Dahlia is planning her brother’s wedding, from designing the invitation to booking vendors to even baking the perfect cake. But on the big day, she spots a serious betrayal: she’s not invited.
When my brother, Liam, got engaged, I was happy for him. Sure, Claire wasn’t my favorite person in the world.
But she seemed to love my brother.
And Liam? He was smitten.
Therefore, when Claire pleaded me to help plan the wedding, I agreed. Not for her. But for Liam.
I started to design the invitations. I called vendors. I booked the venue. And I even paid for catering and the wedding cake.
The wedding cake had to be perfect.
Chocolate-peanut butter cake.
My lip twitched into a small smile. It was Liam’s favorite.
Birthdays, soccer games, even the time he got a participation trophy in third grade.
“Best flavor in the world,” he’d say.
My bakery was my dream. My entire world. And for a while, I thought my marriage had been, too.
I had loved my husband. Deeply. And for a while, I thought he had loved me, too.
But in the end, he had only loved what I built. The successful business.
Not me.
And the day I finally realized that? It broke me.
Not now, Dahlia. This is about Liam.
The morning of the wedding, I stood in the venue’s kitchen, carefully piping the final details onto the cake.
Guests were arriving, laughter spilling in from the grand hall. Then, my mom stormed in, her face like thunder.
“Sweetheart…” she hesitated.
“You’re not on the guest list.”
I let out a small laugh.
“What? That’s ridiculous. I’m literally holding their wedding cake.”
Mom’s face remained severe.
“Claire’s mom is checking the guest list. She says you’re not invited. And she won’t let you in.”
A ringing noise filled my ears. I had spent months helping Claire plan this wedding. Months.
Mom caught Liam just before the ceremony. He was adjusting his tie, smiling, completely unaware of what was happening.
“Liam,” she snapped. “Do you know that Claire didn’t invite your sister?”
Liam froze. His smile vanished.
“Wait. What? Why?”
“She won’t say. But she’s making sure Dahlia isn’t allowed inside. How can you allow that? She’s your sister!”
“Claire,” Liam said, his voice hard. “Did you seriously not invite my sister?”
“Ugh, babe. Not now,” she said. “Can we not do this on our wedding day?”
“Answer me.”
“Look, she helped us. So what? That was her gift to us. And honestly, let’s face it, it’s her job, too.”
“She paid for the food, Claire. She spent days baking the cake! And you just… what? Pretended she didn’t exist?”
“Fine. You wanna know the reason? I didn’t want divorced people at our wedding. It’s bad energy, especially for the bride! I don’t want that kind of luck in our marriage! I didn’t invite a lot of my friends and cousins.”
“So you excluded my sister because she got a divorce?”
“I mean… come on. It’s not my fault she couldn’t make it work. Why bring that kind of vibe to our day? And don’t be mad at me for just trying to stay happy. I’m superstitious, Liam! How do you not know this!?”
“Marriages don’t fail because of ‘bad vibes,’ Claire.
Claire’s smug expression hesitated.
“Liam, don’t be dramatic. You’re seriously making a scene over this? You’re lucky I even let her help. I did her a favor.”
Liam wasn’t listening anymore. He turned on his heel and walked straight to the catering table.
I was already home, nestled on the couch in stunned silence, when the doorbell rang.
“I’m sorry you wasted your time and money on that wedding,” he said.
“I’ll make her compensate you. But more than that…”
“Thank you. Because without you, I might never have seen Claire for who she really is.”
“You know, I haven’t eaten all day.”
I grabbed two forks.
“Then let’s fix that.”
We sat on the floor, still in formal clothes, digging straight into the wedding cake like a couple of sugar-starved kids.
“Chocolate-peanut butter,” he murmured.
“Yeah,” I swallowed thickly.
“You made this for me,” he said.
“Of course, I did, Liam.”
After a moment, he cleared his throat.
“You know… if this was the wedding cake, I guess that means I got the best part of today.”
“I walked away from someone who didn’t respect me. From a future that would have been miserable.”
He looked at me then, his voice quiet but sure.
“But I still have you.”
“Always,” I whispered.
The door opened, and there she was.
Claire.
She looked… different.
“Hey.”
“You lost?” I raised an eyebrow.
“No. I… I wanted to see you.”
“I can’t imagine why.”
“Liam won’t talk to me. Won’t see me… He…” Her voice caught, and for a split second, I saw genuine regret in her eyes.
“I messed up. I…” She exhaled sharply. “I was awful to you, Dahlia. I was selfish and cruel, and I…”
“I never meant for things to go this way.”
“Really? Because it felt intentional.”
“I thought…” she hesitated. “I thought I could control everything. That if I just pushed hard enough, I’d get my perfect day. And instead? I ruined everything.”
“Stop,” my voice was flat. “You don’t get to want anything from me, Claire.”
“You used me. Lied to me. Now, get out of my bakery.”
“I really am sorry.”
I didn’t answer. And a moment later, she was gone.
