Nancy’s smile instantly returned. ‘Just girl talk.’
‘She doesn’t want me at the wedding,’ I said flatly.
Peter’s posture tensed. ‘What?’
‘Don’t make a big deal out of it,’ Nancy sighed. ‘It’s just that I recently found out that she and Josh were dating, and it makes me feel bad.’
‘Wait,’ Peter said, his voice harsh. ‘So, let me get this straight… You don’t mind using our house for free, my wife has been helping you with the wedding for months, but now you’re forbidding her to attend?’
Nancy pouted and crossed her arms. ‘No need to be so dramatic. It’s no big deal. She just has to respect my wishes on the wedding day.’
Peter burst into a cold laugh that sent shivers down my spine. In the seven years we’d been together, I’d rarely seen him angry.
‘Then maybe you should find somewhere else to do it.’
Nancy’s eyes widened with indignation. ‘You’re kidding, right? The wedding is tomorrow! Where else am I supposed to have it! You can’t just kick us out like that!’
‘Actually I can,’ Peter replied. ‘And I just did.’
Nancy’s face turned red. ‘You two are the most selfish people I’ve ever met! After all I’ve been through, you should be grateful I invited you at all! This isn’t about you! It’s about ME! You owe me that!’
Her voice rose to a squeal, drawing the attention of the delivery guys and Josh, who rushed over to her.
‘What’s going on?’ – He asked, looking worried.
‘They’re kicking us out!’ Nancy cried, tears suddenly coming to her eyes. ‘They’re ruining our wedding because your ex-girlfriend is jealous!’
I gasped at such an accusation. ‘That’s not true! You just told me I couldn’t come to a wedding…in my own house!’
Josh looked confused. ‘Wait, what? Why didn’t Evelyn come?’
‘Because you were dating her!’ snapped Nancy. ‘And no one thought to tell me about it until I found out from your best friend Willie!’
The expression on Josh’s face changed from confusion to disbelief. ‘You mean our two-month affair during our freshman year of college? Before I even knew you existed?’
‘You think you can pull that off at the last minute?’ Nancy ignored him, directing her anger at Peter and me. ‘Do you know how much money I spent planning this? You can’t just ruin my wedding because you’re bitter!’
I felt like I’d been slapped in the face. ‘Bitter? ME?! After I helped with everything?’
Peter stepped forward, coming between me and Nancy.
‘No, Nancy. You ruined your own wedding the moment you decided you could treat my wife like rubbish in her own home.’
Nancy let out a dramatic laugh and turned to Josh. ‘Do something!’
Josh shifted uncomfortably, his eyes fixed on the ground. It was clear he wanted no part of this.
‘JOSH?!’
‘Maybe we should talk about this quietly,’ he suggested weakly.
‘We have nothing to discuss,’ Peter said firmly. ‘I want you off our property. NOW.’
Nancy’s face contorted with rage. ‘Fine! I’m going to sue you! You can’t do this to me! I’ll make you both regret it!’
‘Good luck to you. Now get off our property.’
For a moment I thought Nancy might physically attack one of us. Her hands were clenched into fists and her whole body was shaking with rage.
‘Nancy,’ Josh said quietly, ’let’s go.
‘Are you taking their side?’ – She hissed at him.
‘I’m not taking anyone’s side. But this isn’t helping.’
She looked around at the half-unloaded trucks, the arranged chairs and the scattered boxes of jewellery. ‘What am I supposed to do now? After all, the wedding is tomorrow!’
Despite everything, I felt a surge of sympathy. Then I remembered how quickly she’d decided to ban me from her own home.
‘That’s not our problem anymore,’ I said.
The next hour passed in chaos. Nancy screamed, swore, and threw real tantrums. At one point she grabbed the cutlery box and threw it on the ground, scattering plates all over our driveway.
‘You’re going to pay for that!’ – she shouted. ‘Both of you!’
Josh finally managed to get her to the car and whispered something in her ear that seemed to calm her down for a moment. As they pulled away, the delivery men stood awkwardly, waiting for instructions.
‘You can take everything back,’ Peter told them. ‘There’s not going to be a wedding here.’
I spent the rest of the day in a daze, rejecting the vendors and demanding a refund for everything we’d paid for. The cake, flowers and catering disappeared after a few phone calls.
In the evening, Peter and I sat on the porch swing and looked at the half dismantled wedding decorations.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said quietly.
He looked at me in surprise. ‘For what?’
‘For causing all this drama. If I had just told you about Josh…’
‘Stop it,’ he interrupted gently. ‘You didn’t lead to anything. It was such a small thing, and it happened a long time ago. Nancy showed herself in all her glory today, and it’s not your fault.’
I leaned my head against his shoulder. ‘Do you think she’ll really sue us?’
‘Let her try. We didn’t sign any contracts. It was a favour for a friend…a friend who turned out not to be a friend at all.’
‘I still can’t believe how quickly it all fell apart.’
‘Some people only become nice when they get what they want, Evie. Once you stand up for yourself, the mask comes off.’
A week later, we learned from mutual friends that Nancy and Josh had married in a hasty ceremony at a local hotel. The photos showed a much smaller ceremony than the one planned at our house.
Amazingly, a few days afterwards, Josh texted Peter.
‘Nancy is still upset, but I wanted to apologise for the way things happened. I should have said more.’
Peter showed the message but didn’t reply anything. Some bridges once burned were not worth rebuilding.
But I don’t regret what happened one bit. Because that day taught me something valuable: never compromise your dignity for people who won’t do the same for you.
Some might say we overreacted by cancelling Nancy’s wedding at the last minute. But I’ll tell you what really is an overreaction – not inviting someone to an event in their own home because of a meaningless student affair from a decade ago.
In the end, it wasn’t about that ancient history with Josh. It was about respect. And if there’s one thing I’ve learnt from this whole experience, it’s that I deserve at least that. We all do.