I Was the Fool at My Own Wedding

At my wedding reception, one of Patricia Ferguson's friends suggests a party game to liven things up. She keeps the rhythm, then points at me. "What's something you see at a wedding?" I look at Patricia beside me and point to myself, beaming. "The groom." My friend, Gordon Palmer, shoots me a knowing look before saying with a smirk, "A pathetic bed warmer." I freeze. I'm about to demand an explanation when Patricia's older sister, Amelia Ferguson, gives me a pointed look and sneers. "The side piece." As the color drains from my face, Patricia gently pats my head. "The truth is, Marvin and I got married last year. If your mother hadn't begged me to take care of you before she died, I wouldn't even be going through with this wedding. "Brad, I know how much you love me. Don't get all hung up on what you are to me." The moment Patricia finishes speaking, my half-brother, Marvin Sawyer, steps onto the stage holding a marriage certificate. Behind him, the screen lights up with an explicit video of me. It's not censored at all, and the audio is loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Marvin says, "Bradley, your mother was the other woman, and you've followed right in her footsteps. But thanks for throwing yourself at Patricia and keeping her company in bed while I was abroad getting treatment. "All you have to do is get on your knees and beg. Then I'll make it official. I'll let you be Patricia's side piece." My friends exchange mocking glances, smiling as they watch me being humiliated. Turns out every last one of them has known about this, but they've been keeping me in the dark. Their game has reached its grand finale, and I'm the only fool in the room. Chapter 1 My friend, Gordon Palmer, came over with a cup of hot coffee, grinning. "Come on, get on your knees and beg, Patricia's boy toy. Then serve Marvin his coffee." I stared at the man I'd known for the past ten years. I'd once stepped between him and a bully wielding a knife. I'd even helped him take legal action against relatives who had tried to steal his parents' inheritance. On countless nights, Gordon had broken down and grabbed onto me. "Brad, I swear, anyone who lays a hand on you will have to answer to me first." But in the end, he was the first to betray me. Amelia Ferguson, Patricia's older sister, stood nearby with her arms crossed. "They're married. You're the other man. Marvin is willing to put up with you, so what's so hard about getting on your knees and begging him?" she urged impatiently. Her voice was sharp and contemptuous, nothing like the woman who had once been driven to attempt suicide. Back then, Amelia's ex-husband had cheated on her and kept a mistress, driving her into severe depression. Time and again, I'd stopped her from hurting herself. I'd taken the blades from her hands and helped her find her way out of the darkness. And now, Amelia had kept Patricia's betrayal from me and was pushing me to become the other man. At that moment, it felt as though my heart were being torn apart. Fighting back tears, I grabbed the cup of coffee and hurled it at the screen where the intimate video of me was playing. Then, I fixed my gaze on Patricia and said slowly, "I never came between two people who were in love!" Patricia gently wiped away my tears, but her words were cruel. "Under the law, you're the other man. The marriage certificate we got yesterday was fake." My half-brother, Marvin Sawyer, let out a mocking laugh and held up his own marriage certificate. The sight of it made my stomach twist. "I can't believe you were stupid enough to actually fall for it. Patricia said I was too sensitive to handle people talking about me being the other man. "Last year, on your birthday, she told you she had to work late. But she actually went to the courthouse with me and married me." My chest clenched painfully, and my voice came out hoarse. "Patricia, he can't handle people talking about him, but somehow I'm supposed to?" Patricia chuckled, as though I'd said something ridiculous. "Brad, your mother put up with it. So why can't you? Besides, whether I make our relationship official or not doesn't change how much I love you." At the mention of my mother, tears immediately welled up in my eyes. Mom had been driven to suicide. Janet White, Marvin's mother, had been Dad's mistress before taking Mom's place as his wife. But she played the victim, turning everyone against Mom and painting her as the homewrecker. For three years, people had cursed her to her face, splashed paint across our door, and spat at her whenever she went outside. No one would listen to Mom's side of the story, and the police did nothing when she reported the harassment. In the end, she locked every door and set the house on fire. Tears streamed down her face as she made one last call to me. "Brad, I'm not what they say I am." That was when Patricia came into my life. She stayed by my side as I gathered Mom's remains and laid her to rest. She made everyone who hurt Mom get down on their knees and