“You knew.” Emma’s voice was barely audible. “You knew about Victoria, didn’t you? That’s why you’ve been so busy lately, why you cancelled our girls’ nights. You’ve been helping them behind my back.”
Sophia’s face crumpled. “Emma, no, I would never…”
“Save it.” Liam stepped forward, his earlier pity replaced by cold indifference. “Sophia didn’t have anything to do with this. But now that the truth is out, we can all stop pretending.”
Victoria nodded in agreement. “Emma, you’re obviously upset, but let’s be realistic here. You and Liam were never really suited for each other. You’re… you’re comfortable, Emma. That’s all. Comfortable doesn’t last.”
Emma stared at them, feeling something inside her shatter into a million pieces. Three years of her life, given to a man who saw her as “comfortable,” to a best friend who had watched it happen without saying a word. All the sacrifices she’d made – the savings drained for this venue, the overtime hours at work to pay for the wedding, the compromises on her dreams to support Liam’s ambitions.
“What about our savings?” Emma’s voice trembled but remained steady. “The ten thousand dollars we put down for this venue? The money we’ve been saving for our apartment deposit?”
Liam shrugged. “The venue deposit is non-refundable, Emma. You know that. As for the apartment money… I’ve already put it toward a new investment opportunity that Victoria’s father introduced me to. It’s going to triple in value within six months.”
Emma felt like she might vomit. He had spent her apartment money on an investment for his relationship with another woman.
“This is…” Emma’s voice broke, and she had to take a deep breath before continuing. “This is unbelievable. You destroy our relationship, steal my money, and then act like you’re doing me a favor by ‘upgrading’ from me?”
“Emma, don’t make a scene.” Victoria glanced at her expensive watch. “We’re all adults here. Sometimes relationships run their course. You’ll find someone eventually – someone more on your level. Liam and I are just being honest about what we want.”
Honest. The word hung in the air like a weapon. Emma looked at Sophia, who still stood frozen in the doorway, her face a mask of conflicting emotions.
“And what about you, Sophia?” Emma asked, her voice cold. “Are you going to stand there and pretend you didn’t know any of this? Are you going to keep being my best friend while helping her destroy my life?”
Sophia’s eyes filled with tears. “Emma, I didn’t want to hurt you. Liam told me about Victoria weeks ago, and I didn’t know what to do. I thought if I gave him time to break up with you properly, it would be easier than if I told you right away.”
“Break up with me properly?” Emma laughed, a bitter sound that echoed in the empty ballroom. “He was going to break up with me three weeks before our wedding, after taking my money for this venue, after using me to pay his rent for the past six months while he was ‘building his career’?” She turned to Liam. “You were using me, weren’t you? All this time, I was just paying your way until something better came along.”
Liam’s jaw tightened. “That’s not fair, Emma. We had good times. You were supportive of my career, and I appreciated that. But people grow and change. I’m not the same person I was three years ago.”
“And apparently I’m not the same person I thought I was, because I believed you loved me.” Emma looked around the ballroom, at the sunlight streaming through the windows, at the empty tables where their wedding guests would have sat. Everything suddenly seemed ridiculous – the months of planning, the money spent, the dreams she had built around a man who saw her as nothing more than a stepping stone.
“Get out,” Emma said. Her voice dropped an octave, dangerous and steady.
Victoria raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“I said, get out.” Emma’s voice grew louder, carrying a strength she didn’t know she possessed. “All of you. This is my venue booking, my deposit, my wedding. You have no right to be here, acting like you’re doing me a favor by destroying my life.”
Liam’s face flushed. “Emma, we’re not children. Let’s be adults about this. We need to discuss the deposit, the…”
“There’s nothing to discuss. I paid the deposit, and I’ll deal with the venue management myself. You and your…” Emma gestured toward Victoria, her hand trembling, “…this situation can go somewhere else and figure out your lives together somewhere else.”
For a moment, Liam looked like he might argue, but then Victoria took his arm and whispered something in his ear. He nodded, his expression softening as he looked at her.
“You’re right, Emma. This has been stressful for everyone. We’ll leave you alone to… process this.” Liam shot Sophia a significant look. “Come on, Sophia. We should go.”
Sophia hesitated, her eyes pleading with Emma. “Emma, can we please talk about this alone? I can explain everything.”
