As my brother’s wedding day approached, excitement pulsed through the air. Everyone was buzzing with anticipation—partly because the groom, my brother Liam, was a legendary prankster. And he’d been teasing us all about a “huge surprise.”
I assumed it was just typical Liam stirring the pot. He lived for drama, after all.
Liam and his fiancée, Denise, had been together for years, so I wasn’t surprised when she asked me to be a bridesmaid.
“Please, Daphne,” she said, handing me a gift box filled with little treats. “I need you with me on the big day—you’re not just Liam’s little sister anymore. You’re mine, too.”
Of course, I said yes. Denise had always felt like family. She’d even thrown my 21st birthday party—something my own friends had flaked on.
When it came to planning the wedding, she and I spent more time talking than she did with Liam.
“I’m wasting my time trying to get his opinion,” she groaned one day. “You take notes, and we’ll do the cake tasting together.”
Liam, on the other hand, seemed to be doing the bare minimum—or so it appeared. In reality, he was working behind the scenes on something special: a video montage for their wedding.
“I’m going to play it just before the vows,” he told me during one of my visits.
He opened a folder on his laptop, revealing a treasure trove of photos and videos of him and Denise—memories he was stitching together into something beautiful.
“Do you think Liam has cold feet?” Denise asked me while we were shopping for wedding outfits.
“No,” I said honestly. “He’s actually planning something for you. It’s been taking up all his time.”
“What is it?” she asked, eyes lighting up.
“I’m sworn to secrecy,” I grinned. “Now go try on dresses!”
On the morning of the wedding, I arrived early at the hotel. I wanted to check in on Liam before joining Denise and the other bridesmaids.
“You’re not ready for what’s coming,” he teased, sipping champagne as he buttoned his shirt.
“Oh boy,” I laughed. “Can’t wait to see what you’ve cooked up.”
The ceremony itself was perfect—everything Denise had envisioned. From the floral arrangements to the music to the delicate scent of candles wafting through the venue, every detail was immaculate.
Then came the vows.
Liam stepped forward and raised his hand.
“Before we begin, I have something to show everyone,” he announced. “This is our love story—from the beginning to now.”
With a flourish, he pulled a remote from his pocket. Two groomsmen rolled a TV screen into place at the front of the altar. Liam stepped back, pressed play, and joined them.
The screen lit up with a beautiful montage: their first kiss, vacation snippets, home-cooked meals, quiet nights in. The audience was transfixed.
But the real twist was still to come.
As the video ended, the priest stepped forward to resume the ceremony.
“If anyone objects,” he began.
That’s when Liam let go of Denise’s hand and stepped backward.
“I do,” he said.
Denise froze. “Liam, this isn’t the time for one of your pranks.”
“This isn’t a prank,” he replied quietly.
He held up the remote again and pressed another button. A second video began.
This one was very different.
On screen, Denise appeared—but she wasn’t alone. She was in lingerie, entangled with another man in what was clearly their home.
A collective gasp echoed through the crowd. Silence fell. All eyes were on the screen, then slowly turned toward Denise.
Her face turned ghost white. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
“This can’t be happening,” she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.
Then, from the back of the venue, a man swore loudly. He was there. The same man from the video—dressed in a suit, seated among the guests.
“This,” Liam said, his voice calm but heavy, “is why I won’t be marrying Denise today.”
He turned to the crowd. “I couldn’t let you all believe in a lie. Not today.”
The mood shattered. The festive air collapsed into stunned silence. Denise staggered, her eyes darting around the room like she was searching for an escape.
She pulled off her shoes and clutched them.
“It’s not what it looks like,” she stammered. “Liam, please—not here. Let’s talk in private.”
I wanted to feel sorry for her. After all, we’d been so close. But the evidence was undeniable. She’d betrayed my brother. And as much as I had once seen her as a sister, in that moment, she was just a cheater.
Tears streamed down her face.
“Please,” she sobbed. “Please talk to me.”
Liam stood firm, his eyes locked on hers.
“How long?” he asked, his voice low.
“Not long,” she mumbled. “I’m so sorry. You were never supposed to find out.”
“In our home?” he said, his voice cracking with disbelief. “You brought him into our home, Denise.”
The crowd murmured. Some guests shook their heads in disgust. Others stared in silence, unable to look away.
The priest stepped back, clearly unsure what to do.
Liam turned and walked out of the ceremony.
Denise chased after him, calling his name, but he didn’t stop. Her mother followed behind.
Later, I found Liam at the hotel bar. He was nursing a drink and poking at a bowl of olives.
“Did you know?” he asked me quietly.
“No,” I replied immediately. “Of course not.”
He explained that while organizing the wedding video, he’d started browsing through Denise’s files—hoping to find more memories to include.
“I thought I’d find something sweet,” he said. “I found that instead.”
He stared into his glass.
“It wasn’t even in a locked folder, Daphne.”
We sat in silence for a moment.
“Was I wrong to show everyone?” he asked.
“No,” I said gently. “But maybe… you could’ve talked to her privately first. You don’t know how this will affect her.”
I reached for the pretzels the bartender had left out and leaned back in my chair.
“I don’t care,” Liam said flatly. “I’m not checking on her.”
I didn’t argue. There was no use trying to make him forgive her. Liam had always been clear: cheating was the one thing he could never tolerate.
“Come on,” he said eventually. “Let’s go eat some wedding cake. No reason to waste that, too.”
So I followed my brother to the reception room, where the wedding feast waited for a celebration that would never come.
As much as I wanted to check on Denise, I knew where I belonged—by my brother’s side.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
