My sister told me Marcus had stopped the ceremony himself.<\/p>\n
Minutes before the vows, he had walked past the bridal suite and heard Brianna laughing with one of her bridesmaids.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe finally stayed home,\u201d Brianna said. \u201cAfter today, I won\u2019t have to compete with his mother anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bridesmaid asked whether Marcus knew she had told me not to come.<\/p>\n
Brianna laughed again.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll get over it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus was standing outside the door.<\/p>\n
He walked in still wearing his tuxedo.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell my mother she wasn\u2019t family anymore?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brianna froze.<\/p>\n
At first, she denied it.<\/p>\n
Then my sister stepped forward and told him exactly what I had said that morning.<\/p>\n
Marcus looked at Brianna for a long time.<\/p>\n
Then he removed his boutonniere.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n
By noon, guests were leaving.<\/p>\n
The flowers remained untouched.<\/p>\n
The cake was never cut.<\/p>\n
And Marcus drove straight to my house.<\/p>\n
When I opened the door, he looked exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, why didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you had already chosen.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. She chose for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he noticed the scrapbook sitting unopened on the table.<\/p>\n
He picked it up and hugged me.<\/p>\n
Brianna believed marriage would give her the right to erase the family Marcus already had.<\/p>\n
Instead, the night before the wedding, she revealed exactly what kind of marriage she intended to build.<\/p>\n
And Marcus decided not to step into it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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