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Groom's Girl Buddy Cut My Gown Short, Wedding Off
NovelShort
Completed
I was touching up my makeup at the hotel when Theodore's childhood friend, a girl, suddenly burst into the dressing room wearing my wedding gown. The long skirt had been turned into an ultra-short dress, baring a wide stretch of her chest. That was the gown I'd pulled strings to have a dress designer custom-make to my measurements, and she'd ruined it! "His wife, don't you think I made your dress prettier?"
Chapters (4)
第1章
I was touching up my makeup at the hotel when Theodore Henson's female childhood friend burst into the dressing room wearing my wedding gown.
The long skirt had been chopped into an ultra-short dress, baring a wide stretch of her chest.
That gown was custom-made to my measurements by a designer I'd pulled every string to get, and she'd ruined it!
"So, don't you think I made your dress prettier?"
"Theodore said it looks perfect on me."
She lifted the sheer fabric and spun in front of me.
I was shaking all over. In a cold voice, I told her to take it off.
Theodore trailed in behind her, brow furrowed, his whole face saying how put-upon he felt.
"Pearl Sanders, don't make such a big deal of this. Bella meant well. She said it'd make you stand out."
"Besides, the gown really does suit her better. I already told her she could wear it as her bridesmaid dress."
Seeing my face flush red with fury, Theodore softened his voice a little and pressed a shopping bag into my hands.
"I bought you this dress at the boutique. It works as a wedding dress too. Change into it now, don't hold up the ceremony."
He was trying to swap my wedding gown for a dress that cost less than two hundred dollars, just to smooth everything over.
I looked at Theodore, and a cold smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.
Fine. She could have the gown for free.
"This wedding, I'm calling it off."
...
Two seconds after I said it, Theodore let out a soft laugh.
Isabel Harding laughed even harder, slapping his shoulder, doubling over.
She dabbed at tears that weren't there. "See? I told you. She's petty. She just can't take a joke."
"Don't go choosing a girl over your friends now, son."
She made a big show of balling up her fist and shaking it at him.
Theodore opened his palm indulgently for her to hit, and when he turned back to me, the warmth in his eyes drained away, degree by degree.
"I went to two different stores just to buy you this dress. It's perfect for a wedding."
"Would it kill you to just change into it? Do you have to be this petty about every little thing?"
"Bella's right. I've spoiled you, and now you don't know how to behave."
He knit his brows, displeased.
I lifted my head, stunned, unable to believe those words had come out of his mouth.
"But this gown was custom-made to my measurements."
My voice broke, and tears welled in my eyes.
Theodore froze for a beat.
Isabel jumped in instead, letting her gaze sweep quickly over my body.
"Your figure isn't as good as mine. You can't fill this dress out. So small-minded."
"That dress suits you just fine. People need to learn to be content. You can't be so greedy."
I clenched my fists hard, forcing back the tears, and lifted my eyes to stare at her.
Just two days ago, she'd shown up at the wedding suite out of nowhere, saying she wanted to steam my gown and hang it up for me.
I'd agreed without a second thought.
And she'd taken a blade to it and hacked it into this monstrosity!
"Theodore, did you not know she was altering the gown? You didn't stop her?"
I demanded it sharply, my throat raw from shouting, my eyes rimmed red.
Even my fingertips wouldn't stop trembling.
He turned his face away and didn't answer me.
"It's just a wedding gown. Don't be so cheap about it."
My heart went cold all the way through.
He knew better than anyone how much this wedding meant to me.
The handwork on that gown alone had cost ten thousand dollars.
The beaded chains and feather threads on it had all been flown in from overseas.
"Theodore, I spent nearly half a year planning this wedding. I went back and forth with the designer five separate times over the gown's design. You really don't know how much of myself I poured into it?"
My shouting had gotten under his skin too, and he tugged at his tie, impatient.
"A little thing like this, and you're making a scene?"
"Is it me you care about, or just a wedding?"
I shoved him away and staggered, nearly losing my footing.
He always brushed me off with lines like that.
From the first day of planning right up to now, every time I came to him to talk through a detail, he said the same thing.
"Pearl, a wedding really isn't important. Stop blowing everything out of proportion."
It felt like something jabbed straight into my heart, the pain stealing my breath.
But today was the most important day of my life.
Unwilling to give up, I checked the time.
"There's still half an hour."
"Theodore, are you sure you really want to let her wear my gown?"
"We dated for eight years. Are you really going to let Isabel destroy our wedding?!"
I was shaking all over, spacing out every word.
But his face was nothing but impatience.
"Enough. It's just a gown. It's not like I didn't buy you a dress. What more do you want?"
"Do you have to make a mountain out of nothing?"
