After Our Divorce My Ex Married His Mistress! But A Guest Said Something That Made Him Turn Pale..
«What’s up, another live stream?» I joked as I sipped my coffee.
But Jessica’s voice on the other end wasn’t like yesterday’s. It wasn’t just indignant—it was filled with a boundless, explosive euphoria, as if she’d won the lottery.
«Sarah! Sarah! Are you sitting or standing?» Her voice was practically a shriek.
«I’m standing. Why are you so happy?»
«Sit down right now. Sit down because I’m about to tell you something that will knock you off your feet. The greatest drama in history has just begun. My husband just got home and told me everything. I can’t stop laughing.»
Curious, I dragged a chair over and sat down. «OK, I’m sitting. What happened?»
«Haha!» Jessica let out a long, manic laugh. «It turns out there was an unexpected guest at the wedding yesterday. Guess who?»
I frowned. «How would I know?»
«Your Uncle Lou! Your grandmother’s friend!»
I almost choked on my coffee. «Uncle Lou? What was he doing there? He doesn’t know Ethan at all.»
«That’s the beauty of it,» Jessica said with a melodramatic tone. «It turns out Ethan’s father did a small business deal with your Uncle Lou years ago, and they still have a friendly relationship. And you know your uncle, he’s a loudmouth, especially when he drinks. He had just gotten back from Oregon from visiting his son and stopped by New York.»
I started to imagine Uncle Lou with his characteristic booming voice in the middle of that phony wedding.
«And what happened?» I asked, starting to get interested.
«My husband says that by the end of the reception, Uncle Lou was pretty drunk. He was sitting with some other friends of his and started bragging.» Jessica lowered her voice, imitating Uncle Lou’s gruff tone. «‘You know what? I just got back from Oregon. I went to see my son and on the way, I stopped by Willow Creek, that cute little town near the coast.'»
My heart skipped a beat. «Willow Creek? He ran into me.»
«Exactly!» Jessica exclaimed. «My husband says Uncle Lou continued to tell everyone at the top of his lungs: ‘I ran into little Sarah, my late friend’s granddaughter. My God, she’s so beautiful and smart. She’s living in a gorgeous house with a rose garden that her grandmother left her. She’s living like a queen, you know?'»
I was stunned. It was true. I had run into Uncle Lou last week at the town market; he called out to me, and we talked for a few minutes. I invited him to the house, but he said he was in a hurry to get to the airport. I never imagined it would end up like this.
Jessica kept talking non-stop. «Your uncle started telling your life story to anyone who would listen, and with that voice of his, even the tables next to them heard him.»
A vague sense of unease crept over me. This story, told at Ethan’s wedding, couldn’t be just a simple anecdote.
«My husband says,» Jessica continued, getting more and more excited, «that just as Uncle Lou started talking about you, Ethan and Ashley were thanking guests at the next table. They heard everything, word for word.»
I held my breath.
Jessica cleared her throat, continuing her performance. «Uncle Lou was shouting: ‘Sarah is a rock star. She’s working for a design studio out there. Her boss, a great guy, adores her. Can’t stop saying wonderful things about her, says she just landed them a contract to design a huge hotel. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, smart and hard-working like her grandmother.'»
I could picture Ethan’s face at that moment. He, who had always belittled my work, who considered me a conformist who lived off him.
«But wait Sarah, here comes the best part,» Jessica shouted, unable to contain herself. «Here comes the climax. A friend at your uncle’s table asked him: ‘Wow, is the girl that smart? She must be making a good salary, right?’ And your Uncle Lou answered, waving his hand: ‘Salary? What salary? The salary is for her expenses. Her grandmother adored her. Not only did she leave her the house with the rose garden, she left her a multi-million dollar inheritance.'»
«What?» I whispered.
«Yes! ‘They say it’s a fortune, several million dollars. Little Sarah is now a low-key millionaire in Oregon. Living the good life, free as a bird, without having to put up with any jerks.'»
