Page 2 of All I Need

“Fuck you both,” I snap. Relief we decided on an outdoor ceremony at Gary’s father’s country club instead of in a church floods through me. I’m also grateful the guests are sitting under the tent set up far away from the separate clubhouse the bridal party used to get ready and nobody else is witnessing this scene.

As much as I love my shoes, they’re just another reminder of the situation I’m currently in so I kick them off, reach down and chuck them at Gary. One after the other, they bounce off his chest and fall to his feet.

“I’m… sorry,” Crystal hiccups through tears.

“I bet so. Sucks being seen as the bitch you really are rather than the friend you’ve been pretending to be this entire time.”

She flinches at my harsh words.

I walk over to the bag that holds my regular clothes which I had packed up before the photographer called for me to take my pictures. Pictures I just finished smiling for and had walked back to the room to reapply lipstick as the photographer said it was time for the groom’s pictures so I could take a break. Somehow I doubt the image before me is what the photographer was hoping for. I quickly slide on my jean shorts and do up three buttons of my white shirt then slip on my champagne wedge flip flops that I had planned to wear during the reception.

“He’s all yours,” I tell Crystal who’s still quietly crying.

“Ellie, wait,” Gary pleads. The sad part is I don’t know if he’s pleading because he’s sincerely sorry or that he’s upset he was caught. Unfortunately, more likely the reason is because he knows his parents will cut him off since he was only allowed full use of his trust fund if he was married before his thirty-fifth birthday, which is just around the corner.

“What for? So you can tell me I got the wrong idea? Or again that you’re sorry? Oh, maybe you’re going to tell me that it wasn’t planned and that it just happened, that you’ll never do it again. Save it, asshole.”

“We really…”

“What, Crystal? You really didn’t mean for it to happen? And when it did, what then? You just thought it was no big deal? That you’d keep it going and watch me marry the man you’ve been screwing for the past six months and that would work forever? I don’t know if that makes you pathetic or just a slut. But you know what? I’m done with both of you. I can’t believe I let myself trust either of you.” Suddenly a thought occurs to me and I have to swallow down bile. But damn if I’m not so freaking grateful that we haven’t had sex in over two months.

“This is why you wanted me to get tested. You said it was because of something with the inheritance. That we both had to have a full medical checkup before you could accept it.”

He has the decency to look guilty. But Crystal, she looks pissed.

“What the fuck, Gary? You made her get tested? Because… why? You don’t trust me?”

“No it’s not that at all. It’s not you. It’s…” he stops whatever he was about to say but the words are hanging in the air already. I don’t know if Crystal’s smart enough to figure it out on her own or not, but I don’t really care.

Without him admitting it, I know, without a doubt, it’s because he’s the one who hasn’t been faithful to her. But what would she expect? If he can’t be faithful to the woman he was about to pledge his life to, why would he be faithful to the one who thought it was okay for him to be a cheat?

I place my bag on my shoulder, check to make sure my wallet and phone are still inside then I walk over to Gary and hold out my palm. “Keys?” I raise an eyebrow for him to challenge me, which, of course, he doesn’t. Because he’s a cheat who has no balls. He digs into his pocket before placing them in my palm. I turn to walk away then think better of it.

Placing my left hand on his chest, my large engagement ring that his daddy no doubt helped pay for sparkles brilliantly. I look at it briefly then back to him. His eyes soften and I know he thinks I’m about to cave.

Then I ball a fist, cock my arm back and sock him right in the gut.

“Have a nice life, Gary.”

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