Liars

1256 Words
“We need to talk.” His deep blue, sorrowful eyes are fixed on me, like a thick book I can't seem to open. “Does it really have to be now?” I murmur, my voice barely audible. The priest, with his white hair, brushes past us, waving his pale hand. “Mr. Cooper, are you serious about what you just said?” Jason doesn’t turn his head, still staring at me. “I am serious.” “Jason, sweetie, this isn’t funny.” I grip the bouquet tightly in my hands, catching a glimpse of Uncle Peter standing up, as if trying to hear what we're discussing. I lower my voice, almost pleading. “We’ve been waiting for this for years, haven’t we?” I see a flicker of pain in his eyes, then his gaze shifts past my shoulder before coming back to me, but this time with a firm resolve. “Anna, I will always be your friend, but we cannot get married.” It feels like I’ve been punched in the chest, and tears uncontrollably slip from my eyes. “Why?” Jason opens his mouth, but before he can speak, Uncle Peter walks over and punches him hard. I scream, trying to pull Uncle Peter away, but a few groomsmen rush up to restrain him, while Anya and Jennifer, my bridesmaids, run over to break up the fight. Chaos ensues. When everything settles down, Uncle Peter and I return to his house. Jennifer stays by my side, clutching my arm tightly, saying nothing. We both know I don’t even have the strength to speak. Anya keeps apologizing, but I stop her. It’s not her fault. Like a ghost, I quietly retreat to the small room at the end of Uncle Peter's house where I’ve lived for the past fifteen years, lock the door, and collapse onto the bed. After Uncle Peter punches Jason, the panicked priest suffers a heart attack and is rushed to the hospital. Since the venue is far from the nearest hospital, Jason has to drive him there himself—but I know he just wants to escape as far away from this place as possible. Everyone at the wedding now knows I’ve been abandoned at the altar by my long-time boyfriend. I can’t bear the looks of pity and judgment. My vision blurs, my eyes brimming with tears. In my most vulnerable moment, Jennifer steps in. She stands firmly by my side, calming the furious Uncle Peter and convincing him to take us away from that heart-wrenching place. Anya stays behind to handle all the messy aftermath on both families' behalf. And I lie on the bed, staring at the ceiling, silently crying. My mind is blank, replaying everything from the past three years. The romantic rain of flowers and the proposal on my birthday last year, his worried, pained expression when I was in a car accident… Was all of that a lie? Why? Did I do something wrong? Was it because I kept asking him over and over again about the wedding details and annoyed him? Was it because I worked overtime for a week, finishing a project, and ignored him, making him upset? Or was it because I didn’t like the design of his new house and wanted to renovate it, which made him dislike me? I replay every detail of the past three years over and over again, desperately searching for clues to Jason’s sudden change, sinking deeper into self-doubt. I jump up from the bed, hitting the hanging bookshelf with a loud bang. “Ah!” Jennifer pushes the door open. “Anna, what happened?” “I know why Jason said those things!” I grab her hand, my eyes lighting up like never before. “Really?” Jennifer hesitates, asking, “You figured it out?” I’m lost in my own theory. “It must be a huge prank! When he proposed before, I joked that it wasn’t creative enough, so this time, he’s trying to surprise me—maybe even scare me!” The more I talk, the more it makes sense. I jump off the bed and run barefoot around the room. “You must know something, right? If the priest hadn’t had a heart attack, Jason would have laughed and said, ‘Bingo! Got you!’ when I started crying, and then the wedding would go on.” It takes a while for Jennifer to catch up with my train of thought. She stammers, “Anna, I think you need to rest.” “Why? Am I wrong?” I reach for my phone to call Jason, but then I remember I left it in the hotel room. I stretch out my hand to Jennifer. “Can I borrow your phone?” She hesitates but hands it to me. I dial Jason’s number, and he picks up quickly. “Hey, are you okay?” “I’m fine,” I reply instinctively. “Sweetie.” His breathing suddenly becomes heavy. After a long silence, Jason cautiously says, “You know?” “Of course!” I say excitedly. “How long were you planning to keep it a secret?” The voice on the other end turns guilty. “We wanted to tell you sooner. I didn’t know…” I’m twirling a picture frame on my nightstand, a photo of me, Jennifer, and Anya together. “You really almost scared me to death. I’ll never forgive you!” Jason’s voice turns even more pained. “Anna, I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. I love you, but I love Jennifer more.” The picture frame slips from my hand, falling onto the carpet. “What did you say?” I manage to squeeze out the words through gritted teeth. Jennifer tries to take the phone from me. “Anna, now isn’t the time to talk.” I hold her off with my right hand. I look at Jennifer, her light brown eyes filled with guilt. Jason’s apology echoes in my ear. “I thought I could go through with it, marry you as we planned. But when I stood there, looking past you at Jennifer, nothing else mattered anymore. She became my whole world. Anna, we’re still friends. I’ll do anything for you.” “Anything?” Tears stream down my face as I scream, trembling, “I never want to see you again in my life!” I throw the phone at the wall, the noise drawing Uncle Peter’s attention. I hear his footsteps coming closer to my room. Jennifer, crying, begs for my forgiveness. “I told him we were over. I didn’t want to be the one to ruin your happiness.” “When did it start?” I am eerily calm, some unknown force giving me clarity, as I interrogate her coldly. “Half a year ago, when you were busy working overtime,” she grips my hand tightly. “It was just a drunken mistake, nothing more. He helped me get rid of David, and I treated him to a few meals. I was so helpless and hurt at that time, and Jason was so kind and thoughtful. I didn’t know…” I nearly faint. “Anna, I already told him it’s over. It didn’t mean anything. We’re best friends. I didn’t know he would do this…” Her lips move, but I can no longer hear her voice. The image of the woman in front of me blurs. And I pass out.
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