Swapping the Groom at the Altar

Tags: Ungrateful ex, manipulative first love, wedding drama, revenge, karma I was going to crash my girlfriend's wedding. Actually, it was supposed to be mine. She had promised to marry me the moment she made director at her firm. Yet, right there at the venue, wearing her bridal gown, she accepted her ex-boyfriend’s confession. "Chloe, these two thousand paper cranes... I folded one for every single day since we broke up. Every fold carries my love for you." "I had no choice but to walk away back then, but you never left my mind. I wanted to come back only when I’d made something of myself. But when I heard you were marrying someone else, I couldn't hold back anymore." "Chloe, please give me another chance. Don't marry Ethan." My hand froze on the doorknob. I desperately waited to see Chloe turn him down without a second thought. Instead, her eyes welled with tears. She covered her mouth, gazing at Damian with utter devotion. Then I heard her breathless sob: "Yes! I will!" My blood ran cold. She seemed to have completely forgotten that everything she had today was because of me. Watching them hold each other, I felt like I had plunged into an icy abyss, numb and aching all over. Chloe eagerly took the red roses, her voice shaking. "Damian, do you have any idea how long I've waited for this? Five years. I dreamed about us all the time. When you left, I thought it was over forever. I can't believe you're really back." "Am I dreaming?" She was still wearing the wedding dress I had made for her with my own hands. To give her the perfect day, I spent an entire year learning couture bridal tailoring. I wanted her to be the envy of everyone. Listening to their heartfelt reunion, I couldn't take it anymore. I shoved the door open. Seeing me, Chloe instinctively shielded Damian behind her back. A flicker of panic crossed her face, but she composed herself in an instant. She laced her fingers tightly through Damian's, looked me dead in the eye, and delivered the cruelest blow. "Ethan, I'm not marrying you." I swallowed the sharp ache in my chest and demanded, "Marriage isn't a game. You're throwing away seven years together just for him?" They shared a quick, tender smile before Chloe said firmly, "Yes. Just for him. I thought I moved on, but the moment he showed up, I realized he never left my heart. Damian is the only man I've ever wanted to marry. Stop clinging to me." Dressed in pure white, she wore a radiant, breathtaking smile I had never seen before. Too bad that smile wasn't meant for me. Seven years together meant nothing to her. My heart felt shredded, but I refused to beg. I let her go. "Fine, Chloe. Don't regret this." Seeing the sorrow in my eyes, her expression darkened. "Drop the act, Ethan. Don't look at me like that, it's disgusting. The biggest regret of my life was ever dating you." "You tainted what Damian and I had. You tried to trap me with marriage. Well, I'm telling you right now: I'm choosing my own freedom." Her words shoved me straight off a cliff. I had poured my soul into giving her a better life, and this was how she repaid me. Damian raised an eyebrow at me, his eyes full of smug condescension. "Ethan, thanks for taking care of Chloe these past few years. But I'm back now. I'll take it from here." Disgusted, I turned to walk away from this nightmare. But Chloe suddenly called out.I stopped dead in my tracks, an absurd spark of hope flickering inside me. She was the girl I had loved for seven years. If she came to her senses, I might have forgiven this momentary lapse of judgment. "Take off your tuxedo," Chloe ordered coldly from behind me. I turned, stunned. "What?" She lifted her chin arrogantly, the exact way she used to boss me around. "You're not the groom anymore. Why are you still wearing it? Strip it off so Damian can put it on. The venue and ceremony are already set up. No point in letting it go to waste." My eyes went wide. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Are you out of your mind? You're marrying someone else at our wedding, and you want him wearing my suit?" Chloe nodded unapologetically. "My dad invited all our relatives. If I tell him the wedding is off, he'll kill me. But if I swap you out for an upgrade, he won't be mad." She turned to Damian with a tender look. "Damian, you don't mind rushing into this, do you? We went through hell to find our way back to each other. I don't want any more delays." Damian clasped her hand tight. "As long as I'm with you, I don't care if it's rushed. I'd take you without a single legal paper." What an inspiring love story. Damian glanced at me with mocking pity, his tone dripping with fake remorse. "Ethan, I know