All Chapters of Drama at the Wedding: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

The others seated at the table hurriedly tried to smooth things over."You know what Gretchen is like, Melinda. She runs her mouth when she's drunk," someone said."It's Shirley's big day today, so you and Gretchen shouldn't argue. It'll give others something to talk about," another added.I snarled, "Gretchen has to apologize to me right now if she doesn't want me to cause a scene. I want her to tell everyone that she was only making things up earlier, or I'll call the cops and take her to court for libel!"Gretchen glared at me. "Who do you think you are, Melinda Dashner? No daughter-in-law would dare demand an apology from her mother-in-law!"I roared, "Are there mothers-in-law who falsely accuse their daughters-in-law of being loose and having STDs? Aren't you afraid of going to hell because of these rumors you've spread?"Everyone in the banquet hall turned to look at me when they heard my shouts. Gretchen's face turned red with rage. "Keep your voice down! Or do you think y

When Gretchen saw the footage, she spat, "What do you have to say now, you bitch? Can you say that isn't you?"The woman in the video wore a mask and my favorite black dress. At first glance, she did resemble me. I didn't expect Shirley to have planned things out so well.She snatched the remote from me and turned the screen off. Then, she turned to me and said, "Let's end this here, Mel. I believe you only made a mistake. I'll convince Jake not to divorce you."Jacob immediately protested, "Are you crazy, Shirley? Why would I still want a whore with an STD?"Gretchen chimed in. "That's the right attitude! We have to make sure the divorce ends with her not having a penny to her name, and she has to compensate us for the mental distress she's caused!"I ignored their words and smiled at Shirley. "Is this how you will treat me when I've been so nice to you over the past two years? You wore my dress, used my identification, and pushed the blame on me. You're the woman in the video."

Jacob held my hand and softened his tone. "I know I acted rashly earlier, Mel, but you should also understand that no man can stand the thought of being cuckolded.""Well, a woman needs her husband's support and faith when she's in danger or being framed. She needs him to stand by her side unconditionally and protect her," I said. But what had he done? He'd sided with those trying to hurt me."I made a mistake, Mel. I'll definitely side with you if something like this ever happens again," he said.I shook him off and said, "There won't be a next time, Jacob. I've already decided to get a divorce."He looked at me incredulously. "We've been together for seven years. How can you want to divorce me over such a small matter?"My reputation had been smeared, and he'd slapped me in public, yet he thought these were small matters.I said, "Whatever it is, I'm going ahead with the divorce. The house you and your mother are currently occupying is my premarital property. I'll give you a we

Perhaps my words the night before had made Jacob finally see sense—he didn't show up on the day the divorce lawsuit was taken to court, so the courts ruled on our divorce. I was relieved when I finally received my divorce certificate. From this moment on, I would have nothing to do with him and his family.However, Shirley knocked on my door a month later. When I opened it, she got to her knees before me. "I'm sorry for what I did, Mel. It's all my fault."I shouldn't have used your identification at the hospital, and I shouldn't have pushed the blame on you because I was afraid of Mom telling me off. I'm the only one at fault here—please, get back together with Jake. We can't live without you."I crossed my arms and leaned against the door jamb while looking down at her. "You guys did pretty well for over two decades without me around, right? No one needs to depend on someone else for survival. Jacob and I are already divorced, so you need to stop thinking of me as your sister-in-l