Ryan and Hanna are about to tie the knot and make their commitment to one another following years of courtship that began with a chance meeting. Hanna, however, is devastated when Ryan’s mother shows her an embarrassing video of Ryan with a different woman. Later on, though, Hanna discovers more duplicity than she could have imagined coupled with the video’s truth. Do parents just enjoy dropping bombshells before weddings? When I say before—I mean 30 minutes before?
Because that’s exactly what Ryan’s mother did. When Ryan and I first crossed paths two years ago, it was kind of by accident. Because one of my friends, Mila, was directing her first local musical, I was at the community theater. And there I was, post-show, standing outside with a bunch of flowers for Mila. Ryan left, walking straight into me and smashing the flowers due of the throng. Grabbing the bouquet, he exclaimed, “I am so sorry.” I declared, “I detest crowds.” He chuckled and gestured for us to move away from the door. “I’m not a fan either,” he said. “I’m Ryan.” “Hanna,” I said, introducing myself.Ryan proposed to me in a pub three months into our relationship over crispy potato skins and Guinness. We ought to have sealed that pledge with our wedding vows last week. However, our wedding took a very different turn than it should have. At first, my family embraced Ryan wholeheartedly. My parents were overjoyed that I had found someone who truly made me happy, especially since I was their only daughter. One evening when we brought Ryan over for family supper, my mother commented, “This is a different side to you, Hanna.” With a smile, my father said, “He makes her happy.” “A father could only want that.”Ryan felt welcome—he felt the warmth that they showered him, and through that, we grew stronger as a couple, too. It was much the same on his end. The Coles welcomed me into their house and hearts, and their only goal was to host us as much as they could. Audrey, Mrs. Cole, had also developed a manicure and coffee date routine with me. Everything felt right—until the very moment it wasn’t. Leading up to our wedding, I was the calmest I could have been. It was a small church wedding, and Ryan and I had planned the intimate affair right down to the little details. We knew exactly what we wanted and how to make it special for our day.But on what was meant to be the happiest day of my life, just before the ceremony, my soon-to-be mother-in-law pulled me aside.“My dear,” she uttered. “May we just talk for a minute?”I gave her a nod and instructed her to hold off until my makeup and hair artists finished. Her mannerisms caused me to feel uneasy and apprehensive. I observed her movements while I looked at my image in the mirror. Her gaze darted quickly across the room, frequently resting on my wedding garment that hung on its hook. I turned to Audrey when I was ready and my mom was buttoning my dress.“I’m ready when you are,” I said, smiling at her.Her eyes glazed over, seeing me in the dress. She had been at my fittings before, but this was the moment that Audrey and my mother would see the full effect of my bridal outfit. “Hanna,” Audrey said. “There’s no easy way for me to say this.” My chest was thumping with my heart. I knew our talk would not result in anything positive while I sat observing her while my hair was done. I told him to just say it. “Explain to me.” Audrey reached into her handbag and produced her phone to show me. “This phone has movies that walk you through everything. Hanna, I really apologize, but Ryan has to be exposed. My thoughts were racing. When her phone was unlocked, I had no idea what I was going to witness.A woman’s voice resounded throughout the room as she handed me her phone and said, “This here.” The recordings on Audrey’s phone showed Ryan secretly in love with another woman—a clear betrayal.“Are you sure?” I asked. “This is him?”Audrey closed her eyes, inhaled deeply. She answered, “Well, have a look at the jacket on the bed.” “Is that the one you acquired him for?” I glanced at the jacket after pressing play once more. The hotel room likewise had a familiar appearance; I was positive we had visited there previously. I remarked, “But Ryan’s face isn’t in the frame.”I was having trouble. My almost mother-in-law was there in front of me with a tape that revealed her son’s adultery, and I couldn’t believe it. “Hanna,” she uttered gradually. It is directly before you. You can choose to ignore it, but if you do, consider the man you would be getting married to. Knowing that, could you live with yourself? Could you coexist with him? I gave a headshake. I was so overwhelmed that I wanted to cry. “All right,” I replied. “You’re going to call off the wedding?” Audrey enquired, her voice laced with