"Isabel's my friend from when we were kids. She just tried it on. What's the big deal?"
第2章
The room went awkward.
Isabel pursed her lips, one hand on her shoulder, already moving to pull the dress off herself.
She made a show of tugging the zipper down an inch or two, and Theodore stopped her.
"That dress looks great on you. Pearl couldn't pull it off like this."
"Just keep it on. Save her from embarrassing herself. Imagine her making a fool of herself up on that stage."
My nails dug hard into my palms. I took a slow, deep breath.
I still remembered trying on the wedding gown, Theodore sitting in the chair, telling me I looked beautiful.
But his mind had been somewhere else the whole time.
I'd assumed the endless wedding prep had just worn him out, and let it go.
Yet he could reach behind Isabel without a second thought and zip her up.
He'd even bought the wedding shoes in her size and put her in my gown.
The two of them had crossed the line long ago.
My eyes went red, tears welling at the rims.
Theodore pressed his lips together, silent for a moment, before he finally spoke.
"Come on, be good. I promised her when we were kids that if I couldn't marry her, I'd let her wear a wedding gown herself."
"She and I are like brothers, that's all. You can put your mind completely at ease."
"Why cling to something this small? I'm all yours. What does it matter whether she wears one dress or not?"
When he finished, Isabel came over too.
"Sis, you're overthinking it. He and I ran around bare-bottomed as kids. We're the kind of close where we could strip down for a bath and neither of us would bat an eye."
"If anything was going to happen, it would've happened already."
She planted a hand on her hip, raised an eyebrow, and draped her arm across Theodore's shoulder.
"My boy's getting married, so as his dad I'm wearing the gown to help him put on a good show. What's wrong with that?"
"I just don't like hanging around you weepy girls. Such a buzzkill."
She curled her lip as she said it.
Theodore turned quickly to soothe her.
"Pearl, don't lose sight of who actually means well to you. Don't ruin the mood for everyone over this."
She'd taken my gown, gotten her way, and played the innocent on top of it.
I was done waiting on them.
"Theodore, let's break up."
There was no need for this wedding anymore.
I peeled off the heavy bridal gown and dropped it at his feet.
Theodore froze, his face darkening.
He seized my wrist, gripping hard enough to crush the bones.
"Pearl, have you lost your mind? Your relatives are all out there. If they find out you called off the wedding, where does that leave your parents?"
"Have you forgotten the promise we made at your grandfather's bedside last week, before he passed?"
His grip hurt. I stumbled back two steps.
Of course I hadn't forgotten.
But he was the one who hadn't cared about this wedding first.
A whole lifetime was too long. I couldn't wait it out.
Splitting up now was better for everyone.
"You really won't go through with it? Pearl, don't come crying to me later!"
He suddenly let go, and I couldn't catch myself. The small of my back slammed into the vanity.
The pain made me suck in a sharp breath.
Theodore didn't spare me a single glance. He took Isabel's hand and walked out of the room.
Passing my mother in the doorway, his face stayed hard.
"Pearl, honey, what's wrong?"
My mother saw the strain in my face and hurried over, worried.
"Why did that girl's dress just now look so familiar to me?"
My nose stung. I shook my head.
My voice caught as I spoke. "Mom, if I said I don't want to get married anymore, would you blame me?"
Outside were all her friends and my father's.
And plenty of relatives from back home.
Canceling the wedding out of nowhere would cost them face for certain.
But she only let out a quiet sigh.
"Silly girl, all that matters is that you're okay. If you really don't want to marry him, I won't blame you."
"Don't worry. I'll explain it to those people myself."
She turned to go.
I caught her by the arm.
"I'll be the one to say it."
The whole story. Start to finish.
This was not going to just blow over.
My mother nodded, relieved, and the makeup artist glanced over at me, hesitating.
Something like admiration had crept into her eyes.
"Miss Sanders, shall I keep going with the makeup?"
"Keep going."
Even if it was a divorce, I would stand in front of everyone and announce it with dignity.
I stripped the bridal gown off cleanly and tossed it into a corner like trash.
All I had left on was the skin-toned undergarments.
There was nothing else for me to put on.
My eyes fell on the white dress Theodore had bought.
第3章
I stood quietly in front of the mirror.
I'd wanted this dress a month ago, when I passed the boutique.
Theodore had glanced at it for half a second and said it was too plain, that it wouldn't suit me.
Two days later, at our engagement dinner, I saw it on Isabel.
I told myself it was just a coincidence.
But looking back now, she'd worn it on purpose, to twist the knife.
I curled my lips at myself and pushed open the door of the private room.
Across the hall, Theodore was moving through the crowd toasting the guests, Isabel right beside him.
Anyone who didn't know better would have thought the two of them were the married couple.
