The congregation rustled like leaves in the wind. Karen’s head snapped up, her face streaked with mascara tears. «That’s impossible,» she whispered.
«Is it?» I pulled out my phone again, scrolling through photos. «Shall we start with the pictures my neighbor, Mrs. Patterson, took of you leaving our apartment building at 6 a.m. on February 14th? You know, Valentine’s Day, when I was working a double shift at the hospital.» I held up the phone so everyone could see the clear photo of Karen doing the walk of shame in yesterday’s clothes.
«Or maybe we should discuss the credit card charges, Colton?» I turned to my groom, who looked like he wanted to evaporate. «The ones you thought I wouldn’t notice because they were small amounts. The coffee shop where you met Karen every Tuesday. The jewelry store where you bought her that little diamond necklace she’s wearing right now.»
Karen’s hand flew to her throat, where a delicate chain with a tiny diamond pendant caught the light—the same pendant I’d seen on our credit card statement and assumed was a surprise for me.
«The hotel room you booked last month when you told me you were at that financial conference in Chicago,» I continued. «Except the conference was virtual, wasn’t it, Colton? And you were actually twenty minutes away at the Marriott downtown with my maid of honor.»
Colton finally found his voice. «Anna, I can explain…»
«Explain what? How you took $5,000 from our joint wedding account to pay for her credit card bills? How you used my engagement ring money from my grandmother to cover her rent when she got fired from her marketing job? How you promised her you’d call off our wedding after the honeymoon so she could save face?»
The church erupted in gasps and angry murmurs. Someone behind me said, «Jesus Christ,» loudly enough to make Father Rodriguez wince. But I wasn’t done.
«Or maybe,» I said, my voice getting dangerously soft, «we should discuss the real reason Karen is here making this dramatic announcement.»
Karen struggled to her feet, her hands shaking. «Anna, please…»
«See, here’s the thing about my best friend since kindergarten,» I told the congregation, like I was giving a toast at a dinner party. «She’s always been competitive, always wanted what I had. My dolls, my clothes, my boyfriends. But this time, she bit off more than she could chew.»
I walked closer to Karen, my wedding dress rustling with each step. The guests were so quiet I could hear the silk train sliding across the marble floor. «Tell them about the DNA test, Karen.»
Her face went ashen. «I don’t know what you’re talking about.»
«The DNA test you took last week,» I pressed. «The one that proved the baby isn’t Colton’s.»
The church exploded. Gasps, exclamations, the sound of shocked whispers turning into full conversations. Someone’s grandmother started praying loudly in Spanish.
Colton stared at Karen like he’d never seen her before. «What is she talking about?»
Karen’s mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. «That’s… that’s not… Anna, you’re lying.»
«Am I?» I pulled a folded paper from inside my bouquet. «Paternity test results, dated last Tuesday. A 24% probability that Colton Wellington is the father, which, for those of you who aren’t familiar with genetics, means definitely not the father.» I held the paper high enough for everyone to see the official letterhead. «But here’s my favorite part,» I continued, my voice taking on a sweet, conversational tone. «The test also shows a 99% probability that the father is…» I paused for dramatic effect. «…James Wellington.»
Colton’s face went from green to white to red in the span of three seconds. «My brother.»
«Your brother,» I confirmed cheerfully. «Who, by the way, is standing right behind you in your groomsman line, looking like he wants to crawl under a rock.»
Every head turned toward the groomsman. James Wellington, two years younger than Colton and infinitely more charming, had gone as pale as communion bread. He started backing away from the altar as if he could somehow escape.
«Jamie?» Colton turned to stare at his brother. «You slept with Karen?»
James cleared his throat. «It’s not… we didn’t… it was just a few times.»
«A few times!» Karen finally found her voice, shrill with panic. «James, you told me you loved me! You said you were going to leave Rachel!»
Now the congregation was getting a show better than daytime television. Rachel Thompson, James’s fiancée, was sitting in the third row with Colton’s family. She shot to her feet like a rocket. «What did you just say?» Rachel’s voice could have shattered the stained glass windows.
«Rachel, baby, I can explain,» James started.
But I wasn’t finished with my revelations. «Oh, but wait,» I said brightly. «There’s more. Tell them about Michael, Karen.»
Michael Foster, Colton’s best man, was standing at the far end of the groomsman line. At the mention of his name, he went rigid.
«No,» Karen whispered. «Anna, please don’t.»
«Michael Foster,» I announced to the church. «Also a possible father. Also promised he’d leave his wife for you. Also completely unaware that you were playing musical beds with the entire wedding party.»
Michael’s wife, seated with the other spouses, let out a sound like a wounded animal. She turned to stare at her husband with murder in her eyes. The church was in complete chaos now. Rachel was screaming at James. Michael’s wife was crying while her sister held her back from charging the altar. My relatives were shouting threats in Spanish and English, while Colton’s family looked like they wanted to disown everyone and flee to another country.
But through it all, I stood calm and collected in my princess ball gown, watching my carefully laid traps spring shut on every single person who had betrayed me.
«How?» Karen whispered, tears streaming down her face. «How did you find out?»
I smiled—the same shark smile from earlier, but bigger now, more satisfied. «Because, my dear former best friend,» I said sweetly, «you forgot one very important thing about me.»
«What?»
