They Framed Me, I Ruined Their Wedding

Chapter 2

Mia had turned my bedroom into her dressing room.

Her wedding dress hung in front of the full-length mirror Mom had put in for me. On the windowsill sat a photo of her engagement to Colin.

He'd ended our engagement by letter during my second month in prison. Mia had helped him deal with the mess I'd made, he'd written, and all I could do was blame her. He couldn't marry a woman who'd hurt her own family out of jealousy.

I'd written pages in reply, begging for a little more time. Once Owen found the evidence, Colin would see I hadn't lied.

He never wrote back. I told myself he was still angry.

I knew we weren't engaged anymore. But surely, once the truth came out, we could at least talk. I kept his letter. Every time I reached the part where he called me cruel, I'd write my explanation all over again. The woman he hated existed only in Mia's lies. If I could make him see that, he'd stop saying those things about me.

The engagement photo was dated last Christmas.

I'd asked him to visit that day. He'd been too busy.

He'd never found the time after that, either.

"You can stay downstairs for now." Owen opened the guest room door. "We'll deal with your room after the wedding."

They'd used it for cleaning supplies. A bed barely fit inside.

I didn't argue. That evening, I set three places close together at the table.

They got home late. Mia took one look at the onions in the soup and complained, so Owen ordered takeout for her.

"You've forgotten she doesn't like onions?"

I hadn't forgotten. But it was his favorite soup, and I hadn't been able to make it for him in 3 years.

*****

Colin came over the next morning for a suit fitting. He'd just agreed to talk to me alone when Mia called him over to fasten her necklace.

"Wait here," he told me.

I waited until the afternoon. He finally stopped to talk on his way out.

"When did you two get together?"

"She got me through the worst of it."

I stared at him. Every time I'd begged him to visit, he'd said he couldn't bear to see me in prison. At least he'd had someone to comfort him.

"And what about me?"

He looked away. "You're out now, Sara. It's time to move on."

Mia joined us, carrying the wedding photo book. I recognized those pictures of the coast. They were mine.

I'd told Colin 3 years earlier that I didn't want stiff wedding portraits. I wanted to use the photos I'd taken of our family.

They'd kept the pictures. Changed the bride.

Even the photography credit was Mia's.

"I took these."

She smiled. "We're sisters. Since when do we keep score?"

Owen handed her the final payment for the printer. "We can't put your name on it. Not with your reputation. Mia's doing you a favor."

I closed the book. My name was too shameful to print beside my own photos, yet yesterday they'd broadcast it to everyone watching.

"My reputation? You still haven't cleared my name."

Colin frowned. "Can we not do this again? She's stressed enough about the wedding."

I looked from one to the other. None of them thought I deserved credit for my own work.

I dug out the spare phone I'd left at home, found the original files, and contacted the company producing the books. I'd never given permission for my photos to be used at this wedding.

Once they'd checked the files, the company stopped the delivery and insisted on correcting the credit. The rush reprint would cost extra.

Owen caught up with me after their call. "Was all this really necessary?"

"None of you would listen. What else was I supposed to do?"

He was quiet for a moment. Then he told Mia to return the camera Mom had bought me, too.

I hugged it to my chest. The lens cap was gone. Even the strap had been swapped for a different color.

While I was locked away, they'd taken my life apart, one piece at a time.