Guests had just sat down when she slipped a folded note into my hand. I frowned and opened it. Five words stared back at me: \u201cSay no at the altar.\u201d My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
I turned to her, confused. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She squeezed my hand, her grip firm but steady. \u201cJust trust me. Do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted to argue. To demand answers. But something in her eyes \u2014 calm and certain \u2014 made me pause. Liana wasn\u2019t scared. She wasn\u2019t panicked. She had a plan. And I trusted her.<\/p>\n
When the officiant asked if I took Liana to be my wife, I hesitated just long enough for whispers to start. Then, with my stomach in knots, I said, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room fell silent. A chair scraped against the floor. Then, from across the room, came a LAUGH \u2014 cold, sharp, and cruel. I turned toward the sound. And there SHE was.<\/p>\n
Her name was Sabrina, Liana\u2019s estranged cousin. The black sheep of the family. Her dark red lips curled into a smirk as she stood, slow and deliberate, her heels clicking against the wooden floor.<\/p>\n
Well, well, well,\u201d she purred. \u201cWhat a shocking turn of events.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Liana\u2019s parents looked mortified. My own mother clutched her pearls. Sabrina sauntered closer, her gaze flicking between me and Liana.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to say, Liana,\u201d she mused, \u201cI thought you were too much of a goody-two-shoes to go through with it. But here we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mind raced. What was she talking about? What game was being played?<\/p>\n
Liana turned to face her cousin, standing tall. \u201cYou were always good at making people doubt me, Sabrina. But today? It ends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabrina arched an eyebrow. \u201cDoes it, darling?\u201d<\/p>\n
Liana exhaled and turned to the crowd. \u201cMany of you don\u2019t know the full story. Sabrina and I were once close, but she\u2019s been scheming against my family for years. Lies, manipulation, trying to get my parents to turn against me so she could inherit everything.\u201d She squared her shoulders. \u201cBut today, she went too far. She tried to blackmail me into calling off this wedding. When I refused, she threatened to humiliate me, to tell everyone lies about me and Leo.\u201d She took my hand. \u201cSo I decided to take away her power.\u201d<\/p>\n
Murmurs erupted among the guests. I was still trying to process it all, but as I looked at Liana, her face unwavering, I knew she had done the right thing. By having me say no first, she robbed Sabrina of the scandal she had hoped to create.<\/p>\n
Sabrina\u2019s smirk faltered for the first time. She wasn\u2019t expecting this.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always did like drama,\u201d Liana said, her voice firm. \u201cBut today isn\u2019t your show.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabrina\u2019s eyes darted around the room. The whispers were growing, people shaking their heads, looking at her with suspicion rather than the shock she had hoped for.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t over,\u201d she hissed, but it was. She knew it. We all did. With a final glare, she spun on her heel and stalked out, slamming the doors behind her.<\/p>\n
A moment of stunned silence followed. Then, Liana turned back to the officiant and smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we start again?\u201d she asked, squeezing my hand.<\/p>\n
The guests burst into applause, laughter rippling through the room. The tension shattered like glass, replaced by warmth and joy.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeo,\u201d she said softly, looking at me, \u201cdo you take me to be your wife?\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled, my heart full. \u201cYes. A million times, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
We kissed to the sound of cheers, knowing we had won in more ways than one.<\/p>\n
Trust, love, and standing together \u2014 that\u2019s what mattered. And today, we proved that nothing, not even a vengeful cousin, could take that away from us.<\/p>\n