Betrayed at the Altar

Chapter 4: Shattered Reflection

Chapter 4: Shattered Reflection

The house was quiet, too quiet.

Jennie helped Rachel up the stairs, one slow step at a time. Her fingers were locked around Rachel’s wrist, as if letting go would cause her to collapse entirely. Rachel’s wedding gown trailed behind her like a ghost—wrinkled, dirtied at the hem, and soaked in grief.

In the hallway, a soft voice broke through the silence.

“Rachel?” her mother called from the living room. “You’re back so soon? Why didn’t you tell me you’d be home this early? Did the ceremony end already?”

Kathy Alvarez fragile frame appeared in the doorway. She leaned heavily on her cane, her eyes wide with confusion. When she saw Rachel still in her wedding dress—no bouquet, no smile, no glow—her face crumpled.

“What happened?” Clara asked, voice trembling. “Why is she in her gown? What—what’s going on?”

Jennie stepped in swiftly, her tone gentle but firm. “Mrs. Carter, it’s okay. Nothing serious… she’s just a little overwhelmed. It was a small ceremony. You know Bruce, he wanted to keep things simple.”

Clara’s eyes darted from Jennie to her daughter. “But why didn’t I know about it? You two were supposed to register the marriage and do a grand one later, I thought—”

“That’s what Bruce said,” Rachel whispered, her voice thin and flat.

Clara moved toward her daughter, concern etched deep into her face. “Rachel… what’s wrong, sweetheart? You’re scaring me.”

Rachel forced a smile—wobbly, brittle. “I’m fine, Mama. Just a bit tired. You know how Bruce can be. Always changing plans.”

“But your eyes…” Clara stepped closer, frowning. “You’ve been crying. What happened?”

Jennie stepped in again. “She needs rest. The day… it didn’t go the way we hoped. Just let her get some sleep. Please.”

Clara hesitated, her fingers twitching toward Rachel’s hand. But then she nodded slowly, too fragile herself to push further. “Alright. But if something’s wrong… you’ll tell me?”

Rachel nodded. “I promise.”

When the door shut behind her mother, silence settled like a weight over the room.

Jennie helped Rachel sit on the edge of her bed, then knelt in front of her.

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell her the truth?” Jennie asked softly. “She deserves to know what they did to you.”

Rachel shook her head. “She’s already had a stroke, Jen. I can’t… I can’t be the reason something happens to her again.”

Jennie’s jaw clenched. “Bruce doesn’t deserve your silence. Neither does that vulture Amanda.”

Rachel looked up at her, eyes hollow. “She hated me. Always did.”

“Yeah, because you’re better than her.”

Rachel gave a humorless laugh. “But why? What did I ever do to her?”

Jennie’s eyes darkened. “Amanda hates anyone she can’t control. And you? You came from nothing and still managed to shine. You got Bruce’s attention without trying. That drove her mad.”

Rachel blinked slowly, her mind drifting.

Amanda had always been present—at school, in the same social circles—her family wealthy, connected, entitled. Bruce and Amanda had been childhood sweethearts, practically promised to each other by their parents. Rachel had been the outsider. A scholarship student. A nobody.

But then Bruce noticed me.

She could still remember the first time he offered to walk her home, how he slipped his jacket over her shoulders during a storm. He’d held her hand like it meant something. And he’d looked at her like she wasn’t just good enough—she was it.

And Amanda had noticed too.

“She used to stare at me in class,” Rachel murmured. “Like I’d stolen something from her.”

Jennie scoffed. “You didn’t steal anything. You earned everything. Bruce chose you.”

Rachel’s chest twisted painfully. Did he?

“Then why didn’t he choose me today?” she whispered. “Why humiliate me like that? In front of everyone?”

Jennie’s voice shook. “Because he’s a coward. And Amanda… she’s poison. She made sure everyone knew. Do you know what I heard after you left?”

Rachel looked up slowly.

“She told the guests it was all a prank. That you were a charity case. She laughed, Rach. Said, ‘Did you see her face? She actually believed he loved her.’”

Rachel’s stomach dropped.

“I just…” She stared at her hands, wringing them tightly. “I keep replaying everything. What if I missed something? What if I wasn’t enough? Was I too clingy? Too plain? Not good enough?”

“Stop,” Jennie snapped, her voice cracking. “Don’t you dare blame yourself.”

“But he kissed me like I was his world,” Rachel said, voice trembling. “He stayed up late just to help me study. He memorized the way I like my tea. I gave him my heart, Jen. Every piece.”

Tears streamed silently down her face.

Jennie crawled onto the bed beside her and wrapped her arms around her. “And he stomped on it. That’s not love, Rachel. That’s manipulation.”

They sat there, wrapped in silence and sorrow, until Jennie finally had to leave.

And when Rachel was alone again, she curled up under her blanket, staring at the ceiling.

Maybe I was just his convenience until Amanda came back.

She closed her eyes, but sleep didn’t come. Only the sound of Amanda’s laughter. Only Bruce’s voice, saying:

“I don’t love you. It’s Amanda I love.”

And just before dawn, as the stars faded into grey light, Rachel whispered into the dark:

“What if… I never really knew him at all?”