My sister stole my fiancé before our wedding, so I gave her a gift she wont forget.

A Wedding Day Like No Other

The morning of my wedding, I woke up at 6:00 a.m. feeling calmer than I had in months. My phone was already buzzing with messages: bridesmaids asking about timing, vendors confirming details, relatives asking for directions to the church.

Maya texted me at 6:15.

“Jake told me everything. I’m so sorry, sis. I never meant for this to happen. Can we talk before the ceremony? I need to explain.”

I stared at the message for a full minute. Even now, she was lying, planning to manipulate me one last time, probably hoping to convince me to quietly cancel everything and slink away while she and Jake rode off into the sunset with my money.

I texted back:

“Of course. See you at the church. We’ll have plenty of time to talk.”

She had no idea I’d spent the night making sure every detail was perfect for her special day. Derek had sent me a text at 3:00 a.m.

“Package delivered. Everything’s in place. You’re going to love the bonus footage.”

Bonus footage meant he’d found more than I’d expected. Maya and Jake had probably been sloppy, thinking they were in the clear once the wedding was over.

At 8:00 a.m., my hair and makeup team arrived. I’d kept the original appointments, telling them there had been some changes but that we were proceeding as planned.

Sarah, my makeup artist, noticed my calm demeanor.

“You seem really zen for a bride,”

she said while applying my foundation.

“Usually by now brides are crying or yelling or both.”

“I’m exactly where I need to be,”

I said, which was the truth.

At 10:00 a.m., I arrived at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in my wedding dress. The guests were already arriving: 200 people who’d taken time off work, bought gifts, booked hotel rooms, and traveled from as far as California to celebrate what they thought was my happily ever after.

I could see Jake’s college roommates in the parking lot, laughing and adjusting their ties. My nursing school friends were clustered near the entrance, admiring the flower arrangements I’d spent months selecting.

Mia waited in the bridal suite, wearing the sapphire bridesmaid dress that cost me $400. She looked nervous for the first time in her life, fidgeting with her hair and checking her reflection obsessively.

When I walked in, she jumped up like she’d been caught doing something wrong.

“Claire, I need to explain—”

she said.

“No explanation needed,”

I said, adjusting her hair with gentle hands.

“You want Jake? You can have him.”

Her face lit up with relief and victory, the same expression she’d worn when she’d convinced our parents to let her have my bedroom when I left for college.

“Really? You’re not mad?”

she asked.

“How could I be mad?”

I smiled serenely.

“You’re my sister. If you think Jake is your soulmate, who am I to stand in the way of true love?”

Maya practically glowed. She’d gotten everything she wanted without consequences again.

In her mind, I was the same pushover sister who’d always rolled over whenever she wanted something.

“You’re being so mature about this,”

she said, hugging me carefully to avoid messing up our makeup.

“I was worried you’d make a scene.”

“Me, make a scene?”

I laughed.

“When have I ever made a scene?”

“Never,”

she said quickly.

“You’ve always been so reasonable. That’s why Jake and I knew you’d understand eventually.”

“There’s just one tiny change to the ceremony,”

I said casually, helping her touch up her lipstick.

“Since you two are so in love, I thought you should be the one to walk down the aisle today.”

Maya’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean?”

she asked.

“I’ve arranged for you to marry Jake instead. Right now, in front of everyone.”

The color drained from her face.

“Claire, we can’t just—”

she said.

“Why not? You love him, he loves you. Everyone’s already here. The flowers are paid for, the cake is ready, the photographer is set up, and I’ve arranged for a very special documentation of your big moment.”

I could see her mind racing. This wasn’t how she’d planned to steal my fiancé.

She wanted to do it slowly, carefully, making herself look like the innocent victim who’d been swept away by unexpected love. She wanted to be the tragic heroine of a romance novel, not the home wrecker who stole her sister’s wedding.

“But what will you tell everyone?”

she asked weakly.

“The truth,”

I said simply.

“That my sister and my fiancé found their soulmate in each other. That I’m stepping aside for true love. That everyone should witness the beginning of your beautiful life together.”

Mia knew she was trapped. If she refused, she’d look like the manipulative home wrecker she was.

If she accepted, she’d be married to Jake before she could think through the consequences. And backing out now would require explaining to 200 guests why she couldn’t marry the man she’d been having an affair with for months.

“Where is Jake?”

she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Getting ready in the men’s suite. He’s so excited to marry you, Maya. He kept talking about how you’re everything he ever wanted in a woman.”

That was a lie. Jake had spent the morning texting me frantically, begging to talk, promising it was all a mistake.

He’d called 17 times between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m. before I’d blocked his number. I’d forwarded all his messages to Mia instead, along with a note:

“Your groom seems nervous. Maybe you should comfort him.”

The Vows of Deceit

Twenty minutes later, Mia stood at the back of St. Mary’s in a hastily altered wedding dress borrowed from our cousin Jennifer, who was conveniently the same size and had brought her dress for photos. The congregation murmured in confusion as Pastor Williams stepped to the microphone.

“Due to unexpected circumstances,”

Pastor Williams said carefully, reading from the script I’d given him.

“We’re celebrating the union of Jake Patterson and Maya Richardson today instead of Clare Richardson and Jake Patterson.”

The murmurs grew louder. I sat in the front row next to my parents, who looked mortified and confused.

Dad kept whispering urgent questions that I answered with serene smiles and vague responses about love finding a way. Maya’s smile was brittle as she walked down the aisle to Jake, who stood at the altar looking like he might vomit.

He kept glancing at me desperately, probably hoping I’d stop this insanity. The organist played “Here Comes the Bride” while the congregation watched the strangest wedding ceremony they’d ever attended.

Chelsea the photographer snapped away enthusiastically, just as I’d requested. She’d positioned herself perfectly to capture both Maya’s forced smile and Jake’s obvious distress.

When Pastor Williams asked if anyone objected to the union, I could feel 200 pairs of eyes on me. The silence stretched for what felt like hours.

I smiled serenely and gave a small encouraging nod for the ceremony to continue.

“Jake,”

Pastor Williams said, consulting his notes.

“Do you take Maya to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, for as long as you both shall live?”

Jake glanced at me one more time, his eyes pleading. I maintained my serene expression.

He had no choice now. His mother was glaring at him from the second row.

Two hundred guests were waiting for his answer. Maya was gripping his hands so tightly her knuckles were white.

“I do,”

he croaked.

“Maya, do you take Jake to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, for as long as you both shall live?”

Mia hesitated for just a moment, probably realizing that for richer or poorer might not work out the way she’d planned. But she lifted her chin defiantly, putting on the performance of her life.

“I do.”

“You may kiss the bride.”

The kiss was awkward and brief, more of a peck than a passionate embrace. Chelsea captured it all, along with the uncomfortable expressions of the wedding party and the confused murmurs of the guests.