The Wrong Bride - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

My husband, Mark, and I have this thing where we get a photoshoot done every anniversary. It’s kind of our tradition. Ten years, though? That was a big one, so of course, we went all out. The girl at the studio was flipping through the pics on the computer when she suddenly stops.

“Oh, looks like there’s a few extra ones of your husband here,” she says, pointing.

I stare at the screen. The man is definitely Mark. But the woman in the wedding dress? That’s not me. The studio employee kept scrolling through the pictures. Mark, my husband, was there, all right, but the woman rocking the white dress wasn’t me.

It was his assistant, Tiffany.

They looked like they belonged together. Like they were made for each other, the perfect couple. He’s all mature and handsome, and she’s this young, gorgeous thing, gazing up at him with these googly eyes full of adoration.

The owner, Mrs. Peterson, came over to hand me a framed photo when she spotted the screen, and her face went white. She slammed the laptop shut and hissed at the employee.

“You messed up! That guy just looks like Mr. Harrison, but it’s not him! Mr. and Mrs. Harrison are our regulars, this is a mistake! You can kiss your bonus goodbye!”

The employee, knowing she’d screwed up, didn’t say a word. I laughed it off, trying to make the situation less awkward. “No worries, they look great. I’ll just grab these for him. I can text him.”

I saved a few of the best ones, the ones that made them look like they were about to walk off the set of a rom–com, and sent them to Mark.

“Hey, I thought these ones of you and Tiffany turned out the best. Hope you like my pick!”

My phone practically blew up the moment I hit send. Mark was on the line, frantically trying to explain.

“Honey, you’ve got it all wrong. It was Tiffany’s birthday, and she said she wanted to do a photoshoot as a joke for her folks. It’s totally fake, nothing real! Please, don’t get the wrong idea!”

Airthday wish to do a bridal shoot with your boss? Yeah, right.

“So, the big–shot CEO takes time out to help his assistant fulfill a birthday wish with a fake wedding shoot, huh? You should win an award for kindness,” I said dryly, and hung up.

I then clicked over to Tiffany’s social media page.

Sure enough, there it was, the same wedding photos, with a caption that read, “Can anyone say #powercouple?”

The comments were all:

“OMG, your man is a hottie!”

“You two look amazing together!”

Even people in the know chimed in:

“Hi, Tiffany, could get Mr. Harrison to go along with that.”

“You’re definitely his favorite, that’s for sure.”

Tiffany replied to everyone with a simple,

“He’s not my man yet, but stay tuned.”

She was young, full of that youthful arrogance, that “I’m gonna win” energy. And if it wasn’t Mark she was after, I would have almost admired her boldness.

I took a deep breath, tapped on her post, liked it, and wrote: “You guys look great! So when’s the big day? Why are you waiting? Is the courthouse too far?”

Mark called again, this time his tone was full of anger.

“Sarah, what the heck? I told you, it’s just a joke! Why do you have to be so petty with her? Do you have any idea how awkward you’ve made it for her at work?”

“Delete that comment right now, and get your butt down here to apologize to Tiffany!”

“Sarah, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for it to go this far. The photos were just a birthday joke, and I didn’t think you’d care. We’re just doing the usual office banter, I forgot you’re a bit older and maybe don’t get that. I’m sorry.”

“I’ll call the studio and tell them to trash the photos; I feel terrible.”

Mark was practically shouting now.

“Listen to her! She’s ten years younger than you and way more mature! She’s crying and apologizing, and you, what are you doing? All you know is how to stir up drama, you’re just being a drama queen.”

I took a deep breath and asked, trying to keep my cool. “So, I’m the one in the wrong here? My husband takes wedding pictures with another woman and I’m not allowed to be upset? I can’t say a thing, right? Maybe you should just marry someone deaf and mute, that way, they’ll never make you angry.”

Then, I slammed my phone down.