They Switched My Groom So I Married The Wrong Man Chapter 05
The Wedding They Stole
Ethan stares at our hands.
Then he laughs.
It’s forced.
“Okay.”
I say nothing.
“Very funny, Claire.”
Still nothing.
His smile fades.
“You found out about the groom game.”
“Yes.”
“I knew it.”
He reaches for me.
I step back.
“Don’t.”
His hand stops.
“Claire, Sophie wanted to know what it felt like to be a bride. That’s all.”
“On my wedding day.”
“It wasn’t a real wedding.”
“Then why weren’t you at mine?”
He exhales.
“We had a plan.”
“I heard your plan.”
That shuts him up.
I continue.
“You were going to finish Sophie’s ceremony, come back here, pretend nothing happened, and then legally marry me.”
“It sounds worse when you say it like that.”
“It sounds exactly like what you did.”
“My parents knew about it.”
“I know.”
“They thought it was harmless too.”
“That isn’t helping.”
Ethan rubs his forehead.
“Look, none of this changes anything.”
“This is still our wedding day. You’re still the woman I’m marrying.”
He reaches into his pocket.
“We even have the rings.”
He pulls out a velvet box and opens it.
Empty.
Ethan stares at the box.
His face changes.
And then he remembers.
During Sophie’s pretend ceremony, when the officiant told him to place a ring on her finger—
he used mine.
Ryan looks at the empty box.
Then at the ring already on my hand.
“Looks like your bride already has Claire’s ring.”
Ethan snaps the box shut.
His phone rings.
Sophie.
He answers.
“Ethan, where are you? Everyone’s waiting for us to do the reception.”
My mother’s voice comes faintly through the phone.
“Exactly. Where did the groom disappear to?”
Then my father.
“Claire’s ceremony is fine. The people we hired said everything went smoothly.”
Ethan looks at me.
For the first time today, he seems genuinely nervous.
“Sophie.”
“What?”
“This has gone far enough.”
“What do you mean?”
“I drove you around. I did the ceremony. You got your wedding experience.”
His voice sharpens.
“Claire is the actual bride.”
Now he remembers.
“Bring the ring to Ballroom B.”
Sophie goes silent.
“The one you’re wearing,” Ethan says. “It’s Claire’s.”
He hangs up.
Then he looks at me as though he’s solved everything.
“There. She’ll bring it back.”
“No.”
“What?”
“I don’t want it.”
“Claire.”
“You put it on another woman’s hand.”
“It was part of the ceremony.”
“Exactly.”
Ryan mutters, “Unbelievable.”
Ethan looks at him.
“You can leave now.”
Ryan blinks.
“What?”
“Whatever Claire paid you, I’ll double it.”
I squeeze his hand before he can respond.
“He isn’t an actor.”
Ethan looks at me.
I point toward the sign above the ballroom entrance.
He finally reads it.
CLAIRE BENNETT & RYAN WALKER.
Then he looks around.
“You’re serious.”
“Yes.”
The ballroom doors open again.
Sophie walks in first.
My parents follow.
Behind them comes half the wedding party from the other ballroom.
Everyone starts talking at once.
Then Ethan’s six friends enter.
One of them looks at Ryan.
Then at the others.
“Wait.”
He counts.
His face changes.
“All six of us are here.”
Another groomsman stares at Ryan.
“Then who the hell is that?”
Ryan’s mother looks at her son.
“Ryan.”
Her voice is calm.
“Did you steal someone’s bride?”
“What? No!”
“You called me with one hour’s notice!”
“That doesn’t mean I stole her.”
Ryan points at me.
“Claire chose me.”
Ethan lunges.
His fist hits Ryan’s jaw.
Ryan hits him back.
Within seconds, they’re on the floor.
People scream.
Several men drag them apart.
Ethan has blood at the corner of his mouth.
Ryan’s cheek is already turning red.
Ethan comes toward me.
“Claire, look what he did.”
I walk straight past him.
I stop in front of Ryan.
“Are you okay?”
Ryan touches his cheek.
“I’ve had better weddings.”
Despite myself, I laugh.
My mother hears it.
Then she hears what Ryan says next.
“At least my wife still likes me.”
“Wife?”
I turn.
Her voice rises.
“Claire, I never agreed to this marriage.”
I look at her.
Then past her.
At the two strangers still sitting where my parents should be.
I widen my eyes.
“Mom?”
She stiffens.
I point.
“If you’re here…”
I let the silence stretch.
“Who walked me down the aisle?”
No one answers.
“Oh.”
I smile.
“Those are the actors you hired because you thought your face-blind daughter wouldn’t know the difference.”
Whispers explode across the room.
Sophie turns white.
I keep going.
“My real parents were too busy attending Sophie’s wedding with my fiancé.”