Ultimate Betrayal

I looked at the clock. Only twenty more minutes until I see her in her beautiful dress. She could be wearing rags and still look stunning. I'd waited four years to make her officially mine. So when she said 'yes' I was ecstatic. I let her plan her dream wedding. I wanted her to be happy.

"There's a lot of people out there," said Jacob, my best friend and man. We'd been friends since elementary school, more like brothers than friends.

I looked up at him. He was already dressed and ready in his pressed shirt and black vest. "She wanted to invite everyone. I'd been okay with something small, but I just want her to be happy."

He smiled. "I'm gonna be nervous up there. Just wait 'til you see."

I smiled back at him. He'd never been good with large crowds. "Just picture everyone in their underwear."

"Ugh, no. There's a lot of old people out there, dude."

I laughed as I finished buttoning up my own crisp white shirt and putting on my vest. "I'll be back. My tie is in the truck. I almost forgot it at home and grabbed it last minute."

I walked out of the room all the guys had gotten ready in and down the hall to the back exit. I grabbed my tie off the dash and headed back inside. Walking down the hall, I had to pass by where my fiancé and the girls were getting ready. As I walked passed, I heard, "Oh my gawd Rachel, you didn't!"

"Shh!" I heard my fiancé reply.

I stopped in my tracks, wondering what they were talking about. From what I could hear, it was only her and her friend, Sandy, in the room.

"Be quiet. I don't want anyone to hear."

This of course piqued my interest, so I put my ear closer to the door. My fiancé continued. "It's been happening for about two months now."

"And Blake doesn't know?" Sandy asked.

"Of course not!" I furrowed my eyebrows. What don't I know? "He would kill us both!"

"And Jacob is okay with all of this? Are you going to keep doing it?"

Jacob? I got a sinking feeling as I continued to listen.

"I don't know. We haven't really talked about it. I mean, we're kinda busy when we're together."

"Are you sure you want to go through with marrying Blake then?"

"Of course," Rachel said. "I still love him. I don't want to hurt him."

"Then you probably shouldn't be having an affair with his best friend."

Suddenly, it was like there was a weight on my chest making it hard to breathe. My heart started racing, and the thought of my best friend betraying me and sleeping with my fiancé was infuriating. I could feel myself being consumed with rage.

"I know, Sandy. It just kinda happened. You're not going to tell anyone, right?"

I could hear Sandy hesitate. "Of course not. You're my best friend. But if you go through with today, you should really stop sleeping with Jacob."

I backed away from the door, not wanting to hear anymore. I heard enough. I suddenly felt myself start to sweat.

"Blake!" Collin called out to me from down the hall. He was Rachel's brother-in-law and a groomsman. When I looked up at him, he continued, "The guys are in the lobby with the girls. It's about to start. Better hurry and finish getting ready."

He walked back toward the lobby area, and I forced my feet to move. I walked back to the room we got ready in, and it was empty. Jacob must be with the rest of them. I shut the door and leaned my back against it. My heart hurt. A million thoughts ran through my head all at once. Why? When? How could they do that to me?

I felt tears start to form, but I roughly wiped them away and told myself I wasn't going to do that. Jacob and Rachel had always been close, but I thought it was like him and I close. Anger kept trying to push its way to the surface. I'd never been able to manage it very well. A trait I inherited from my father. I swiftly turned around and punched the door frame. I wanted to continue but knew that I couldn't.

I took a deep breath and went to the mirror. Finally, I wrapped my tie around my neck and knotted it. I tucked it in my vest and straightened my boutonniere. I walked out of the room and down the hallway to the lobby where the others were waiting.

When I turned the corner and saw him, my chest felt constricted. I wanted to do nothing but knock him out. But not yet. I kept silent and walked past them to take my place at the alter by the pastor. Jacob was right, there was a lot of people in the massive church. All smiling faces. I looked at my parents in the front pew. My mother would be so devastated to know my fiancé was having sex with my best friend. And Dad, well, he would be pissed at Jacob, because since we're like brothers, Jacob was like a son to him.

I'm in my own little world when I hear the music begin to play for the wedding party start walking down. First is Rachel's sister and her husband, Collin. Next was my good friend, Dave, from work. He was walking with one of Rachel's friends.

Anyone who was watching me would probably just assume I'm nervous. But I wasn't nervous. I was filled with anticipation. Fury. Heartache. And with those things, I was trying my best to keep my composure.

Next to walk down is Jacob and Rachel's best friend, Sandy. He's smiling like he doesn't have a care in the world. If he only knew what was in store for him. Sandy smiles at me, but I can see something flash across her eyes. Pity? Guilt? I wasn't sure. Jacob comes to stand next to me. I try to my best to just keep my eyes forward and wait for Rachel to descend the aisle.

After the flower girl and ring bearer walk through, the bridal song she picked out started playing. And I knew this was it. When I caught sight of her, it took my breath away. Her dress fit her curves perfectly. And the smile she wore on her face was from ear to ear. She was more beautiful than I had imagined. Which made this even harder. How can she look at me that way after what she's done? My thoughts were broken as she reached the alter and stood before me.

I took a deep breath as we joined hands. She stared up and into my eyes. I could tell she was excited to finally get married. But why? She just confessed ten minutes ago to having an affair with Jacob. I then realized I didn't know who the woman standing in front of me was. Has she slept with anyone else in the last four years we were together? If so, who? How many people?

