My sister recently called with exciting news: after three years of dating, she was finally getting married. I knew her fiancé – a kind, hardworking guy, but he didn’t have his own place yet. So, after the wedding, they decided to live with her parents.
I was thrilled for her and, of course, wanted to give her a great gift. My husband and I were financially comfortable, saving for travel and repairs, but we could afford a small treat.
I decided to buy her a new washing machine – something useful and necessary for the house. However, my husband strongly objected:
— What did she give us for our wedding? A set of bed linens!
I remembered that gift. It was modest, but meaningful to me, as she had spent all her savings on it.
Seeing my determination, my husband fell silent, then sighed:
— Fine, choose your gift.
But the next day, things took an unexpected turn: when I got to the store, I received a strange message from my sister. After reading it, I froze, and my husband gave me a questioning look.
What was written in the message changed everything…
I slowly scrolled through the message, trying to process what I was reading. It said:
“Don’t buy us any washing machine… the wedding is off.”
My hands went cold. My husband peeked over my shoulder:
— What happened?
I quickly called my sister, but all I heard was a short dial tone. She’d ended the call.
What could have happened? They’d been planning this wedding for so long… She had been so happy telling me about the preparations. I began texting her:
“What happened? Are you okay?”
Minutes passed before her reply appeared:
“I’ll tell you later. Please don’t ask.”
I didn’t expect that. Why wouldn’t she talk? I had a feeling this was much more serious than just a canceled wedding…
I couldn’t calm down. Something wasn’t right. Very wrong.
I called her again, but once again, she ended the call. Then, I dialed my mom.
— Sweetie, — my mom’s voice sounded tired. — We’re all in shock. We don’t know what to do…
— What happened?! — I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
My mom hesitated before quietly exhaling:
— He caught her with someone else.
I froze. A strange, sticky feeling settled deep inside me.
— Who? — my voice trembled.
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
— Mom?
She sighed heavily.
— With your… with your husband.
The world seemed to collapse around me. I gripped the phone tightly.
— This can’t be… — I whispered.
But somewhere deep inside, I already knew. It could be. And I think, deep down, I had known it all along… They had been lying to everyone this whole time…