you're mad. But we're just so deeply in love. Please understand. If you want to take your anger out on someone, blame me. Leave Chloe out of it." "Damian, don't waste your breath on him," Chloe snapped. "He's the homewrecker who got between us. If it weren't for his conniving schemes, we would've been together years ago!" "My schemes? I got between you?" I asked, baffled. I had known Chloe long before Damian ever showed up. Her glare turned lethal. "If you hadn't sucked up to my dad back then, why would he suddenly favor a poor nobody like you? You wanted me so bad you went behind my back and told Damian I didn't love him! His business had just gone under, and he didn't want to drag me down, so he packed up and left town all alone! You stole years of our lives!" When I first joined the firm right out of college, I never expected to cross paths with her again. For the first two years, I knew I wasn't good enough for her, so I buried my feelings and threw myself entirely into work. When Damian went bankrupt and dumped her, Chloe cried day and night, drinking herself stupid at clubs. Terrified she’d get hurt, I kept watch over her from a distance. Her father happened to catch me looking out for her. Later, Damian vanished into thin air, and her father started pushing us together. Damian's departure had nothing to do with me. Unless Damian had spun a pack of lies to paint me as the villain. I narrowed my eyes at Damian. He smirked back, completely unfazed. Then he gently patted Chloe’s shoulder. "Chloe, don't get upset on my account. I only ever wanted you to be happy. Leaving was my fault because I had nothing to offer you back then. Don't blame Ethan." Hearing that, Chloe looked at him with even more adoration. "Damian, if it weren't for him, we would've stayed together. You don't owe anyone an apology. He does!" She snapped at me, "Ethan, you drove Damian away. Apologize to him right now, and maybe I won't stay mad at you." I let out a bitter scoff. "Why the hell would I do that?" In the past, whenever she was upset, I would bend over backward to cheer her up, showering her with gifts, taking her tantrums and insults just to see a single smile. Now I realized that everything I gave her couldn't compare to Damian lifting a single finger. The difference between love and indifference was painfully clear. "I planned every detail of this wedding," I said coldly. "If you think you're going to marry another man on my dime, think again. I'm going straight to Mr. Hayes to cancel everything." "My family paid for half the venue! I'll marry whoever I want. It's none of your business!" I was done arguing. Just as I turned to leave, a commotion erupted outside. "Bring out the bride and groom!" A crowd of relatives burst through the doors, grabbing Chloe and me, pushing us out toward the aisle before we could react. My protests and Chloe's struggles were drowned out by the noise. It wasn't until I stepped onto the red carpet that I realized what was happening.Chloe’s grandmother had arrived in a wheelchair, hooked up to an oxygen tank, clinging to her final breaths. Chloe's face fell. She shot me a venomous look, then glanced back at Damian. Damian chimed in with saintly understanding. "Chloe, if this is your grandmother's dying wish, just give it to her. Don't worry about me. A meaningless ceremony won't break my heart." Grandma Hayes had always treated me like her own grandson. When she found out I grew up as an orphan, she would invite me over for every holiday so I wouldn't spend them alone. She reminded me to dress warmly when the weather dropped. When I was sick, she would drag her frail, aging legs up seven flights of stairs to bring me homemade soup and nurse me back to health. Chloe used to be jealous of how much her grandmother cared for me. Grandma was the single warm light in my otherwise cold, lonely life. If seeing us get married was what she needed to go in peace, I was willing to swallow my pride and play along for the ceremony. But Chloe hesitated. She yanked me aside into a corner, glaring furiously. "What kind of spell did you put on my family? Isn't it enough that my dad hands you promotions? Now even my grandmother is wrapped around your finger! There is no way I'm marrying you!" I grabbed her arm as she tried to walk away. "She's hanging on by a thread! Can't you grant her this one final wish? I promise you, this is just for show. I'll explain everything to your family afterward." Chloe violently slapped my hand away. "She's *my* grandmother, not yours! Stop acting so righteous! She might have been nice to you, but you're still an outsider. You have no say in our family business." "Damian and I have already wasted enough