Everything was perfect at my wedding until I noticed my mum was gone. A few minutes later she came running in, dishevelled and furious, pointing a trembling finger. We were shocked to learn that she had been locked out by someone close to her for an unimaginable reason.
My whole family was thrilled about my wedding to Fabian, my longtime boyfriend. But the person who was soaring to seventh heaven was my mum, Adele. As an only child, I’ve always been close to both my parents, but with my mum we had a special bond. She had been dreaming of this day for years…..
We spent countless hours planning every detail together. Choosing outfits was like a fashion show, cake tasting turned into a sugar-fuelled adventure, and when we chose a song for the father-daughter dance, we both ended up crying.
‘Oh, Bella,’ Mum said, wiping her eyes as I tried on my wedding dress. ‘I can’t believe my little girl is all grown up and getting married.’
I hugged her tightly. ‘I’ll always be your little girl, Mum.’
On the wedding day, everything seemed perfect. I stood in the back of the church, my heart racing as Daddy took my hand.
‘Ready, darling?’ – He asked, his voice full of love.
I nodded, unable to speak. The doors swung open and we started walking down the aisle. I met Fabian’s gaze, his smile brighter than the sun. But when we reached the altar, my heart dropped. Something was terribly wrong.
I looked round at the sea of faces, panic gripping my chest. MUM WASN’T HERE.
‘Dad,’ I whispered, ’where’s Mum?’
He frowned, looking around. ‘I… I don’t know. I thought she was here.’
I stopped, the music cut off abruptly. All eyes turned to me.
‘We can’t start,’ I said, my voice shaking. ‘Mum’s gone.’
Fabian ran up to me, worry reflected on his face. ‘Bella, what happened?’
‘My mum,’ I breathed out. ‘She’s gone. We need to find her.’
I turned to my brothers sitting in the front row. ‘Can you watch her? Please?’
They nodded, jumped up, and ran out of the church. Fabian squeezed my hand. ‘I’m sure she’s fine. She must have been held up somewhere.’
But my anxiety was growing by the minute. This wasn’t like Mum. She wouldn’t miss my wedding for anything.
The guests began to whisper uncomfortably amongst themselves. I paced back and forth, my wedding dress rustling with every step.
‘Maybe we should call the police.’ – I suggested, rubbing my hands together.
Fabian put his arm around me. ‘Let’s give your dad and brothers a little more time. I’m sure they’ll find her.’
But when an hour had already passed, I felt unsure of anything. The church was filled with quiet conversations and concerned looks.
‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ I muttered to Fabian. ‘What if something terrible has happened to her?’
He pulled me against him. ‘Don’t think about it like that. We’ll find her, I promise.’
Just as I was about to insist on calling the authorities, the church doors opened. Mum flew in, followed by Dad and my brothers. Her perfect hair was in disarray, her make-up smudged and her gold dress wrinkled.
‘Mum!’ – I exclaimed, running to her. ‘What happened? Where have you been?’
But before she could answer, her gaze met someone in the front row. Her face contorted with rage.
‘YOU!’ – she shouted, pointing a trembling finger.
I followed her gaze, shocked to see my future mother-in-law, Grace, shrinking in her seat.
‘Mum, what’s going on?’ – I asked, my heart pounding.
She turned to me, her eyes blazing. ‘Your mother-in-law has locked ME in the wardrobe! Can you believe that? Just because I was wearing an expensive gold dress.’
The church exploded with shocked gasps and furious whispers. I felt like I was in some strange dream.
‘What, this is crazy,’ I muttered, looking back and forth between Mum and Grace.
Grace jumped up from her seat, her face pale. ‘This is absurd! I would never…’
‘Oh, leave it alone!’ – Mum interrupted her, rolling her eyes. ‘I overheard you telling your sister that you should be the one in gold! It’s not the first time you’ve been jealous, but it’s the first time you’ve done something so horrible because of it.’
Fabian stepped forward, his jaw clenched. ‘Mum, is it true? You locked Mrs Jacobs in the wardrobe?’
Grace lost her composure. She rubbed her hands together, her voice shaking. ‘I just…I thought…she was trying to outshine me!’
Fabian’s face darkened with anger. ‘Mum, this is Bella’s day, not yours! How could you do something so petty and cruel? You need to leave. Now.’
‘But…’ – Stammering, Grace said, ‘I just made a little mistake! I couldn’t bear to have all the attention on her in that dress.’
‘No buts,’ Fabian growled. ‘You’ve already ruined enough of this day. Go away.’
Grace’s face contorted into an angry grimace. ‘Fine! You’ll regret it!’ She grabbed her purse and walked out, leaving behind a stunned silence.
For a minute, no one moved
