthy of their precious son. I wondered how Jayden had twisted the truth so thoroughly to them over the years.

They complained about me now, but had they forgotten how they fawned over me in the beginning? Every visit to their home ended with them nudging me to stay the night, calling me "daughter-in-law" like it was already written in stone.

Their family had relied on mine for years. And now, with a little money in their pockets, they suddenly found fault in everything I did—said I was extravagant, looked down on me for my background.

Yes, I'd studied abroad. But I came back with a degree, just like anyone else. Why should I be looked down upon? What made Sophie, with her local degree, so superior?

The bitterness stirred, but I kept it buried, and let sorrow show on my face.

"You're right. If you're so dissatisfied with me, then maybe—since Jayden and I haven't married yet—we should just call it off. From now on, let's go our separate ways. It might save us all from suffering later."

Just then, Jayden's mother's face flickered with the shadow of a smile. She opened her mouth to speak, but her husband cut in, placing a firm hand on her arm.

"Leah," he said gently, "let's not be hasty. We're still planning to look for him. Marriage isn't something to joke about. It's not just on-again, off-again. Don't make a decision out of anger. We only said those things because we were worried."