time because of you. I won't make him suffer anymore." Ignoring my pleas, Chloe dragged Damian toward the front. "I'm going to introduce him to Grandma right now and make him official." I lunged forward and blocked their path, my voice dropping to a desperate whisper. "She's on her deathbed! You'll break her heart and kill her!" She froze, a flicker of doubt showing on her face. I seized the moment, appealing to whatever reason she had left. "I swear it's just a show for Grandma. We won't sign the marriage license. Afterward, I'll take the blame and explain it to everyone. You won't take the fall." Chloe went silent for a few seconds, then looked up with a calculating smirk. "My dad promised to transfer company shares to me after our first year of marriage. If you want me to play along, you agree to fake this marriage for one whole year. And during that year, you don't interfere with me and Damian. At all." She was literally telling me to smile while she cheated on me in plain sight. I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ground together. Across the hall, her father was calling for us, surrounded by eager relatives. "Fine. I agree." I couldn't let Grandma die with regret. Under Grandma's frail, teary gaze, we put on our best smiles and exchanged vows. When the reception finally ended, we went back to the penthouse. Chloe kicked my leg as I sat numbly on the couch. "Ethan, we're starving. Damian wants some noodles. Go make some." "If he wants food, he can cook it himself. Who the hell do you think I am? Your servant?" I grabbed my jacket to leave, but she snatched my sleeve. "My dad definitely has people watching this place. What do you think you're doing? You want Grandma to find out we didn't spend our wedding night together?" Cornered, I was forced to stay. Surrounded by celebratory red decorations, my chest burned with bitter humiliation. On my supposed wedding night, my bride was sleeping with another man down the hall. The muffled sounds coming from the master bedroom made my skin crawl. Early the next morning, my phone jolted me awake. Grandma was crashing. "Ethan, what is your problem? Why are you banging on the door so damn early? Don't you know I was exhausted? I barely fell asleep before dawn!" Chloe glared at me, her robe slightly parted, revealing fresh red marks on her collarbone that spelled out their passionate night. Swallowing the nausea, I said coldly, "Grandma is dying. We need to get to the hospital. Now." The girl who had never lifted a finger in the kitchen actually stopped to make Damian a bowl of porridge before leaving. Seven years together, and she hadn't cooked a single meal for me. At the hospital, Grandma struggled to flutter her eyes open. She held both of our hands tightly. "Ethan... visit home often, okay? Now that you have Chloe by your side, I can rest easy. Seeing you two together... is all I ever wanted." Chloe pouted slightly, clearly annoyed. "Grandma, you're playing favorites. *I'm* your granddaughter." "You are my precious girl, too..." Suddenly, an obnoxious ringtone shattered the silence. I glanced down. Damian was calling. Without a second thought for her dying grandmother, Chloe yanked her hand back and answered. Damian's frantic voice came through the speaker. "Chloe, I was in a car crash. I'm heading to the ER now. I didn't want you to worry when you got home, so I'm letting you know." Chloe pulled away completely and rushed toward the door. "Which hospital? I'm coming right now!" I dragged her out into the hallway and hissed under my breath, "She could slip away any second! Can't you just stay by her side for five minutes so she can go in peace?" "Grandma was talking just fine! How could she suddenly be dying? You're definitely making this up to guilt-trip me into staying married to you!" I gripped her shoulders and shoved the medical chart into her hands. "The doctors aren't lying! Open your damn eyes and read it!" Chloe slapped it aside. "I don't care! Grandma has doctors and family surrounding her, she'll be fine! Damian only has me. I can't leave him alone!" "Chloe, I'm begging you!" Desperation overtook me, and I dropped to my knees in front of her. "I'll send people to look after Damian. I'll hire the best private nurses for him! Just don't walk out on your grandmother's final moments!" Chloe let out a cruel laugh. "Ha! You really will do anything to get your hands on my family's money, won't you? Too bad I'm not falling for it. Grandma is tough. She's not dying today." "You're going to regret this." She ripped her arm free and strode away without looking back. Half an hour later, Grandma passed away. Just before her last breath, she amended her will one final time.