The Wedding Was a Trap

Claire's POV: At my best friend Megan Hughes's wedding, my boyfriend caught the bridal bouquet while serving as a groomsman. Everyone thought he would give it to me. After all, we had been together for 3 years, and our wedding was set for the following Tuesday. I smiled and held out my hand, but he walked past me and headed toward Vanessa Collins in the corner. "I kept my promise." Nathan Foster took the necklace from around his neck and held it out to her as if expecting praise. "I've taken good care of everything you gave me." He had never let me touch that necklace. Whenever I asked about it, he said he had bought it on a whim. 'So it's from his old flame after all.' I lowered my arm, digging my fingernails into my palm. The guests began to tease him. "Nathan, which one of them are you marrying? Vanessa is your first love, but Claire has been your girlfriend for 3 years." Nathan looked at me in silence. Guilt flickered in his eyes before he walked toward Vanessa without hesitation. I forced down the emotions churning in my chest and slowly smoothed my dress. "Nathan Foster, if the bouquet isn't meant for me, then neither are you." My voice remained steady, but a thousand tiny needles seemed to pierce my heart. Megan spoke as if nothing were wrong. "Claire, don't make such a big deal out of it. It's only a bouquet. You took Nathan away from Vanessa back then, and Vanessa never held it against you." "Exactly," the other guests chimed in. "When did I ever take Nathan away from her?" Someone scoffed. "What else would you call it? They were the perfect couple. They never would've broken up if you hadn't come between them." I looked at Nathan, but he offered no explanation. Everyone saw Vanessa as the victim and me as the other woman. The absurdity made me laugh. "Nathan, is that what you think too?" He still didn't explain. He merely said, "I promised Vanessa that I would give her the bridal bouquet at a wedding someday. Claire, I'll marry you, but this bouquet doesn't belong to you. Consider it my final blessing to her before our wedding." With those few sentences, he all but confirmed their accusation. My fingertips went numb. All his confessions over the years and the 3 months he had spent pursuing me day and night suddenly felt like a joke. A week earlier, Nathan had specifically asked Megan to throw the bouquet to him. She had teased him at the time. "Planning to show off your love at my wedding? If you love someone, go for it. Don't betray a love that means so much to you." He had only smiled without answering. I had thought he made the request for me. It turned out they already believed Vanessa was the woman who should be standing beside him. "Claire." Vanessa walked over and held the bouquet out to me. "If you want it, you can have it." Nathan stopped her. "I gave this to you." Then he frowned at me. "Claire, I can buy you another bouquet. You don't need to take Vanessa's." "Take?" I laughed. "Tell me exactly what I've ever taken from her." "Claire, I... Fine, you can have it. Just stop making a scene." Nathan wrapped his arms tightly around Vanessa. The white dress she wore looked more familiar by the second. A month earlier, he had given me an identical one. It was as though Pandora's box had opened, releasing every memory I had sealed away. I remembered the matching purses and the extra movie tickets. The list went on. Megan grabbed me in irritation. "Enough. This is my wedding. Don't turn it into an ugly scene. We were all roommates. Stop being so petty." Nathan pulled me down beside him at the banquet table. For once, he backed down. "Stop making a scene for now. We'll talk when we get home." 'What is there to discuss when, after dating me for 3 years and preparing to marry me, he still can't let go of his ex?' Vanessa poured a glass of wine and handed it to me. "Claire, everyone was only joking. Don't take it to heart. I'm sorry. Please have the wine I take it for you." Nathan immediately stood and pulled her into his arms. "Claire, don't go too far! Vanessa has gastritis." Everyone looked at me with open disgust. This was the image Vanessa had carefully built. In front of others, she was always fragile, generous, and too gracious to fight over anything. No matter what happened, she rushed to take the blame, leaving me no chance to defend myself. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Vanessa looked at me through tear-filled eyes. "Nathan, don't blame her. This was my fault. I was asking for too much." Nathan tenderly wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. "I'll take you to the hospital." He scooped her into his arms and hurried away. The guests immediately turned on me. "Claire, do you really have to be so petty?" "You already took Nathan from her. Now you're even trying to stop him from having a normal social life?" "If you hadn't interfered back then, Vanessa would be the one preparing to marry him now!" Megan overheard them when she came to toast our table. She smiled. "Claire, you should let him go and wish the two of them well." I looked at her and smiled. Our friendship had reached its end too. As I left the reception hall, a spiteful voice called out behind me. "Stop." It belonged to one of Vanessa's former hangers-on. "You stole someone else's boyfriend and became the other woman. Are we not allowed to say it?" I smiled. "Ask Nathan whether I ever stole him from anyone."