When Chelsea and Peter were deep into their wedding plans, she never imagined the heartbreak waiting for her. Coming home to find her world turned upside down, Chelsea is pushed into a journey filled with love, betrayal, and hidden truths that make her question everything she once held dear.
My name is Chelsea. I’m twenty-eight, and until recently, I thought my life was perfectly mapped out. My fiancé, Peter, and I had been together for more than four years, and our wedding was only three months away.
Everything about the preparations felt exciting and hopeful. But looking back, the warning signs were always there, mostly in the form of his mother, Debbie. She never cared for me, and she didn’t bother pretending otherwise.
I still remember the first day Peter brought me to meet his parents. Debbie gave me a long, cold once-over, then turned to her son with a strained smile and said, “Oh, she’s… interesting.”
From that day forward, it never got easier. Whenever I tried to impress her, she’d find a way to undercut me. I cooked dinner for the family once, and she said, “It’s fine, Chelsea. Not quite how Peter prefers it, but fine.”
Peter always dismissed her comments with, “She’ll warm up to you eventually.” But four years had passed, and I was still waiting for that moment.
Fast forward to a day that began like any other. I was excited because we had finally chosen our wedding venue, and I couldn’t wait to share the news with Peter. But the second I approached our apartment, my stomach dropped. Suitcases sat outside the front door. My suitcases.
“Is this some sort of sick joke?” I said under my breath, dropping my things and hurrying inside.
The door was unlocked. The place was silent. Every call I made to Peter rolled straight to voicemail. Anxiety crawled up my spine. I needed answers.
A noise upstairs startled me. I followed the sound to our bedroom. And there she was. Debbie. Digging through our closet like she owned the place.
“Debbie, what’s going on? Why is my stuff on the doorstep?” I demanded, doing everything I could to keep my voice from shaking.
She turned around slowly, wearing the smuggest smile imaginable. She glanced at the phone in my hand. “Oh, you’re trying to reach Peter? That won’t help you. He’s finished with you. He’s already moved to a new house without you. And the wedding? It’s canceled.”
The air left my lungs. “Canceled? What are you talking about? Where is Peter?”
Debbie crossed her arms, triumphant. “He doesn’t want to see you. You aren’t welcome here anymore.”
I stared at her in disbelief. My chest felt tight. Nothing made sense.
I stumbled out of the apartment, desperate to find Peter and get answers. I jumped into my car and drove straight to his parents’ house, praying this was all some kind of misunderstanding.
His car was in the driveway. Relief washed over me. At least he was here. I ran to the front door and burst inside.
“Peter! Peter, where are you?”
Voices drifted from the living room. When I walked in, I found Peter sitting on the couch with another woman beside him. My stomach twisted when I recognized her: Jennifer, the daughter of Debbie’s best friend, Moira. Debbie had always pushed the idea of Peter being with Jennifer instead of me.
“Peter, what’s happening?” I asked, my voice shaking.
He looked at me with a coldness I’d never seen. “You cheated on me, Chelsea. I have the photos to prove it.”
My mind went blank. “What? I have never cheated on you. What photos?”
He shoved a stack of pictures into my hands. They showed me with a man I had never even seen before. I felt sick.
“Peter, these are fake. I don’t know this man. You know me. You have to believe me!”
Jennifer remained silent, but satisfaction flickered in her eyes. Peter shook his head. “I can’t trust you. It’s over, Chelsea.”
His words gutted me. “Peter, this is madness. You know me better than this. How could you just accept something like this at face value?”
“You ruined your own reputation,” he snapped. “For all I know, you’ve been lying this entire relationship.”
A mix of rage and sorrow surged through me. Four years of memories, dreams, plans… destroyed by a lie and a mother who hated me.
“How can you do this? After everything we built together, you’re ending it over fabricated evidence?”
He looked away. “I can’t marry someone I can’t trust.”
The unfairness of it all nearly suffocated me. I had stood by him through everything, and this was my reward.
“You’re making a terrible mistake,” I whispered.
My hand moved before my brain did. I slapped him across the face and walked out as tears streamed down my cheeks.