I was speechless. It was true my grandmother had left me an inheritance, but I had never discussed the amount with anyone. I didn’t know Uncle Lou knew in such detail, much less that he would blurt it out in the middle of the wedding.
«Oh my God Sarah, my husband says that the instant the word ‘millions’ left your uncle’s mouth, Ethan’s face went from white to green. He could barely stand, and Ashley next to him had her mouth wide open. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.»
People at the surrounding tables started whispering. The rumors spread like wildfire. «The groom’s ex-wife is a millionaire. Turns out the one he just left is actually rich, and he’s marrying the secretary.»
The murmuring grew.
«And you know what,» Jessica said with a triumphant voice. «Just when Ethan was in shock, realizing he had thrown away a goldmine, your Uncle Lou delivered the final blow.»
My heart sank. There was more.
«The rumor was spreading throughout the hall. Ethan and Ashley were paralyzed. Ashley tried to pull Ethan’s arm, but he seemed glued to the floor. And then, Uncle Lou, after talking about you, continued his conversation with his friend.»
I could imagine the strange silence falling around Uncle Lou’s table as everyone strained to hear.
Jessica imitated Uncle Lou’s voice again. «‘But these days my friend, there’s a lot of deception. If you end up with a gold digger, you’re lost. Like what happened to the groom, this Ethan guy?'»
I flinched. «He said it that clearly?»
«Almost,» Jessica exclaimed. «My husband says your uncle continued: ‘The other day I went to the bank to run some errands and I ran into Bob, the VP of credit, who’s a friend of mine, and Bob told me something very funny. He told me that this Ashley—Ethan’s secretary, the bride today—went to the bank last week and made a scene.'»
The faces of Ethan and Ashley, according to Jessica’s husband’s account, were drained of all blood.
«Bob told him,» Jessica continued her performance, «that this Ashley went to withdraw some money from her savings account, and while she was doing it, she complained to the teller. She was talking so loud the whole bank heard her. She said: ‘I’m so fed up, really. I thought I’d hit the jackpot with a rich boss, but it turns out it’s all for show, we’re about to get married and I still have to lend him money. I just lent him $5,000 for the expenses of this wedding. Just my luck.'»
A deathly silence fell over the hall for a moment. Jessica’s husband said he could hear the clink of an ice cube falling into a glass.
Two explosive truths revealed at the same time in front of hundreds of guests. Truth number 1: The abandoned ex-wife, Sarah, was actually a millionaire with a house in the Pacific Northwest and an immense fortune. Truth number 2: The new wife, Ashley, who was showing off her thousand-dollar dress, was actually a gold digger. And the groom, Ethan, who acted so high and mighty, was broke and had to borrow money from his future wife to pay for the wedding.
«Sarah,» Jessica’s voice trembled, «Ethan couldn’t take it anymore. He started to shake, he turned to look at Ashley, and he looked at her as if he wanted to kill her right there.»
I was sitting, paralyzed, on my balcony in Willow Creek. The cup of coffee in my hand had gone cold. I knew that the best comedy and the worst tragedy had just begun.
«My husband says,» Jessica took a breath, «that the scene was unforgettable. Ethan was shaking like a leaf. The entire hall, which had been a buzz of music and laughter, fell into a deathly silence. Hundreds of pairs of eyes were fixed on the two of them.»
I could imagine the humiliation. Ethan, a man who lived for appearances, who always needed to prove his success and power, was stripped bare in front of all his guests and business partners, exposed as an idiot who had been duped.
«The look on Ashley’s face was priceless,» Jessica continued. «She tried to grab Ethan’s arm, whispering, ‘Honey, let’s go to another table. Everyone’s staring at us.’ But Ethan didn’t move. He just stared at her. My husband said his eyes were bloodshot, that he looked terrifying. The champagne flute he was holding started to tremble, the golden liquid about to overflow.»
