Ethan made me feel like the luckiest woman in the world. We had met just under a year before our planned wedding, and I was over the moon when he proposed.

We planned everything together—the venue, the flowers, the cake. It was supposed to be perfect. Until one day, I accidentally walked in on him… with my older sister Lauren.

And the worst part? They didn’t even try to deny it. They straight-up admitted they had been together for a while.

But here’s where it gets even worse—MY FAMILY TOOK HER SIDE. My parents, who had always treated her better, supported her relationship with my fiancé.

And get this—he didn’t cancel the wedding. Nope. They just switched the bride. My ex-fiancé and my sister were now getting married, and I wasn’t even invited.

But I wasn’t about to let them get away with it. So, I decided to show up… with a little “”surprise”” for the happy couple.

I walked into the banquet hall in the middle of the reception, ready to expose them. But instead of a celebration, I found something completely different—silent, stunned guests and a room full of cops.

“”What’s going on?”” I asked the nearest officer.”

I spotted my sister—still in her wedding dress, tears streaming down her face. My parents looked utterly shell-shocked.

But Ethan was nowhere to be seen.

The cop turned to me. “Are you a guest?”

I nodded. “Sort of. I was supposed to be the bride today.”

He sighed. “We came here to arrest the groom, but he wasn’t here. He was caught at the city bus station trying to leave town.”

He gestured toward a group of detectives speaking to guests. “Turns out, he’s been running a long con. He’s a scam artist. He never planned on marrying anyone.”

“What did he do?”, I asked.

“He’s done this before—to three other women in the city. He took off with all the wedding gifts, the deposits, decorations, and whatever money he could get his hands on. He’s currently on the run.”

“He even lied about having family coming from Europe. He has no family. No guests. Nothing,” the policeman informed me.

My parents and I were frozen in disbelief. Lauren—the woman who had betrayed me—was now abandoned at the altar, sobbing while her last-minute bridesmaids comforted her.

And for the first time in weeks, I smiled as I stood there. Justice had been served!

When the guests started leaving, one officer approached me. “Hi, I saw you arrive. I hear Officer James say you dodged a bullet.”

I let out a breath. “Yeah. Guess I did.”

He gave me a small smile. “Would you like to grab a coffee sometime? You know, with someone who isn’t a criminal?”

I glanced at his name tag—Officer Matt.

For the first time after a long time, I felt something other than anger and betrayal. Maybe a fresh start wasn’t such a bad idea.

That was a year ago.

And tomorrow? I’m marrying him!

Life has a funny way of working out.