apologize. She even found the best doctors she could for Grandma, who was seriously ill and heartbroken after Mom's death. Patricia knew this wasn't just about being acknowledged as her partner. It was the thing that hurt me the most. That was why she'd knelt before Mom's grave and sworn she'd never make me hide our relationship or let anyone else's judgment hurt me. But now, she took my hand and said, "Brad, I've done everything I can to make this respectable. We had a wedding, didn't we? "I only invited our closest friends. Even if you get down on your knees, beg, and serve Marvin coffee, no one else will ever find out." Something inside me finally snapped. So she figured that as long as not many people knew, it didn't count as degrading. Another cup of coffee was brought over, and this time, Patricia handed it to me herself. "The doctor said Marvin's condition is still unstable. We have to humor him. Brad, just give in this once." I refused to meet her eyes and began pulling off my ring, my eyes red-rimmed. Seeing that, Patricia pressed her lips into a thin line. Her voice took on a warning edge as she added, "Bradley Sawyer, think about what you're doing. "Your grandmother still needs the medication my family developed to save her life. Even as they wheeled her into surgery, she was hoping we'd get married. Are you sure you want to set her off at a time like this and pick a fight with me?" Tears blurred my vision. I stood frozen, unable to pull my hand free from Patricia's. For Marvin's sake, she was willing to use my grandmother's life to make me give in. Whatever feelings I still had for her died right there. I stopped expecting anything from her. So, I booked a one-way ticket out of the country for three days later. Once Grandma's final surgery was over, I'd take her with me and never come back. Chapter 2 I kept my head lowered as tears streamed down my face. Seeing that, Patricia gave my hand a squeeze and said, "If you'd just done as you were told, I wouldn't have had to push you this far. Fine. You don't have to get on your knees and beg. Just do as you're told, and your grandma will be fine." I dug my nails into my palms. As everyone looked on with contempt, I managed a shaky "Okay". … The next day was Sunday, the day Patricia and I were supposed to visit Grandma. But this time, she picked up her coat and a bag of supplements that seemed oddly out of place. She frowned at her watch. "Marvin has a follow-up appointment today. I can't go with you." I furrowed my brow, my voice unsteady as I said, "Patricia, Grandma's been waiting three months to see you. She called me dozens of times yesterday, just hoping you'd—" Before I could finish, the door slammed shut in my face. … Grandma had become so thin that she was almost unrecognizable. She was hooked up to tubes all over, and she could barely manage more than a word at a time. Even so, she found the strength to take my hand and look behind me, hopeful. "Brad… Patricia didn't come? Did you two fight? Am I… becoming a burden to you?" Seeing the hesitation in Grandma's eyes, I fought back tears and shook my head again and again. Just then, my phone chimed with a notification. Patricia had just posted two photos on Instagram. The first showed her hand clasped in Marvin's, wearing a wedding ring that matched mine. The second was a sonogram. Her caption read, "Starting a family with the love of my life. I've never been happier." Gordon was the first to congratulate them. He commented, "True love always wins. We'll never let that homewrecker steal Marvin's place." Amelia was quick to join in. She wrote, "I've never liked him. His mother was a homewrecker, and now his grandmother's just a sickly old woman. He still thinks he's good enough to be Patricia's husband. Doesn't he realize he's not even in her league?" Their words cut deep, each one twisting the knife a little further. Patricia had made the post visible to everyone. Before long, relatives who had no idea what was really going on began calling Grandma. "What's gotten into Bradley? Has he turned out just like his mother?" they asked. My blood ran cold at once. Before Grandma could make out what was being said, I snatched the phone from her. I held it together long enough to calm her down, then rushed to the stairwell and called Patricia. "Patricia, take down that post! Someone just called Grandma and accused me of being the other man! She's too sick to handle this kind of stress. Are you trying to kill her?" Patricia paused, then softened her voice. "I'm sorry, Brad. Marvin wanted everyone to know he was my husband. I had to put his mind at ease." The moment she finished speaking, a harsh banging came through the phone. Then, Marvin spoke, sounding thoroughly pleased. "You're right, Pat. The old house Bradley's mom left behind really is a nice place. It's a shame you two made it your home. It'd be much better for me to recover here." In an instant, my mind went blank, and I started shaking uncontrollably. "Patricia, did you really let Marvin take over my mother's