optimism. “No,” I replied. “I intend to proceed down that aisle. I intend to stroll towards the man who has betrayed me. And I’ll end it then, when it’s time for our vows. Audrey put her phone back in her purse and murmured, “Okay, darling.” “Anyway, it’s almost time now.” When it came time for me to marry Ryan, I settled down on the chaise and waited for my father to come get me. All I wanted was to hop in a car and head somewhere where I could eat a mound of fries and forget about my feelings.When I walked up to the altar on my father’s arm, my heart was pounding so hard with rage. Ryan gave me a kind smile, sensing the fury that was building beneath my skin. Squeezing my hand, he took it. If only he hadn’t been with someone else, it would have been dream come true. Our priest continued by quoting passages from the Bible that discuss marriage and love. And my heart eventually calmed down as it came time for our vows, finally recognizing what was going to happen. I mutely muttered, more to the earth than to Ryan, “I don’t.” The priest urged Hanna to speak up more. “I’m not!” Speaking with greater assurance, my comments echoed like a loud shockwave. I said those two words again, and Ryan’s surprise turned to confusion. “Hannah? How come? With a tone full of hurt and betrayal, he questioned.My words were, “Ask your mom,” gesturing to Audrey. “Mrs. Cole, please share with everyone what you previously told me.” At once the church fell silent, like though everyone was holding their breath. She pulled her phone out of her bag with trembling hands. She held it out to me like she had earlier. “Observe,” I told Ryan.Ryan retreated a step and nearly tumbled over the wedding arch. “Hanna, that’s not who I am!” He spoke up. “You know it’s not me, Hanna!” I averted my gaze from him. He then went up against his mother. “Mum, what’s going on here? What is that? How did you obtain the video? With a shake of her head, Audrey turned to leave the church and disappeared down the aisle. I had to endure Ryan’s excuses for too long. “Please, Hanna,” he said. “I need your faith in me.” And I desired to. I wanted to believe the man I loved, of course. However, it was evident—in the video, the jacket I got him was lying across the bed. He was with another person. And how would he explain the footage if it became out that he wasn’t with someone else? And the girl who had very little on? What about the audio effects? I said, “I can’t do this.” “I refuse to.” Leaving the side door behind me, my parents trailed closely behind me. For the remainder of the day, Ryan kept contacting me, so when night fell, I blocked his number.However, two days later, Ryan turned up at my parents’ place with takeout and flowers, when I was curled up under a blanket, wondering where it had all gone wrong. “You think this will solve every problem?” I enquired. He said simply, “I need to talk.” I listened in spite of my better judgment. Ryan’s next revelation pushed me into yet another tailspin. He’d approached Audrey following the nuptials.He answered, “I went straight to her house.” “As if she hadn’t just ruined our wedding, she was sitting there, in her kitchen, eating toast and listening to old records.” I yelled out, “I think you did that.” “Hanna,” he issued a warning. “That video was masterminded by my mother. Her students are the ones that are in it. And the reason behind it all was her dislike of our marriage. My mouth dropped to the floor. Audrey was an English tutor for first-year college students in addition to being a high school teacher. She became really anxious when she realized that Ryan and I were going to tie the knot. Too keen to earn a little extra cash, she recruited two of her college students for the role. I responded, tucking into the lunch Ryan had brought over, “I thought she liked me.” “She obviously doesn’t, considering that she assembled a whole video.” Ryan laughed tensely, “She did say that the sounds were edited.” “But I have to give it to her—it was a nice touch to include my jacket.”I was unaware of my feelings. Since leaving my own wedding two days ago, I’ve persuaded myself that Ryan was the villain in my tale. that his mother exposed him for what he was, and that he was the villain who crushed my heart. But the truth was far worse than that. This was a woman who had broken my heart to marry her son before claiming me as the daughter she never had. She thought Ryan wasn’t worthy of me. I accused Ryan of ch_eating on me in front of our visitors, but he immediately forgave me, and I did the same in return. Although we’re still together, I have no idea what the future may bring. I feel misled and hurt by Audrey for the time being. Furthermore, I am aware that she will find it difficult to forgive. How would you respond?
