A spectacle
Tears welled up in my eyes, spilling down my cheeks as the gravity of the moment hit me. I had never expected this, not here, not now. I could barely hear the murmurs and whispers from the guests surrounding us, all my focus on the man kneeling before me.
“Mina,” he continued, his voice firm and strong, sure of himself “I’m asking you, Mina, would you make me the happiest man in the world and agree to marry me?”
“Yes, yes, yes, and again, yes! I’m ready, I will marry you!” I said, my voice trembling with excitement as I let Emerson, Eric’s father, slip the engagement ring onto my finger.
The diamond was huge, far bigger and heavier than the one Eric had given me. My fingers felt the weight, and I couldn’t help but compare them. Emerson’s ring was much more beautiful, a true piece of art and a clear statement. Unlike Eric’s, which now seemed like a hollow promise.
He stood and pulled me into a hug. I hesitated, not sure if it was appropriate to kiss him right there with everyone watching. Instead, we just embraced, and I heard a few hesitant claps from the crowd. Not everyone was as excited as we were about our engagement, but I didn’t care. I guess it was to be expected.
Right now, I feel like the happiest woman in the world.
gmy chin so I could look into
“Are you sure about this?” Emerson asked, gently
sure about this?” Emerson asked, gently tilting m
his eyes.
“Yes, I am,” I replied confidently. “This is the best decision of my life. You are nothing like Eric, and I know you’d never cheat on me or hurt me the way he did. I wanted to hurt him, but with this…you agreeing to help me… it’s more than I could have ever imagined.”
Emerson nodded a smile on his lips. “You’re right about that,” he said, kissing my forehead.
Just then, a sharp voice cut through the moment, making us pull apart from each other. I turned, and my heart sank. It was my mother, Kristen. She marched toward us, her eyes flashing with disapproval, landing first on Emerson and then fully focusing on me.
Kristen” Emmerson acknowledge her with a smile.
My mother gave him a quick, dismissive glance before redirecting all her attention to
A spectacle
- me.
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“Mina, what is going on? What is this spectacle?” she demanded, her tone sharp.
“Mom…. I….we…. I was going to…..”
Stop biting your words and talking like a three–year–old” she replied, “I asked a question!” she snapped.
you
“Is this really happening? Did Emerson just ask you to marry him, right here, in front of everyone, at your ‘sister’s‘ wedding? And this man, Mina…he’s your husband’s father! Do you even realize what you’re doing? Are you really this selfish, causing such a scene at your ‘sister’s‘ wedding? Have you thought of our family? Have you no shame?” Her words hit hard, I expected her to be upset but not this mad.
The crowd fell into stunned silence, and I could feel everyone’s eyes on us as they moved closer, probably enjoying the show. I knew My mother wasn’t done, not by a long shot.
Ever since we were little, Rita and I, I always felt like the odd one out in our family. For some reason, I could never understand, my mother always preferred Rita over me. It didn’t matter if we were playing and Rita got hurt, or if we were fighting, sibling rivalry. If my mother found us, the first thing she would do was point the finger at me, placing all the blame squarely on my shoulders.
I’d go crying to my father, and he’d just tell me it was because I was older, that I was Rita’s sister and her keeper. It was my job to look after her, he’d say. Just because she was younger, my mother’s favouritism was something I had to live with. But as we grew older, it became even more obvious that my mother loved Rita more than she did me, and I started to wonder if I was adopted.
One time, during university, we had a fight when Rita snuck out to a club and came back late. My mother, of course, blamed me for not stopping her, even though I was home the whole time. That’s when I finally asked her if I was adopted.
She just laughed, brushed me off, and it became clear, I was the second choice, always. Things only got worse from there.
As we grew older, my mother gave Rita everything, and if I wanted her attention, I had to do anything and everything to get it. knew she supported Rita and Eric’s relationship, I mean she came to the wedding after all.
But I never thought she would react this strongly to me marrying Emerson.
“Mother-“I tried to speak, but she cut me off, her voice filled with venom.
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“You are the most embarrassing creature in the whole world. Why did I ever give birth to you…”
“Kristen, tread lightly and be careful with your words,” Emerson interrupted her sharply, standing by my side.
She turned to him, her eyes full of anger. “You! You were Robert’s friend! And now you have the audacity to marry his daughter? Nina used to be a daughter to you, and now you’re proposing to her in front of everyone? You, an old man, marrying my little girl? Your son’s ex–wife. What do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to destroy Robert’s memory?”
“Mama, it’s not like that,” I tried to explain, but her anger snapped back at me.
“Shut up! I don’t want to hear another word from you! Running from son to father, embarrassing your sister on her wedding day! This is supposed to be Rita’s big day, she’s supposed to be celebrating! But what do you do? You come here and turn it into this… spectacle! Eric has stormed off, you’ve humiliated him! The bride is here without her groom. Are you happy now?”
The crowd was still watching, their whispers turning into a roar of judgment and shock. My heart pounded, but I knew I had to be strong. Eric and Rita had made their decision and I was making mine.
“And as if that wasn’t enough for you,” she continued, “you had to steal your sister’s day, didn’t you?”
“Mom,
you know what Rita did to me. She slept with my husband and got pregnant by him while I was still married to him! What kind of a sister, or family does that? I trusted her….” I finally let it all out, my voice shaking.
“Yes! Something you couldn’t do, could you? You were married for three years without a hint of a pregnancy” My mother’s words were like a slap in the face. “She was ‘helping‘ you, Mina. And instead of being grateful, what did you do?”
I stared at her, incredulous. She did not just say that!
“What? What are you saying, Ma…? What are you saying, Mother?” I could feel my voice rising in disbelief as the weight of her words sank in. “Does this mean you knew? You knew this whole time that Rita was sleeping with Eric? That she was sleeping with my husband while he was still married to me?”
She smirked, glancing around at the crowd that had gathered, taking pleasure in our family drama. Then she spoke, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Of course not.
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Why would you think I would entertain such stupidity? What happened was a mistake. But the wrong had already been done. Your sister was already pregnant, Mina.”
I stood there, my heart sinking. She had known. She’d known all along and did nothing.
“Your marriage to Eric was already falling apart. What did you want her to do? Did you want your sister to be a single mother? At least you didn’t have any children,” she said, her words like a knife to my chest. Isn’t that why you decided to divorce him and let your sister be happy? But no, you couldn’t stand to see your sister happy, could you? So you had to devise this little spectacle, make a fool of her, turn her into the laughing stock.”
Her accusations made my heart hurt. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. My mind was working overtime, trying to make sense of it all, but her words stung deeper than I expected.
Was this what she had thought of me all this time? That I couldn’t bear to see my sister happy, that I was jealous of Rita?
“Kristen, I think that’s enough,” Emerson’s deep voice broke through, his tone firm. as he stepped in. “Watch how you talk to my fiancée.”
“Fiancée?!” My mother’s voice was sharp, dripping with disdain as she turned to Emerson, her eyes narrowing. “You’re as old as me! You’re old enough to be Mina’s father. Have you no shame? She is your wife’s son, ex–wife. Shouldn’t you be dating people your own age?”
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