My Bridesmaid Shamed Me, so I Respawned

My best friend, Nicole Reed, likes joking around. At my wedding, she takes the microphone to give her speech as my maid of honor. "I'm so happy for her! She had some little procedure at the gynecologist's just last month. Honestly, I was starting to think that she'd never find a husband! "Oh, come on, guys! I'm just messing with her. You know I can't resist a joke. Don't read too much into it!" In my previous life, I break down in tears and explain that I had an ovarian cyst removed. But Nicole just doubles over laughing. "Oh, right! So you needed some other man to sign off on the procedure? Okay, I get it now! "I'm kidding! Why are you getting so worked up?" Her words send my husband's conservative family into a fury. My husband, Theodore Grant, slaps me and calls off the wedding in front of everyone. In the end, I fall into depression and take my own life. Now I watch Nicole standing onstage again, hamming it up for the crowd. She covers her mouth, puts on an innocent act, and says, "Don't get the wrong idea…" I grab my furious husband by the arm and stop him. Then, I calmly hold the microphone out to Nicole. "Don't stop. Keep going." I want to see how many jokes she can crack when the truth comes out, and whether she can still laugh her way out of it. Chapter 1 I thrust the microphone straight at my best friend Nicole Reed, right up to her lips. She clearly hadn't expected me—the sweet, timid woman she'd always known—to stand up to her in front of hundreds of people at my wedding. Nicole shrank back immediately, playing the frightened, helpless victim. "Mer, what are you doing? You scared me! You know me. I've always been blunt. I was just kidding! It's your wedding day. Can't you take a joke?" But I gripped the microphone tightly and refused to back down. "If it was a joke, then go ahead. Tell the whole story." My voice cut through the ballroom, cold and unwavering. "Tell everyone exactly what you saw and heard at the gynecologist's. Let's give everyone here a good laugh." A flash of triumph crossed Nicole's eyes. She thought I was only trying to scare her. "Don't make me do this, Mer. Everyone's watching. I really didn't mean to mention that older guy with the huge belly." She raised her voice, making sure everyone could hear. Then, she went on, "I swear! I did not see the older man pay for your procedure or sign the hospital paperwork for you!" As soon as the words left her mouth, she slapped a hand over it, her eyes widening as she feigned regret. "Gosh! I really need to learn when to shut my mouth," Nicole said. "Theo, Mrs. Grant, don't believe a single word I just said, okay? "That man was probably just some distant relative of Meredith's. Everyone, please don't jump to conclusions!" Silence fell over the ballroom. Moments later, the guests broke into an uproar. Murmurs swept through the crowd, nearly drowning everything else out. "What's there to guess? Obviously, she slept around behind her husband's back, got pregnant, and went to have an abortion," one commented. Another said, "She looked so innocent. Who knew she was that kind of woman? What a disgrace for the Grant family." My husband, Theodore Grant, whom I'd pushed away moments earlier, came storming toward me. "Meredith Patterson! What the hell is this about?" he barked, his bloodshot eyes boring into me. Seeing this, my usually poised mother-in-law, Alice Hill, was livid. She slammed her palm down on the marble tabletop, hard enough to send the champagne flutes toppling to the floor. "Meredith! The Grants have always been a respectable family. We will not have some trashy woman like you marrying into this family! If you don't explain yourself right now, this wedding is over!" I watched them make a spectacle of themselves, completely unfazed. Then, I turned to the furious Theodore and asked calmly, "She makes one little joke, and you immediately take it as the truth, huh?" I caught the smug, gleeful look on Nicole's face and couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Theodore was so eager to take her word for it now. But once the truth came out, he'd be just as quick to turn against her. Chapter 2 Theodore hesitated for a beat, clearly torn. Just then, Nicole burst out laughing, completely unapologetic. "Oh, Mer, that's rich. If you've got nothing to hide, why are you so desperate to get Theodore to defend you?" Her heels clicked against the floor as she crossed the room before stopping in front of me. "You're not seriously going to deny you were at the gynecologist's on the 15th of last month, are you?" she drawled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Swear you weren't there, and I'll get down on my knees and apologize to you right here." Suddenly, every eye in the room was on me. The hesitation in Theodore's eyes vanished, replaced by fury and humiliation. "Meredith, answer her!" He pointed at me, his voice trembling as he demanded, "Were you at the OB-GYN clinic at First General Hospital on the 15th or not?" I met his gaze and replied calmly, "I was there." Once again, murmurs