The white chairs were neatly lined up facing the big oak tree—where she and Josh would say their vows, with the hills and lake creating a beautiful backdrop.
Peter and I had bought this place three years ago, and it really was something special.
He came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “It looks fantastic, Evelyn. Nancy’s going to love it.”
I leaned into him. “I hope so. I’ve been planning this for months.”
“You’ve gone way beyond just lending the space.”
“Well, you know her. I wanted everything to be perfect.”
He kissed the top of my head. “That’s why I love you—you always put others first.”
“They should be here any minute for rehearsal. I just want to make sure everything’s ready.”
He squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. “Trust me, it’s all taken care of.”
“Really?”
“I know it. You’re amazing.”
Then we heard cars pulling in. Nancy and Josh had arrived.
“They’re here!” I said excitedly. “I can’t wait to show her.”
Nancy got out of her car, Josh right behind, looking a bit overwhelmed as usual.
“There’s my beautiful bride!” I greeted her with open arms.
She gave me a quick, stiff hug. “The chairs are all wrong.”
I blinked, surprised. “What do you mean?”
“I wanted them in a semicircle, not rows. Didn’t you get my text?”
I checked my phone. No messages about that.
She sighed dramatically. “Whatever. We can fix it. Where are the flowers?”
“They’ll be delivered tomorrow morning, fresh like we planned.”
Nancy frowned. “I hope they get the colors right this time. The sample was off.”
Josh gave me an apologetic smile. We hadn’t spoken much since arriving. Then the delivery trucks rolled up.
“Finally,” Nancy muttered, then called out to the crew, “Start unloading everything here!”
Then she turned serious and pulled me aside.
“We need to talk.”
“Okay, what’s up?” I smiled, but she looked intense.
Her face hardened. “Evelyn, thanks for the venue. It’s nice. But I don’t want you at the wedding tomorrow.”
“What?” I was sure I’d misheard.
“You heard me. Don’t come.”
“I don’t get it. Why?”
She rolled her eyes. “You know why.”
I shook my head, confused.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me you used to date Josh?” she demanded.
It hit me hard. Josh and I had a brief fling in college, long over. We hadn’t stayed close, barely spoke since Nancy introduced him.
“That was nothing. A silly college thing more than ten years ago. We weren’t serious. We stayed acquaintances. Not worth mentioning.”
“I don’t care,” she snapped. “It’s MY day. I don’t want some woman who slept with my fiancé hanging around, making it weird. You’re not coming.”
Her words left me stunned.
After all the planning, helping with decorations, cake tasting, vendor meetings—she wasn’t inviting me to my own house on my own wedding day?
“Nancy, you can’t be serious. This is where I live.”
She waved her hand. “I’m glad you let us use it. Peter can come. You can’t.”
“After everything I did?”
“Sorry, no change.”
She snapped at the delivery crew to start unloading before I could respond.
I stood frozen.
Peter touched my shoulder, comforting me.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, looking between Nancy and me.
“Just girl talk,” Nancy smiled.
I told him bluntly, “She doesn’t want me at the wedding.”
Peter tensed. “What?”
Nancy sighed. “I found out she dated Josh before. It bothers me.”
Peter’s voice was sharp. “Let me get this straight… Use our house for free, my wife spends months planning, but you won’t let her come?”
Nancy crossed her arms. “Don’t make a fuss. She just needs to follow my rules.”
Peter laughed coldly. “Maybe you should find somewhere else.”
Nancy’s anger exploded. “Are you kidding? Tomorrow’s the wedding! We can’t be kicked out!”
“I can,” Peter said firmly.
Nancy shouted insults, claiming we were selfish and ungrateful.
Josh looked uncomfortable, trying to calm things down.
“Maybe we should talk calmly,” he suggested.
Peter said, “There’s nothing to talk about. Get off our land. Now.”
Nancy threatened to sue us.
“Good luck,” I said.
Her whole body trembled with rage.
Josh urged her to leave.
“Are you on their side?” she snapped.
“I’m not siding with anyone,” he said quietly.
She looked at the half-set-up wedding and asked, “What now? Tomorrow is the wedding!”
Despite everything, I felt a twinge of pity, but I reminded myself how quickly she kicked me out of my own home.
“That’s no longer our problem,” I said.
The next hour was chaos. She screamed, cursed, and threw a box of plates on the driveway, breaking them.
“You’ll pay for this!” she yelled.
Josh finally got her in the car. The delivery crew waited awkwardly.
Peter told them, “Take everything back. This isn’t the venue.”
I spent the rest of the day calling vendors to cancel orders.
That night, Peter and I sat on the porch, looking at the half-cleared setup.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
“For what?”
“For all this trouble. If only I had told you about Josh…”
Peter stopped me. “Don’t. It’s not your fault. This happened long ago. Today, Nancy showed her true self.”
I rested my head on his shoulder. “Do you think she’ll sue?”
“Let her try. No contracts. I did her a favor, and she turned out not to be a friend.”
“I can’t believe how fast it all fell apart.”
“Evie, some people are only nice when they get what they want. The mask falls off when you stand up for yourself.”
Later, friends told us Nancy and Josh had a quick wedding at a nearby hotel, with a much smaller party.
A few days later, Josh texted Peter:
“Nancy’s still upset, but I’m sorry. I should have said more.”
Peter showed me, but didn’t reply. Some bridges aren’t worth rebuilding.
I don’t regret anything. That day taught me a vital lesson: never let anyone disrespect you if you wouldn’t do the same for them.
Some might say canceling Nancy’s wedding last minute was emotional overreaction. But it wasn’t about an old fling. It was about respect. And I learned I deserve at least that. We all do.