My Ex’s Mom Invited Me to Her Wedding but When I Arrived, I Realized It Was All a Set-up

It was just done.

Then, about a year ago, he started dating her. My former friend, Miranda. If betrayal had a face, it was hers, plastered all over social media with captions of the two of them:

When you know, you know, and The best thing that ever happened to me!

I told myself to block her, to stop looking, but I didn’t. Every photo, every grin, every comment about her “forever love” felt like salt in an open wound.

I never stopped loving him. That’s the sad, honest truth. Pathetic, I know. I wasn’t able to date anyone seriously since him.

So when Adam’s mom, Lena, called me out of the blue last month, I thought I was hallucinating.

We never exactly got along. She had always been polite but distant, like she was sizing me up and always finding me lacking something or the other.

After the breakup, I assumed I’d never hear from her again. But there she was, on the other end of my phone, her voice strangely warm.

“Hello, sweetheart,” she said. “I know this might be unexpected, but I have a favor to ask, Hayley.”

Lena told me that she was getting married. Married! And she wanted me to design her wedding dress. She gushed about how I’d become one of the most sought-after seamstresses in the city.

“I’ve always admired your work, Hayley,” she said softly. “And I trust you. I know you’d create something perfect just for me.”

Trust? Admiration?

From Lena?

I nearly dropped the phone. I couldn’t figure out what game she was playing. My instincts screamed at me to say no, to hang up and block her number. And truly be done with that entire family.

But she begged. And how could I say no? She said that no one else could do it justice and that she’d forever be grateful.

“Nobody else will do things that will suit my age and my figure! And make me something dream-worthy, Hayley. Please?”

I don’t know why I said yes. Maybe there was a part of me that wanted to feel close to Adam again. Or maybe I just couldn’t resist the curiosity clawing at me.

Either way, I agreed.

Over the next few weeks, I poured myself into the dress. The fabric was like spun clouds, soft and ethereal, with delicate beading along the bodice. I stayed up late perfecting every stitch. Lena had wanted a lacy dress that made her feel like a princess.

“I know it’s foolish, darling,” she said. “When I married Adam’s father all those years ago, I wore a shapeless white dress that did absolutely nothing for my figure. I want to live my dream wedding dress now.”

Lena had given me her measurements, and oddly enough, they matched mine.

I tried not to think about it. But it wasn’t a surprise. The entire time I had been dating Adam, Lena was always at Pilates or yoga or swimming with her friends.

The morning of the wedding arrived. I packed the dress into a garment bag, loaded it carefully into my car, and drove to the venue. It was a gorgeous country estate tucked away like something out of a fairy tale.

If I ever got married, I could see myself using this as a venue contender.

The moment I pulled up, unease curled in my stomach.

Something’s wrong, I thought. But I shook it off.

Clutching the garment bag, I walked inside. Soft music drifted through the air, and guests milled about in suits and gowns, their laughter a low hum. But then I saw it.

A massive banner near the altar, shimmering under the soft light.

It displayed the names of the couple getting married.

I froze right there.

It wasn’t Lena’s name.

It was Adam’s name. And mine.

Welcome to the nuptials of Adam & Hayley

I blinked, my mind short-circuiting. My heart was racing so fast it felt like it might explode.

“What… what is this?” I whispered aloud.

“Hayley,” a voice said from behind me.

His voice, Adam’s voice, made me jump. I turned around, and there he was.

Adam.

He looked older, his jaw sharper, his eyes softer. He wasn’t smiling, though. He just stood there, hands at his sides, looking at me like I was the only person in the room.

“What is this?” I demanded, my voice shaking. “Why is my name on that banner? What’s happening?”

He took a slow step toward me, regret written all over his face.

“Please, just let me explain.”

I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. But I just couldn’t move.

“You’ve got two minutes,” I said, folding my arms tightly across my chest.

He took a deep breath.

“Three years ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life.”

Yeah, no kidding, I thought bitterly, but I stayed quiet.

“I was going to propose to you, Hayley,” he said. “I had the ring. I had everything planned. And then… she showed me something.”

“She?” I whispered, already knowing who.

“Your… my ex. Miranda,” he looked away, his voice thick with regret. “She showed me a video of you all on holiday. Thailand, I think it was. And you were drinking and shouting that you didn’t want kids. She told me that it was recent, that you’d been lying to me about wanting a family. Especially with me. It crushed me, Hayley. I thought I didn’t know you at all.”

The air whooshed out of my lungs. I remembered the video. It was years ago, we had been on a girls’ trip, and I was venting after a drunken spat with someone who assumed all women had to want kids. The same man who made his wife take care of their kids while he enjoyed his beer on the beach.

It had nothing to do with Adam and everything to do with wanting to be heard.

“You didn’t think to ask me?” I choked out. “You didn’t think that you could have taken five minutes to ask me about that video?”

“I know, Hayley,” he said, shaking his head. “I was stupid. I was already vulnerable, and she got into my head. I believed Miranda. I believed everything she said. And I let you go. Then she admitted the truth.”

“What?” I gasped.

“Months ago. She slipped up during an argument. She told me the video was old, and she knew I’d overreact. She said that she wanted me for myself and couldn’t stand that you had me.”

Tears stung my eyes. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She’d destroyed everything we had, and he let her.

“I ended things with her that night,” he continued. “And I’ve spent every day since trying to figure out how to fix this. How to win you back.”

I shook my head, still completely overwhelmed.

“And this?” I gestured around. “What the heck is this?”

His lips curved into a small, nervous smile.

“This is me not waiting any longer…”

Adam reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black velvet box. Then he dropped to one knee.

“Hayley, I love you. I never stopped. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m asking for it anyway. Will you marry me? Right here, right now?”

I stared at him, my world spinning. Then, out of nowhere, it hit me.

Lena.

She’d planned this. She’d asked me to make the dress because she knew.

And the truth? I still loved him.

So, I whispered my answer.

“Yes, Adam.”

Lena appeared almost instantly, carrying flowers and beaming like a woman who’d just pulled off the heist of the century.

“You said yes!” she cried, hugging me tightly. “I’m so sorry for how I treated you before, Hayley. I didn’t see how much you meant to Adam until it was too late. Thank you for giving him another chance.”

Stylists and makeup artists seemed to appear out of nowhere. My parents showed up, looking both stunned and delighted. No one knew if I’d say yes, but they’d all been ready.

I changed into the dress I’d made with my own hands, realizing it had been meant for me all along.

When Adam and I stood together at the altar, his hand in mine, I felt something I hadn’t felt in years.

Peace.

After the ceremony, the crowd had thinned, and the music played softly in the background. I stood on the balcony of the venue, the crisp evening air cooling my flushed cheeks.

My hands rested on the railing as I stared at the horizon, trying to process everything that had happened.

“Hey.”

Adam’s voice came from behind me. I turned to see him standing there, tie loosened, the soft glow of string lights making his eyes look even warmer.

“Hey,” I said quietly, my lips curving into a small smile.

He stepped beside me, his arm brushing against mine as we both looked out into the night.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I let out a soft laugh, shaking my head.

“I don’t even know what I am right now. Happy? Overwhelmed? Still waiting for someone to yell ‘April Fools’?”