After 8 Years, 2.8k Betrothal, I Made Him Pay

With a crash, the door collapsed completely. Two of my bridesmaids were pinned beneath the fallen door panel. Before anyone could react, the four burly men stormed into the room and announced in unison, "We're here to pick someone up." My parents stumbled back in fright, huddling close to me to whisper, "Gracie, who are these? Where's Jules?" Instinctively, I hid my phone behind my back, not wanting them to see the chat history. I could only watch helplessly as the men stepped over the fallen door panel, roughly pushing aside everyone in their path. Another dull thud sounded as the bed I'd slept on for years completely collapsed under their weight. They snatched the bedsheet, wrapped me up in it, hoisted me up, and charged toward the exit. I was completely stunned. I kicked, slapped, struggled, and screamed, but I couldn't break free at all. Within minutes, I was shoved into the back seat of a coupe—a car Julian had been driving recently. He sat in the driver's seat, grinning at me through the rearview mirror. "So, babe? The surprise I arranged, pretty wild, huh?" Only then did the whole twisted scheme click into place in my mind. Glancing at my reflection in the rearview mirror, my heart sank. My hair, styled for two hours, was a tangled mess. My makeup was half smeared off. The wedding gown, custom-made over three months, had a tear in it. The expensive necklace that went with it was missing; who knew where it had fallen? Calls and messages from friends and family kept popping up on my phone. My two bridesmaids, dragging their injured legs, chased after the car, still holding their shoes. This was nothing even remotely resembling a wedding! I exploded with rage. "Julian, are you out of your damn mind? Do you have any idea how scared everyone must be? Turn the car around now and go explain everything!" Instead of doing as I said, Julian stomped on the accelerator, speeding up. My mom called just then. Afraid my family would worry, I had to answer and lie, saying this was a quirky little surprise we'd planned in advance, telling them to go wait at the wedding hotel. After I hung up, a smug look spread across Julian's face. "See? Your parents aren't even mad. You're just overreacting. If I'd come the normal way, there'd be all sorts of social gift-giving expenses. When you add everything up, the money I have wouldn't cover it. I'm doing this to save money for our future little family, too." I was dumbfounded by this distorted logic. He had actually factored all these wedding-related expenses—that were supposed to be his responsibility—into his plans. "So, aside from the 2,800 you transferred, your family, from start to finish, planned on not spending another single cent, is that it?" Before I could finish, the car screeched to a halt in front of the hotel entrance. Julian even showed off with a flashy drift, parking neatly. His parents, along with a crowd of relatives from his hometown, were waiting outside the door, their eyes wide with admiration. They immediately swarmed around. "Our Jules was something else when he got into university. He made a name for himself in the big city, and he owns his house and car outright. So capable," a relative gushed. "Being able to hold the ceremony in such a grand hotel and covering everyone's travel and accommodation—he's so impressive," another added. Julian's mother stood in the crowd, deliberately raising her voice and beaming from ear to ear as she smoothed the new fabric and accessories on her outfit. "Exactly! Jules is exceptionally filial. He won't even buy himself new clothes, but he spent over 70,000 specifically to get custom-made, high-end formal wear for his dad and me. He always knows when to save and when to spend." That's when I saw it clearly. The pearl necklace worth 20,000 that I'd specifically picked to go with my dress was now hanging around her neck. And about those two custom suits... I knew perfectly well that Julian earned at most 8,000 a month. He had a younger brother with a disability to support at home. Even scrimping and saving to help his family wasn't enough normally. He simply couldn't afford clothes in that price range. Combined with what his mom had just said, a chill shot through me. "You returned the wedding gown and the matching dress I spent six months ordering?!"