My relatives kept exchanging glances, whispering among themselves.
My friends just looked lost.
When Theodore saw me come out, he froze for a couple of seconds, then a smug little smile tugged at his mouth.
He crossed the crowd toward me.
"See? In the end you still put the dress on like a good girl."
"All that fuss you made. What did it get you?"
Isabel pinched her waistline, showing it off, swirling the champagne in her glass.
"I really envy how loose and modest yours is. Not like me, I can barely squeeze into my wedding gown anymore."
"Please. Your figure's perfect."
"You'd tease your own daddy? I'll smack you."
The two of them chased each other around, playing, and no one so much as looked at me.
My mother-in-law's eyes had narrowed into happy little slits as she gazed at Isabel.
She stroked the girl like she couldn't get enough of her.
"Bella, sweetheart, you're my favorite. So obedient, so sensible, and such a sweet mouth on you."
"Not like some people. Look all innocent and harmless, sweet as anything, then behind your back it's demand a bride price, demand a house and a car."
"This wedding nearly cleaned out everything the Henson family had."
The words drove into my ears like a splinter.
I clenched my fingers tight and stood where I was, saying nothing.
His family only ever brought up the bride price.
They never once mentioned that my dowry came in fifty thousand higher than the bride price itself.
Back then, Theodore had held me and promised again and again that from now on he'd be good to me and only me, that he'd never let me down.
Foolish as I was, I'd walked into his family's home with my money in hand.
I'd actually believed him.
I let out a cold breath and laughed under it.
Isabel squeezed her hand right back.
"Auntie, honestly, I've always thought of you as my godmother. Even now that this brat Theodore's getting married, I'm still your goddaughter."
The two of them played off each other, having a grand time.
The emcee came over from across the room, smiling, working the crowd.
"You two are the very picture of how a mother and daughter-in-law should be. It's enviable, really!"
He'd mistaken Isabel for the bride.
The floor went silent.
Isabel snorted and clapped a hand over her mouth, laughing as she fell into Theodore's arms, her eyes crinkling into slits.
Her voice carried out through the microphone.
"Oh, you brat, do I really look that much like your wife? Even the emcee got it wrong."
第4章
The emcee stood frozen where he was, glancing up helplessly, his eyes darting to me for a second.
He cleared his throat and got ready to push the ceremony forward.
But Isabel cut in again. "The ceremony hasn't even started yet. Why don't we play a game first, warm up the room?"
Theodore agreed without a second thought.
A row of groomsmen lined up, and Isabel pressed in close beside Theodore.
They were going to pass a playing card mouth to mouth.
The groomsmen didn't hesitate, quickly moving the card down the line, lip to lip.
When it came to Isabel's turn, she rose unsteadily onto her toes.
Her fingers settled on Theodore's shoulder.
The cameraman pushed in, and the big screen broadcast a live shot of him and Isabel passing the card.
Then Isabel's body gave a little shudder, and she lost her balance.
The card dropped to her feet.
Their lips met.
The groomsmen broke into whoops, clapping and egging them on.
"Ooh! You actually dared to kiss your daddy!"
Isabel wiped her mouth with a grand sweep and reached up to twist Theodore's ear.
"Fine, it's your big happy day, so I'll let it slide."
"Once your wedding's over, you'd better make it up to me!"
Theodore bent down to go along with her, grinning ear to ear.
"Okay, okay, my little queen."
Rubbing his ear, he shot a glance at me, my face gone pale.
Then he cut a look at the groomsmen to shut them up.
"Isabel and I are just buddies. Don't take it to heart."
I curved my lips weakly.
"But everyone saw it clearly. My groom just kissed another woman at his own wedding."
The muttering below grew louder.
My relatives had all gone stone-faced too.
"What kind of wedding is this? The groom kissing his childhood friend? It's outrageous."
"Do they think the bride's side has no one to stand up for her?"
Theodore's brows drew tight as he tugged at my sleeve.
"Listen to what your relatives are saying. No class at all."
"Hurry up and smooth it over."
The one with no class was probably him.
I snatched the microphone from the emcee's hand, and my voice carried into every corner of the banquet hall.
"Theodore, what do you want me to say?"
"Should I say the two of you squeezed into one bed at your bachelor party?"
"Or that your phone password is her birthday?"
"That she designed our marital home, and that even the wedding gown I had custom-made myself was supposed to go to her?"
Theodore's face couldn't hold together anymore, and he lunged to grab the microphone.
"Shut up," he snapped in a fury.
"Every relative and friend here is watching. You really don't want to go through with this?"
I looked at his face, flushed red with rage, and suddenly I laughed.
"Theodore, listen carefully."
"I'm taking my dowry back, and I'm returning every cent of the bride price."
"This wedding is off."