The beginning of my story is the beginning of a new chapter in my life, one that was supposed to lead to marriage. I’m Paige, and the night before my wedding, at the age of 23, I learned something startling that caused me to reevaluate everything I had assumed to be true about Aaron, my future husband.
For me, life had always been routine. Early mornings, college lectures, and late nights dozing off with my textbooks characterized my days. My social life was almost nonexistent; I spent most of my evenings reading a good book at home. It was an easy life, calm and simple.
Then, on what appeared to be just another Thursday, something unexpected happened in my life. I was looking through book stacks in the university library to get the materials I required for my paper. Aaron and I met there. As fate would have it, our mutual interest in the same book led to our meeting. He was a fellow student, just a year older than me, and we were majoring in the same subject.
We both reached for a book of Nicholas Sparks’ “At First Sight,” and our hands met. As we both reached to pick up books, they fell all about us in a hilarious yet adorable accident. Once more, our fingers touched, and there seemed to be an electrical charge flowing between us. With a smile that made me feel warm inside, he broke the pause and asked, “So, which book were you reaching for?”
“Grab it. With a look that suggested something fresh was about to happen, he handed me the book and declared, “I can wait.” We swapped phone numbers, initiating a conversation that would develop into much more than just exchanging books.
Our modest beginnings led to the blossoming of our friendship. Our casual campus meetups turned into coffee dates where we discussed books and life in general. German by birth, Aaron had spent the last four years in the United States. Finding out about him was as easy as breathing, and I couldn’t help but fall in love.
Aaron took me back to that exact location two years after our first meeting at the library. This time, he said, “Will you marry me, Paige?” as he gave me a book that had a ring concealed inside. I nodded through tears, overwhelmed and overjoyed, accepting his proposal.
Aaron and I were getting married this past Sunday, and I had planned a unique surprise for him. In order to honor his ancestry and strengthen our bond, I had been covertly studying German to say my wedding vows in his mother tongue.
But Aaron’s feelings were painfully revealed the night before our wedding. Nervous excitement kept me awake, and I heard him talking on the phone to his mother in German. I heard him say, “Mom, I know Paige is fat, but I’ll be patient,” and my heart stopped. Her parents have a lot of wealth. I’ll take control of all their finances after we are married, and I’ll force her to get plastic surgery to lose weight. My heart was broken and my faith in him was betrayed by his cold, calculating statements.
The next day, with our guests arriving and the air thick with expectation from the gorgeous setup of our planned wedding, I made the decision to confront the betrayal head-on. There was an air of uncertainty and wonder as I walked down the aisle, not to the sound of typical wedding music, but with a microphone in my hand.
I exposed Aaron’s lie by speaking flawless German in front of Aaron and our entire guest list. I then ensured that everyone was aware of the seriousness of his intentions by switching to English. “The person standing next to me wanted to marry me for money, not for love. The audience gasped in shock when I said, “He expected to use my family’s wealth to fund his lifestyle and even planned to manipulate me into changing my appearance to suit his preferences.”
I said to Aaron, “It’s only fair since we’re not going through with this,” and I gave him an envelope with a bill for half of our wedding costs. With a parting “I wish you a life filled with all the happiness you can afford,” I said goodbye to him at the altar and turned to face a future guided by dignity and self-respect.
The sun set on my new road, which was a solitary one of empowerment and healing rather than a shared existence with Aaron, as I made my way out of the arena.
I now turn to my readers, you. Was it the proper decision to confront someone in public? In my position, how would you have responded?
In yet another story of love discovery, Emily learns that her fiancé Dave thinks less of her crochet skills. As Dave learns how much he has underestimated, she comes up with a plan to expose the truth, leaving him looking stunned.
Dave and I clicked right away when we first met in a cute coffee shop, Emily and I. I was a dreamy romantic, my dreams often entwined into the yarns I crocheted, and he was self-assured and charming. Since our relationship began, I have made him a unique crochet gift for his birthday every year, putting my all into every stitch. I created a crochet doll of us cuddling this year as a representation of our love.
However, I borrowed Dave’s laptop the day it broke and happened to overhear a conversation that made clear how he really felt. He received a message from his friend Becky, who was mocking my crochet dolls. Dave said, “Not just threw, I BURNT them,” which horrified me. As I read their harsh exchange, ridiculing my sincere offerings, my heart broke.
I faced Dave and told him the real meaning of the dolls: each one was a talisman, bringing prosperity and protection to various areas of his life. Not only had Dave insulted our love by burning them, but his actions might have also brought a curse upon himself.
Deeply superstitious, Dave was terrified by this revelation. But the pain of realizing how much he was making fun of her outweighed any potential curse. Even when he apologized, I chose to break up with him because I valued my dignity more than a false love.
Upon reflection, I wonder whether calling it quits on the relationship was the only thing I could do to save my dignity. I would appreciate hearing your opinions on this as I work through the fallout from these disclosures.