house? Do you realize that's the last thing she left me?" Patricia was silent for a moment, then sighed impatiently. "Brad, don't start. The spiritual adviser said the house had healing energy. It's the perfect place for Marvin to recover. I'll buy you a better house later." I couldn't listen to another word of her excuses. I hung up and rushed back to the house. But it was too late. The crabapple tree Mom and I had planted in the yard had been cut down and hacked to pieces. The swing she'd put up for me had been torn down and left in a heap on the ground. The master bedroom I'd painstakingly designed for Patricia and me was now littered with their clothes. Even the flooring, couch, and standing lamp I'd picked out seemed tainted by what they'd done together. The silver pendant Patricia and I had received at church after three months of praying for my mother now hung around Marvin's neck. Whatever restraint I'd managed to maintain finally gave way. I snatched up everything within reach and started hurling it at them. "Get out! Both of you, get the hell out of my house! We're done, Patricia. I want nothing more to do with you!" Chapter 3 Just then, Patricia stopped dodging and raised an eyebrow. "Are you throwing another fit? You get to have things your way, but what about your grandmother? Are you just going to leave her to die?" I thought of Grandma lying in her hospital bed, little more than skin and bones. My body went rigid, and a lump rose in my throat. By the time I'd nearly cried myself dry, my voice came out flat. "You can have the house. Just please, promise me you'll keep Grandma alive." Patricia smiled and reached out to stroke my hair. But before she could touch me, I caught a whiff of Marvin's cologne on her. I instinctively stepped back. "Don't touch me. You're disgusting." Patricia let out an exasperated laugh. "Oh, so you can't stand me? Fine. I'll give you some time to get used to it. But once we're married, you'll just have to accept it." She sounded completely unbothered, as though she was certain I'd never leave her. I was too exhausted to even speak to her anymore. All I could think about was Grandma's recovery. Once she was better, I'd take her somewhere far away from here. What I hadn't expected was that Patricia would hold a grand wedding for Marvin. I grabbed the hem of her jacket, pleading, "Patricia, you're practically announcing this wedding to the whole town. What if Grandma finds out? She might not be able to take it." She merely pinched the bridge of her nose, sounding impatient. "Our wedding upset Marvin enough as it was. I'm going to give him the grand wedding he deserves. "I'll have someone assigned to watch your grandmother. Nothing will happen to her. Oh, and Marvin needs one more groomsman. You'll do." A sharp pang went through my chest, and I stared at Patricia in disbelief. "After the way he's treated me, you expect me to stand beside him as his groomsman?" She ruffled my hair with a smile. "You've been through a wedding before. Consider yourself experienced." The memory of our disastrous wedding left me with nothing more to say. After that, I simply went through the motions. I delivered invitations for them while Marvin watched with a malicious smile. Gordon took one look at me and immediately sneered. "I went to the homewrecker's wedding once. That was more than enough. Going twice is too much of a disgrace." Amelia rolled her eyes too. "Marvin's the only man I recognize as my brother-in-law," she said. "No one else gets my blessing." One after another, our friends and family said no before I could even hand them the invitations. Some even threw them in my face, then launched into a tirade. "You were always going on about how much you hated homewreckers. And now you're the one tearing a family apart. You're disgusting!" I mechanically told them that Marvin was the groom. Their hostility vanished the moment they heard that, and they promised to be there. Even Susan Jones, Patricia's mother, made a point of handing the family heirloom pendant to Marvin right in front of me. She said sharply, "Honestly, what kind of son would you expect from a woman who broke up someone else's marriage? And he actually had the nerve to demand a wedding from Patricia. "Homewreckers these days have no shame. Thank goodness Patricia is marrying Marvin publicly. Otherwise, I'd be letting down this entire family." The sheer humiliation left me so shaken I could barely stay on my feet. Even then, Patricia merely frowned and spoke with a hint of reproach. "Mom, that's enough. You're taking it too far." Then, she glanced at Marvin as he showed off the pendant and chuckled. "That's my man. Even a family heirloom looks better on you." All the hurt I'd kept bottled up for so long finally spilled over. I gathered everything that documented my relationship with Patricia, ready to set the record straight with the people around us. But before I could get the truth out, my phone was flooded with a barrage of vile messages. The calls started coming one after another, each