«I’m a nurse. I know how to collect evidence without people noticing. Hair from your brush when I was over for planning sessions. Saliva from glasses at restaurants. Coffee cups from the trash.» I shrugged elegantly. «It’s amazing what people will throw away when they think no one’s paying attention.»
Colton stared at me like I was a stranger. «You planned this? The whole wedding?»
«Oh honey,» I laughed, and it wasn’t a nice sound. «The wedding was real. My feelings were real. My trust was real. But your betrayal? That was also real. So I decided to give you exactly what you deserved.» I gestured to the chaos around us. «A public humiliation that matches your private betrayal.»
Karen was crying so hard she could barely speak. «Anna, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I never meant for it to go this far. I was jealous and stupid and…»
«And greedy,» I finished. «Don’t forget greedy. You saw a meal ticket and decided to take it, regardless of who got hurt.»
I turned back to the congregation, many of whom were now standing and talking loudly among themselves. «Ladies and gentlemen,» I called out, my voice cutting through the noise. «I apologize for turning my wedding into an episode of Jerry Springer. But I figured if I was going to be humiliated, I might as well make sure I wasn’t the only one.»
My father pushed through the crowd to reach me. «Mija, what do you need? What can we do?»
«Actually, Papa,» I said, pulling off my engagement ring and wedding band, «I need you to call Detective Rivera.»
«Detective Rivera?» Colton looked confused. «Why are you calling the police?»
«Because,» I said calmly, handing my rings to my father, «embezzlement is a crime. So is fraud. So is identity theft. And Karen has committed all three.»
The blood drained from Karen’s face. «What are you talking about?»
«The credit cards you opened in my name,» I explained patiently. «The loans you took out using my social security number. The $50,000 you stole from my inheritance account to pay for your shopping sprees and abortion fees.»
«Abortion fees?» Colton looked like he’d been slapped.
«Oh, yes,» I nodded. «This isn’t Karen’s first pregnancy scare. Just her first attempt to use one as a weapon. She’s had three abortions in the past two years, all paid for with money stolen from me.»
Karen collapsed back to her knees, sobbing hysterically. «Anna, please, I’ll pay you back. I’ll do anything. Please don’t call the police.»
«Too late,» I said, checking my phone. «I already called them. They should be here any minute.» And as if on cue, the sound of sirens began to wail in the distance, growing closer by the second.
The police sirens were getting louder, but the chaos in the church was deafening. Rachel was still screaming at James, who was trying to push past the other groomsmen to escape. Michael’s wife had broken free from her sister and was now advancing on Michael with her purse raised like a weapon. My family members were shouting in a mixture of Spanish and English, while Colton’s family looked like they were attending a funeral instead of a wedding.
«Anna, you can’t be serious about this,» Colton said, reaching for my hands.
I stepped back before he could touch me. «Dead serious,» I replied. «You stole from me, Colton. You used our joint account like your personal piggy bank. You forged my signature on loan documents. And you helped her,» I pointed at Karen, who was still kneeling on the altar floor, «commit identity theft.»
«I never—»
«The apartment lease you co-signed for her using my credit information,» I continued. «The car loan you guaranteed with my income statements. The credit cards you helped her apply for by providing my employment verification. Should I go on?»
Colton’s face crumbled. He looked around desperately, as if the church’s stained-glass saints might offer him sanctuary. They didn’t. The sirens stopped right outside the church. Heavy footsteps echoed in the vestibule, and Detective Rivera appeared in the doorway with two uniformed officers behind him.
«Anna,» Detective Rivera called out, surveying the chaos. «I got your message. Are these the suspects?»
I nodded toward Karen and Colton. «Karen Oscar and Colton Wellington. All the evidence is in the folder I sent to your office yesterday.»
Karen looked up at me with mascara streaming down her face. «Yesterday? You sent evidence yesterday?»
«I sent it last week, actually,» I corrected. «But I asked Detective Rivera to wait until today to make the arrests. I wanted to give you one last chance to come clean, to maybe, just maybe, show a shred of decency and call off this ridiculous charade before you destroyed everything.»
«But you planned the DNA tests,» Colton said weakly. «You knew.»
«I hoped I was wrong,» I said simply. «Right up until this morning, I hoped I’d wake up and discover this was all some horrible nightmare. That my best friend since kindergarten and the man I loved wouldn’t actually betray me this completely.»
Detective Rivera approached the altar. «Karen Oscar, you’re under arrest for identity theft, fraud, and embezzlement. Colton Wellington, you’re under arrest for conspiracy to commit fraud and embezzlement.»
«No, wait!» Karen scrambled to her feet as an officer pulled out handcuffs. «Anna, please, we can work this out. I’ll pay you back every penny.»
«With what money?» I asked coldly. «You don’t have a job. You have $50,000 in debt. You’re pregnant with a baby that isn’t even Colton’s. What exactly are you going to pay me back with?»
«I’ll… I’ll figure something out. Please, Anna. We’ve been friends since we were five years old. That has to count for something.»
«It did count for something,» I said, my voice breaking just a little. «It counted for everything. That’s why this hurts so much.»
The officer cuffed Karen while she sobbed. Colton didn’t resist when they cuffed him, but he kept staring at me like he couldn’t believe what was happening. «Anna,» he said as they started to lead him away. «This whole thing with Karen… it was a mistake. A stupid, terrible mistake.»