swept through the room. My parents were beside themselves with worry. Tears welled up in Mom's eyes as she tried to rush to me, but several spiteful relatives held her back. "Meredith was there to have an ovarian cyst removed! It had nothing to do with what you're all implying!" Mom cried out in despair. Yet, that only made Nicole laugh harder. She doubled over, laughing so hard that she was nearly in tears. "Yeah, Mrs. Patterson's absolutely right. Meredith had an ovarian cyst removed." Then, she turned to the crowd, her smile innocent. "But Mrs. Patterson, why would some random man need to sign for an ovarian cyst removal? Unless… Oh, never mind. I think we all understand." In the next instant, Alice came charging toward me. She pointed at me and started laying into me. "You shameless liar! And you're still claiming it was an ovarian cyst? Did you really think we'd just let someone like you marry into this family?" Theodore, too, snapped. He ripped the boutonniere from his lapel, hurled it at my face, and yelled, "Meredith, you always pretended you were so innocent. And behind my back, you were sleeping with some older man? I'm so disappointed in you!" I stared at the boutonniere on the floor. Whatever hope I'd been clinging to finally died. Fine. Let them believe Nicole's lies. They had no idea what was coming. Theodore went on, "The proof is right there! You admitted you went to the gynecologist's. What more is there to say? I'd rather spend the rest of my life single than marry a woman like you!" "Fine," I said simply. I reached up and pulled off my veil. "If this is what your family is willing to believe, fine. The wedding's off." Without missing a beat, Alice planted her hands on her hips and spat, "Call it off then! But I want the 500 thousand dollars we put toward this wedding back! And you'll pay for today's reception too!" I didn't so much as blink. I pulled out my phone, opened my banking app, and transferred the entire 500 thousand dollars back to Theodore right there in front of everyone. "You've got your money back. From here on out, we'll have nothing to do with one another." I had just turned to step down from the stage when Nicole grabbed my arm. "How can you just walk away, Mer?" she asked loudly. "If you leave now, it'll only make you look guilty. " Then, Nicole turned sharply toward another bridesmaid. "Janet, you were interning at First General Hospital last month. You were there that day, weren't you? Tell them what you saw." So, she was bringing in a witness now? I couldn't wait to see her own scheme blow up in her face. Chapter 3 Janet Miller was startled when she was suddenly singled out. She was Theodore's distant cousin and a nursing intern at First General Hospital. Nicole grabbed Janet, pulled her out of the crowd, and shoved her toward the microphone. "Janet, you're always the honest one. Go on, tell Theodore what really happened." Nicole's eyes practically lit up with excitement as she pressed, "You saw Meredith that day, didn't you? "She was wearing that khaki trench coat, with a hat and mask on. She walked into the VIP surgical suite with some heavyset man's arm around her." With hundreds of people watching, Janet stumbled over her words, and her gaze shifted nervously. "I-I was working at the information desk that day…" She swallowed hard and couldn't bring herself to meet my gaze. "I did see someone who looked a lot like Meredith… and there was a heavyset man with her." That was all it took to convince everyone I was guilty. The crowd immediately turned on me. "So the maid of honor wasn't lying after all! She may talk too much, but she was telling the truth!" "The bride's got some nerve, still standing there! Get out already!" another spat. Alice pointed at me, her finger shaking with rage. "What else do you have to say for yourself? Janet saw you too, you shameless woman!" Theodore trembled with fury as well. He stormed toward me and raised his hand to slap me, but ultimately lowered it. "I can't believe I ever fell for you!" Nicole stood nearby, grinning from ear to ear. She sighed as though she felt sorry for Theodore. "Don't take it too hard, Theo," she said, patting him on the shoulder. "You know me, I'm blunt. If I hadn't risked offending Meredith by speaking up today, you'd have spent the rest of your life playing the fool." Having said that, she turned to me, her eyes gleaming with mockery. "Mer, of all men you could've picked, why did you have to choose some old, potbellied guy? What was it? His age? His beer belly?" Nicole folded her arms before clearing her throat pointedly. "Janet, remind everyone what you told me that day. Wasn't that woman wearing that limited-edition perfume Theodore got from overseas last month?" She gave Janet a quick pinch as she spoke. Janet jumped and hurriedly nodded. "Y-Yes. That was the scent. The perfume has a very distinctive scent. I couldn't have mistaken it." At that, Nicole threw her head back and laughed. "You heard that? Even the scent was the same! Mer, you seriously can't tell us that's a coincidence too, can you?" I said nothing