"Blake?" Jacob nudged me, holding out Rachel's wedding ring, and I was pulled out of my thoughts. The pastor's gaze was on me. I took the ring from Jacob without making eye contact.

"Do you, Blake, take Rachel to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward-" I stared at Rachel and assessed her features.

"For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer-" What's worse than sleeping with my best friend? And I've always given her whatever she wanted, no matter the cost.

"In sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?" She looked at me expectantly. Her big blue eyes shined. But it was a mask. A lie. If she was truly happy with me, she wouldn't have been with Jacob.

Just as everyone was starting to question my pause, with a straight face I looked her dead in the eye and said, "I do not."

The whole church went still. Rachel's eyebrows furrowed. "What?" She let out a nervous laugh, not sure if she heard me correctly.

I squeezed her hands a little tighter as I said, "I do not take you as my wife." She was gently trying to pull her hands out of mine, but I wouldn't let them go.

I started to hear the whispers and mutters coming from the crowd of people before us.

"Blake, what are you doing?" She leaned in and whispered to me. Right after, in a low voice, the pastor said, "Is everything okay?"

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and Jacob came around the side of me to find out what was going on. "Dude, what's up?"

I slightly turned to face him, Rachel's hands still in mine. "You want to know?" My voice wasn't quiet, and everyone waited for me to explain. "Do you really want to know?" I couldn't stand how the two of them stood there acting innocent like they had done nothing wrong. Granted, neither of them knew I knew their secret.

I let go of Rachel's hands and took a step away from them. They looked at me like I was crazy. Loud enough for everyone to hear, I said, "Why don't you two tell everyone how you're screwing each other behind my back?" Gasps came from the crowd. The look on both their faces was priceless. I could feel my anger coming back up to the top as I confronted them.

They glanced at each other, no doubt wondering if the other was going to confess. "Come on, Rachel. You had no problem telling Sandy. Why don't you share with all of us?"

She looked at Sandy accusingly, and Sandy returned a look of confusion. "Don't worry, she didn't rat you out. I heard you telling her all about it."

She glanced around nervously. "Blake, let's go somewhere in private-".

"Hey man-" I cut Jacob off as he started to talk. As I investigated his guilty face, rage filled me. It took everything I had to keep it in.

"Are you going to deny it!?" He stepped back a little at my harsh tone.

He put his hands up in defense. "It's not what you think."

That fueled my rage even more. I stepped towards him. "Not what I think!? Sleeping with my fiancé is exactly that!"

"It was a mistake. Can we please go talk about this in private?" Rachel pleads.

I turn my attention to her. "A mistake is something you do once. Not multiple times."

Suddenly, my dad is beside me, lightly grabbing my bicep. He knew I was about to blow up. "Son, come on." I pulled my arm out of his grip.

Rachel's eyes were filled with unshed tears. My chest was pumping up and down from the adrenaline racing through my body. I could feel myself slightly shaking.

"Calm down, man. Let's go talk about this," Jacob said, as he looked at me worriedly. He'd never been on the receiving end of my wrath. But, when he said that to me, I lost all composure. I pulled back and punched him in the face. Probably harder than I've ever punched anyone before. He instantly fell to the floor from the impact.

I dove for him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. But my father and Dave grabbed ahold of me and pulled me off. I struggled against them at first, and then I remembered where I was at. I let them drag me away as the pastor and Collin went to check on him. "You are not my brother! Or my friend! You better not show your face to me again!" I shouted at Jacob.

He was holding his face as he looked up at me. Rachel just stood flabbergasted. I rounded to her. "And as for you, I want your shit out of my house by Monday." All the guest started talking and the sanctuary was getting loud. My dad led me down the aisle, through the lobby, and outside.

I quietly sat in the passenger seat of my dad's car. He didn't say anything to me as I calmed myself down. After a while of silence, he asked me what happened. I told him how I overheard Rachel talking to Sandy. He had a few choice words on the subject. "Take a walk with me," he said.

We got out of the car and walked down the road a little way to the large park. I felt overdressed to be walking in the park, but I couldn't care less. We came to a stop on the small bridge that was over a creek. I leaned on the rail, looking out at the water beneath us.

My dad spoke first. "I know that you're angry." That was an understatement. "But you really need to look at this as a blessing?"

"A blessing?" I snorted.

"Yes. A blessing. What if you hadn't heard them talking?" I looked at him. "If you hadn't found out, you would be married to her right now."

He was right. What would have happened if I didn't find out in time? Would I have ever figured it out? Would they have kept on with their affair? I felt like an idiot. "Why didn't I see it?"

"People can be very good actors."

"I'm such an idiot. I trusted them too much."

"No, you're not, Blake. Jacob was family. You're supposed to be able to trust your brother. And Rachel...she's so sweet, it's hard to believe her actions. But like I said, people can act very well." He put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad you found out sooner rather than later. I hate this has happened. You know I'm always here for you if you want to talk about it."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Let's say we go to the casino, have some drinks, and try our luck at some tables? Just the two of us?" He smiled at me. Dad loved going to the casino and would use any excuse to go.

"You know, that sounds like a great idea." I needed to get away from this town and everyone in it.

"You're driving, right," he lifted an eyebrow at me.

I laughed. "Yes. I'll drive."

He patted me on the back, and we headed back to the church to get in the car.