I\u2019ve known Dave for over 30 years. We grew up together, sharing secrets and navigating awkward teenage years. When he told me he was marrying Shanize, a beautiful and graceful woman he\u2019d met a year ago, I couldn\u2019t have been happier for him. Dave, who I never imagined would settle down, had finally found someone to spend his life with. The ceremony seemed flawless.\n

Shanize looked stunning, as if she had stepped out of a bridal magazine, her long white dress gliding effortlessly as she walked down the aisle. But something wasn\u2019t right.\n

Initially,I dismissed it as pre-wedding nerves\u2014after all, weddings are nerve-wracking. But as Shanize took another step, I noticed something peculiar. Her walk seemed off, hesitant, almost as though she was struggling. I whispered to Dave\u2019s sister, Heather, \u201cDo you see that? Her walk\u2026 it\u2019s strange.\u201d Heather glanced at the aisle and shrugged. \u201cYou\u2019re overthinking it, Janice. She\u2019s just nervous. It\u2019s a big day.\u201d She smiled, trying to reassure me, but my sense of unease only deepened.\n

As Shanize moved closer,her steps appeared more labored, her dress flowing in a way that didn\u2019t seem natural. I couldn\u2019t ignore it any longer. Despite Heather\u2019s warning to avoid making a scene, I had to find out what was going on. When Shanize finally reached the altar, I could no longer resist my curiosity. My heart raced as I bent down and gently lifted the hem of her gown. What I saw beneath the beautiful white fabric left me frozen in place\u2014large, polished men\u2019s shoes. My mind raced, struggling to comprehend the situation. Glancing up, I noticed something else\u2014a pair of suit pants barely concealed under the dress. That\u2019s when it hit me. This wasn\u2019t Shanize. Staring up at the person standing before me, I realized it was a man in a wig and veil. Panic surged through me as I met Dave\u2019s eyes, which had turned from joy to confusion. \u201cJanice?\u201d Dave\u2019s voice wavered, his happiness unraveling into uncertainty. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d The entire congregation sat in stunned silence. The man in the dress, pretending to be Shanize, remained unfazed. Slowly, he removed the veil and wig, revealing short, dark hair beneath. The room erupted into whispers of disbelief. With a smug grin, the man spoke, \u201cSurprise.\n

You didn\u2019t even notice, did you?\u201d Dave, now visibly shaken, looked around in disbelief. \u201cWhere\u2019s Shanize?\u201d he demanded, his voice trembling. The man, who we now realized was Dave\u2019s best man, casually replied, \u201cShe\u2019s gone. She left days ago, but don\u2019t worry, she asked me to do this. She wanted you to experience this moment.\u201d The murmurs grew louder as confusion spread through the church. I stood there, numb, trying to process what I was hearing. How could Dave\u2019s best man be involved in such a bizarre situation? Dave, now on the verge of panic, stammered, \u201cWhat are you talking about? What did you do to her?\u201d The best man raised a hand, signaling calm, though his words were anything but reassuring. \u201cOh, she\u2019s fine.\n

She just wanted you to know what it feels like to be blindsided.\u201d Dave\u2019s confusion only deepened as he shook his head. \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d The best man\u2019s grin widened. \u201cShe found out, Dave. About you and Vanessa.\u201d The room fell silent once more as the weight of those words settled in. Dave stood frozen, horror etched across his face. \u201cNo\u2026 that\u2019s not true.\u201d But the best man continued, his voice dripping with malice. \u201cOh, it is. She found out about your affair with Vanessa, one of her bridesmaids, a few days ago.\n

She could have canceled the wedding, but where\u2019s the fun in that? She wanted everyone to see the real you.\u201d Gasps filled the room. I looked over at Vanessa, who sat pale and trembling a few rows back, her gaze fixed on the floor. Dave\u2019s face had drained of all color as he frantically shook his head in denial. \u201cNo, no, this can\u2019t be happening.\u201d The best man\u2019s voice rose, filled with bitter satisfaction.\n

\u201cIt is happening, Dave. You betrayed her, and now you\u2019re paying for it.\u201d Chaos erupted as guests began talking over one another, trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed. Dave, wild with desperation, reached out to me. \u201cJanice, please. This isn\u2019t what it looks like.\u201d I could only stare back at him, my heart sinking. \u201cDave\u2026 what have you done?\u201d And with that, the best man turned and walked away, leaving Dave standing alone, his world in shambles.\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Weddings are often moments of joy and celebration, but as Shanize approached the altar, a feeling of unease crept over me. Something felt terribly off, and I couldn\u2019t shake it. … \n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scenicwhispers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scenicwhispers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scenicwhispers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scenicwhispers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scenicwhispers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5528"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scenicwhispers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5530,"href":"https:\/\/scenicwhispers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5528\/revisions\/5530"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scenicwhispers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scenicwhispers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scenicwhispers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scenicwhispers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}