And then, Jessica lowered her voice as if telling a secret. «He yelled. No, he didn’t yell. He roared like a wounded animal: ‘Talk! What’s this about the five thousand dollars? You dared to lend me money?'»
Ashley, terrified, took a step back. «No, honey, he must have been joking. Please, believe me.»
«Believe you?» Ethan let out a bitter, mocking laugh. «So you can play me for a fool? So you can take my money while I’ve lost everything?»
Jessica’s husband said that Ethan didn’t finish the sentence. He couldn’t verbalize the truth—that he had thrown away a fortune of millions of dollars. That revelation, combined with the deceit before him, completely destroyed his self-control.
«Crash!» Jessica shouted. «He crushed the crystal glass in his hand. Sarah, he shattered it with his bare hand. Blood started to gush out, dripping onto the red carpet.»
I shuddered. I knew Ethan had a temper, but I never thought he could lose control like that.
«Blood and champagne splattered everywhere,» Jessica’s husband told her, «staining Ashley’s thousand-dollar dress. She let out a scream. Ethan, at that moment, seemed to have gone mad. He looked at his bloody hand, and then looked up at Ashley.»
«You lied to me,» he bellowed, his voice breaking. «It’s all your fault, you’ve ruined me!»
The rage exploded. The regret for losing me. The humiliation of Ashley’s deceit. The fury at realizing he was a complete fool. It all built up and turned him into a madman. He realized, on his own wedding day, that he had let go of a good, wealthy, and capable wife to end up with a lying gold digger who had milked him for every last cent.
«And then?» I asked, my throat dry.
«Chaos. Absolute chaos,» Jessica’s voice still trembled. «After yelling ‘you’ve ruined me,’ he started destroying everything.»
«Destroying everything? At his own wedding?»
«My husband says yes,» Jessica replied hastily. «He swung his arm and swept the tower of champagne glasses off a nearby table. The sound of shattering glass was deafening. He flipped over an entire table full of food—lobsters, seafood, everything went on the floor. The guests were screaming and backing away in fear. His parents were white as sheets. They ran towards him. His father tried to hug him: ‘Ethan, what are you doing, stop it, please, this is an embarrassment.’ But he pushed his own father away.»
He was like an animal out of control.
«He pointed at Ashley, who was paralyzed and trembling in her white dress stained with wine and sauce. ‘Talk! And what about the pregnancy? Did you lie to me about that too?’ he yelled. The shout echoed through the hall.»
That question was the spark that lit the fuse. People started whispering louder. «Oh my God, the pregnancy is fake too? No wonder she was touching her belly so much, it was all an act. What a terrifying woman.»
Ashley, cornered, reacted. There was no trace of her fake sweetness left. She screamed back: «Are you crazy, you dare say my child is fake?»
«Shut up!» Ethan swatted her away with the back of his hand.
The push was so strong that Ashley, in her high heels, lost her balance and fell backward.
«Oh!» Jessica gasped. «My husband says she fell and hit her stomach on the corner of a decorative table.»
I held my breath. Even though I didn’t like her, a child was innocent. «Did something happen to her?»
«Ashley clutched her stomach, pale as wax, screaming in pain. Seeing her, Ethan stopped for a second, probably scared. But just then,» Jessica paused for breath, «Bob, the bank VP that Uncle Lou had mentioned, who was there as a partner of Ethan’s company, came over when he saw the commotion.»
«And what did Bob say?»
«Probably to get on Uncle Lou’s good side, he spoke up loudly,» Jessica continued. «He said: ‘Mr. Stone, calm down. It’s true that Miss Miller was complaining at the bank. I myself heard her say you were short on cash and that she had to lend you $5,000. I even have a copy of the bank statement right here.'»
Jessica’s husband said that after that statement, the hall erupted. Confirmation from a bank employee, right there. Nothing could be more credible. It was the last straw. Ethan had nothing left to lose. His career, his pride, his love, his money—it had all been shattered in one night.
