I lost my mom four years ago.
It was the kind of loss that cracks something deep inside you, a grief so heavy that it doesn’t fade. It just settles into your bones, becoming part of who you are. My mother and I were incredibly close, and before she passed, she made me promise her one thing.
“I want you to wear my dress on your wedding day, Chloe,” she had said, her voice soft but firm. “Whether it’s for the ceremony or the reception… Just promise me, baby. It will be like having me there with you.”
I promised. And I meant it. Since that day, my mother’s wedding dress had been tucked safely away in my closet, waiting for its moment.
And then came Madison.
Madison, my brother Jake’s fiancée, had been in our lives for just over a year. To say she was difficult would be putting it lightly. Madison was the kind of person who spoke in demands rather than requests, who sighed dramatically when things didn’t go her way. She didn’t see generosity as a gift but as an obligation.
Still, Jake was happy, so I did my best to be supportive. That’s why, three months before their wedding, I invited them both to a cozy coffee shop, hoping to do something nice.
I should have known Madison would find a way to ruin it.
We had just settled in when I pulled an envelope from my bag and slid it across the table. Jake reached for it first, but before he could open it, Madison snatched it from his hands.
She peeked inside, her perfectly manicured nails tapping the table as she pulled out the check.
Ten thousand dollars.
No mistake. No catch. I just wanted to spoil my brother and help out where I could.
Jake’s eyes widened. “Chloe, this is… incredible. Thank you, Sis.”
As for Madison? She barely looked impressed. She set the check down like it was an expected gesture and flipped her hair over her shoulder with a sigh.
“Well, I guess that’s a good start,” she said breezily. “It’ll help, but we still have so many expenses. Our day is going to be the most beautiful wedding anyone has ever seen.”
Good start? Seriously?
Before I could respond, she leaned in, her tone shifting into something far too casual.
“Actually, Jake and I talked about something important,” she said. “We’ve decided that I’ll be wearing your mom’s wedding dress for my ceremony. And something much fancier for the photoshoot and reception. I’ll send you an address for delivery. I need it to go to my dressmaker for alterations.”
I felt her words like a slap across my face.
“Excuse me?” I managed.
Madison rolled her eyes like I was being dramatic. “Oh, come on, Chloe. It’s just sitting in your closet, collecting dust. And you don’t even know if you’ll ever need it. Don’t fight us; this is just as important to Jake as it is to me.”
I froze. Jake had told her about the dress. About my mother’s final wish. And then… they had decided to make it about them.
“Madison, my mom wanted me to wear that dress. It was her last wish. Our entire family was there when she said it. I’m not going to fight you because this isn’t up for discussion.”
Madison scoffed.
The waitress arrived with our coffee orders.
“I’ll be right back with the slices of cake,” she said, smiling.
“Chloe,” Madison said slowly, as if speaking to a child. “Your mom’s not here anymore, is she?”
I saw red.
I wanted to throw my scalding coffee at her. I wanted to overturn my chair. I wanted to scream.
“Here you go!” the waitress said, placing our plates of cake on the table. “Enjoy! And Chloe, compliments from the chef.”
I forced a smile at her. Madison, however, just stirred her coffee, unfazed.
“Come on, no need for a tantrum, Chloe,” she said.
Jake shifted uncomfortably in his seat, staring down at his coffee like he wished it would swallow him whole. But he said nothing. Absolutely nothing. Where was his backbone?
Before I could say another word, a familiar voice interrupted.
“Excuse me, can I steal you for a second, love?”
I turned to see Mark, the coffee shop manager.
And my boyfriend.
Mark gently took my hand and led me just far enough away that Jake and Madison couldn’t hear.
“I heard everything, Chloe. And I can’t just stand back anymore.”
Before I could respond, Mark disappeared into the kitchen. A moment later, he returned, holding a bouquet of roses.
Then, right there in the middle of the coffee shop, he got down on one knee with a velvet box in his hand.
“Mark!” I gasped.
“I love you, and I want to spend my life with you. Marry me, Chloe.”
The coffee shop fell into silence. Then, applause erupted from the staff and customers.
Everything shifted in that moment.
The dress? The money? Madison’s entitlement?
None of it mattered anymore.
“Yes,” I whispered. “A thousand times yes, Mark.”
Madison, however, was livid. “Are you freaking serious?! You’re stealing my wedding!”
“Now there’ll be two weddings on that day!” Mark grinned. “How your mom would have loved to see her kids get married on the same day.”
“No! No way!” Madison screeched. “This is supposed to be my moment!”
“Well, I guess you’ll just have to learn how to share, sis,” I said.
Jake groaned, rubbing his face. “Madison, let it go.”
She stormed out, leaving Jake sitting there, staring at his coffee.
“Look, I’m happy for you, Chloe,” he sighed. “But… I think I need to rethink some things.”
Later that night, I sat in my bedroom, my fingers grazing over the garment bag hanging in my closet. Mark had just dropped me off.
A soft knock at my door made me wipe my eyes quickly.
Jake stepped inside, holding a plate. “I, uh… brought ginger cake.”
Our mom’s favorite.
We sat on my bed, eating in silence.
Finally, he exhaled. “She crossed a line, didn’t she?”
“Jake, she bulldozed through the line.”
He nodded slowly. “I guess… I’ve spent so much time defending Madison that I don’t even know where I stand anymore.”
I reached out, squeezing his hand. “You don’t have to have the answers right now. But if you’re already feeling this way… don’t ignore it.”
He nodded, a shadow of doubt in his eyes.
Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled envelope. The same one I had given them earlier. He placed it on the bed between us.
“I can’t take this, Chloe. Not if I don’t know where Madison and I are going. And you’re going to need it, sis. You’re getting married, too.”
For the first time in a long time, we were just Chloe and Jake.
Just us.
And that was enough.