one full of abuse. Explicit photos of me were plastered all over the internet, with captions branding me a shameless homewrecker. Before long, the scandal was trending across the city. The headline read, "Man Sleeps With His Own Brother's Wife While Brother Is Abroad Receiving Treatment." The post even included the very records I'd put together. But everything Marvin had done had been twisted to make it look as though I'd done it. Patricia saw how the online abuse had left me too afraid to step outside. Then, without an ounce of shame, she admitted that it had all been her doing. She looked at me calmly as though I were a child throwing a tantrum. "Brad, you're not thinking straight. Marvin is the father of my child. I can't let you ruin his life." Chapter 4 I couldn't stop my eyes from reddening when I heard that. "So you decided to ruin me first?" As Patricia pointedly avoided my gaze, I demanded hysterically, "Patricia Ferguson, just what the hell did I ever do wrong?" She was silent for a moment before she spoke in a gentler tone than before. "Brad, I admit that I was a little too hasty this time. But it's only because I'm too scared that you'll hurt Marvin and the baby. Once the wedding is over, you can vent however you like." Yet before I could answer, I received over a dozen urgent calls from the hospital. "Mr. Sawyer, please hurry to the hospital. Your grandmother's condition suddenly deteriorated due to severe distress. If her condition worsens any further, her life will be in danger!" All the blood seemed to freeze in my veins. No longer having the presence of mind to confront Patricia, I rushed to the hospital as quickly as I could. When I arrived, the door to Grandma's room was wide open, and Marvin was standing by her bed with his marriage certificate. I lunged forward, my eyes bloodshot as I shoved him away. "What are you doing? Get out! You're not welcome here!" Marvin laughed mockingly before tossing Grandma's life-saving medication into the toilet bowl and flushing it. "Even if I'm not welcome here, I still have to come. Now that everyone knows that you're a homewrecker, someone's got to let this old biddy know, right?" Susan smiled and patted Marvin's arm. Then, she said to Grandma, "Hey, old lady, it's one thing for you to leech off Patricia because of your illness, but how did you even raise your grandson for him to turn out like this? "My daughter is a married woman, yet he still threw himself at her. What, is being shameless a skill passed down in your family?" "That's enough! Don't force me to take action!" Their ugly words stabbed into me like daggers, and I couldn't hold my raging emotions back anymore. However, Grandma's bony, shriveled hand pressed down on the back of my hand. The pressure she exerted was light, so light that it was as though it would disappear at any moment. Nonetheless, I felt as though a boulder was pressing down on me, pinning me to the spot. I didn't even dare twitch a muscle. In a weak voice so faint that it was barely audible, she spoke haltingly. "Brad… they say that… you're a homewrecker. I… don't believe them. I want to… hear what… you have to say…" I dropped to my knees by her bed, utterly distraught as I burst into loud sobs. It was like I was trying to cry away all the hurt and suffering I had endured in the past few days. "Grandma, I'm not a homewrecker! I'm really not!" Grandma's lips curled up slightly into a small smile as a relieved look crossed her kindly face. "I knew that… you were a good kid… It's… my fault… I burdened you with this… but not anymore…" Then, using the last bit of strength she had left, she yanked off the oxygen tube keeping her alive. Immediately, the faintly flickering line on the heart monitor flatlined. I clutched her hand desperately, bellowing, "Grandma!" However, she would never open her eyes again. "What's with the wailing? That old crow should've died long ago. She was just wasting my wife's money." Marvin rolled his eyes, his venomous words slicing my heart into ribbons. Eyes reddening, I seized him by the collar and raised my hand, ready to punch him. However, a fierce slap landed on my face first. Patricia, who had rushed over, now stood protectively in front of Marvin. The look she shot me was filled with deep disappointment. "Bradley Sawyer, are you done? I already said that I'd let you vent in whatever manner you want after the wedding. Marvin's only just recovered from his illness, yet you wanted to hit him? Since when did you become so wicked?" Clutching my throbbing cheek, I roared in despair, "Patricia Ferguson, if you'd just look at my grandma, you wouldn't be saying that!" Yet, Patricia took Marvin's hand and turned to leave. She scoffed and said, "Bradley, don't bother putting on this act with your grandma. For the sake of seeing you get married, she held on for a whopping seven years. As if these few minutes are going to kill her." But Grandma truly was dead. Now that I had nothing left to lose, I didn't hesitate to call the police. "I want to report a suspected murder."