Page 161 of No Rings Attached
AUNTIE BETTY
Celia said he was a sucky lay. Bahaha but I bet you already knew that.
AUNTIE BETTY
I think Celia threw a shoe. I wonder if her aim was better than at Axe-Hole?
AUNTIE BETTY
Celia just kicked him out. And Kyle said he would have dumped her after the wedding. Holy crap. He’s an asshole! You dodged a bullet, kiddo.
AUNTIE BETTY
The bridesmaids are outside her door. Angie just stuck up for you with the other girls, and a lot of them are saying they want nothing to do with Celia. And Jenna said she can’t be associated with this fallout.
AUNTIE BETTY
Your mother just joined them. She is having a MELTDOWN. Hahahaha! She’s trying to blame you. No one is listening, and I just opened my door and told her to shut up. I can’t believe we’re related
AUNTIE BETTY
Celia slammed her door in your mother’s FACE and told her to leave her alone and that she’s cutting ties with her. This is CRAZY! That’s your mother’s worst nightmare ... Celia’s her co-dependent sidekick. But you know that.
AUNTIE BETTY
Kyle’s talking to the producer that showed up last night. He’s trying to get them to give him his own show. They laughed in his face!
AUNTIE BETTY
Okay, my advice to you—shut off your phone and avoid your mother. She’s on a rampage. Okay, love you! Call me when you can! BYE-EE! xoxo
I stared at the screen, waiting for the wave of emotions to hit. Guilt. Concern. The old instinct to fix things, smooth things over, make myself useful.
Nothing came.
Just … relief. Pure, uncomplicated relief.
“Everything okay?” Drew sat up, his hand finding my lower back.
“The wedding’s off.” I looked at him, the words tumbling out. “Celia and Kyle canceled it.”
His eyebrows rose. “Seriously?”
“Auntie Betty says Mom’s devastated.” I scrolled to the next text that just popped up. “But there’s more. Apparently the videographers got everything on camera. Celia’s whole influencer empire is about to come crashing down. Her sponsors are pulling out.”
“What do you mean?”
I skimmed the rest of my aunt’s message and let out a startled laugh. “It’s finally coming out that the videos that went viral for her a year ago, not just the one where she apparently showed my wedding ideas book, but the one a few months later when she gave me a ‘surprise bridesmaid proposal’ were faked.”
Drew’s expression shifted from confusion to disgust. “That’s …”
“Awful? Manipulative? On-brand?” I set the phone down. “Her whole following is built on those moments. The ‘thoughtful, loving bride persona’ that launched her entire wedding journey series was a farce.”
“And now the truth’s coming out.” He threaded his fingers through my free hand.
“It is, in the best way possible. Apparently, it’s not even the recent videos taken here in Ruby River that are getting the most attention. She must have been trying to prank me because she kept recording after she told me it was a joke, andsomeone,”I had a sneaking suspicion it was Angie. “released the rest of the video and how Wedding Bells is horrified at her behavior. Her followers are super upset and hurt by all the lies that are coming out.”
“I don’t blame them.” Drew studied my face. “Are you okay?