as I watched Nicole revel in her little victory. The more details she invented, the harder she'd fall when the truth came out. I didn't argue. I merely smiled. "The perfume is pretty convincing evidence. But Nicole, is that all you've got?" Chapter 4 Nicole's eyes darted around, and before anyone could react, she snatched up my clutch. "I really didn't want to take it this far, but you really have no shame!" She turned to the crowd, held up my clutch, and said, "Hey, don't blame me for getting involved. I was just helping Meredith gather up the wedding gifts earlier, and I couldn't help noticing something in her bag." As she spoke, she yanked open the zipper, turned the clutch upside down, and shook everything out. My lipsticks, powder compact, and tissues spilled across the floor. After that, an unopened box of pills fell out, along with a crumpled ultrasound report. And then came a key card from a five-star hotel. Nicole snatched up the ultrasound report and held it up for everyone to see. "Look! It says she's seven weeks pregnant!" Having said that, she kicked the box of pills aside. "Mifepristone! These are abortion pills, plain and simple!" she yelled, her voice shrill enough to cut through the noise. Nicole covered her mouth, feigning shock and dismay. "Meredith, you called this an ovarian cyst? Since when do cysts grow arms and legs? Oops. I let that slip again. Don't mind me, everyone. "Maybe Meredith just happened to find that ultrasound on the street. And maybe she bought the pills to feed to some stray dog." She added, "I'm kidding, everyone. Don't take me seriously!" All at once, the entire ballroom erupted into chaos, with angry shouts ringing out from every direction. "That's disgusting! The proof is right there, and she still has the nerve to look us in the eye!" one yelled. Another spat, "What a disgrace to the Grant family!" Alice's eyes rolled back, and she nearly collapsed from rage. Seeing that, several people rushed to catch her. "Kill her, Theodore! Beat that shameless woman to death!" Alice screamed at the top of her lungs. Theodore was shaking violently, and his eyes were bloodshot as they locked onto the abortion pills and hotel key card on the floor. "Meredith Patterson! You still have the nerve to deny you went there, huh? You were carrying abortion pills! You filthy whore!" he roared. In the next instant, he grabbed the heavy wine bottle from the table and charged straight at me. "Go to hell!" My expression hardened, and I sidestepped just in time. With a loud crack, the bottle slammed into the steps, sending glass shards flying in every direction. Off to the side, Nicole watched the chaos unfold. She could barely hide her delight. "Go ahead. Let it all fall apart," I thought. "The more evidence you pile on now, the sweeter it will be when I finally crush you." Chapter 5 Nicole let out a dramatic scream and hurried over to cling to Theodore's arm. "Theo, don't do anything crazy! She's not worth killing over." She turned to me, triumph gleaming in her eyes. "Meredith, what are you still holding out for? You did something wrong, so own up to it! If you get down on your knees and beg Theodore and Mrs. Grant for forgiveness in front of everyone, maybe they'll soften up and forgive you. I'm trying to get them to go easy on you!" The guests around us pointed at me and started cursing me out. "That woman is seriously twisted! If the maid of honor hadn't spoken up, Theodore would have been the last person to know that his wife was cheating on him." I slowly stepped forward. Ignoring Theodore's murderous glare and the abuse raining down around me, I walked straight up to Nicole. Then, I looked down at the abortion pills and hotel key card on the floor. "Nicole, you said these came out of my clutch?" I asked. Nicole lifted her chin, utterly unashamed. "Of course! What, do you think I planted them in there? As if I'd waste my time doing that!" "Are you sure?" I held her gaze as I spoke, my voice icy. "I swear, those things came out of your bag!" Nicole thumped a hand against her chest, certain. "Alright, then." I nodded, and a cold smile tugged at my lips. "Well, since you're so sure…" I reached over and snatched the microphone from the stunned officiant beside me. "Then I think it's time I showed everyone something a little more interesting." Nicole's smile faltered at once. "W-What are you talking about? Quit playing games!" I ignored her, pulled out my phone, and under everyone's watchful eyes, I dialed a number. Nicole struggled to keep her composure and shouted, "What are you trying to pull now? You think you can hire some random actor and explain away the evidence that you were pregnant and had an abortion?" I let out a scoff. "I don't need to clear my name. You've already put on a show for everyone, so I might as well play my part." No sooner had I finished speaking than the heavy doors of the ballroom burst open. The insults stopped dead, and hundreds of guests gasped. The instant Nicole saw who was standing in the doorway, the color drained from her face, and her triumphant smile faltered.