ate, what’s happened?” she asked as she stepped inside.

I shook my head, grabbing my purse. “I can’t… I don’t have time to explain.

I’ll call you once I’m on the road.”

“Kate, wait,” she caught my arm. “Whatever’s going on, be careful. Think about the kids.”

“I am thinking about the kids,” I replied fiercely.

“That’s exactly why I need to go.”

Without waiting for her response, I grabbed her car keys and left.

The drive to the venue felt surreal. A multitude of thoughts flooded my mind. Why would Max do this?

Why lie to me, leave the kids, and steal my car? What was so crucial about this wedding that he couldn’t resist attending?

Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning: the guest list. I’d helped Emily coordinate it weeks ago.

I quickly dialed the venue manager.

“Hi, this is Kate. I need a quick favor — has a man named Max checked in yet?”

The manager hesitated. “Uh, no, not that I know of.”

“Good,” I said.

“Listen closely… under no circumstances should you let him inside. He’s not invited, and it’s vital that he doesn’t enter.”

There was a pause. “Sure.

Consider it done.”

“Thanks,” I exhaled. “And if he asks who blocked him — let him know it was ME.”

I ended the call and pulled into the wedding venue parking lot about ten minutes later.

Max was outside the entrance, pacing anxiously. His phone was glued to his ear, and he was yelling loud enough for me to hear through my car window.

I stayed in the car for a moment, watching.

He looked frantic, and for once, I didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy for him.

My phone buzzed with a message from him.

“WAS THIS YOU?!” he yelled the moment I answered. “DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?!”

I couldn’t resist a smirk. “What’s wrong, Max?

Can’t sneak into the wedding you didn’t want to attend?”

“Are you serious?” he barked. “Let me in, Kate!”

“Absolutely not.”

“You’re being absurd, Kate!”

“No, Max. You took my car, abandoned our kids, and deceived me.

What’s absurd is your expectation that I’d let you off the hook.”

“Kate, please,” his voice trembled. “You don’t understand what’s at stake here!”

“What’s at stake? Our marriage, Max.

Our family. And you just tossed it all away for… what?”

Before he could reply, I ended the call and stepped out of the car. As I approached him, Emily appeared at the entrance, looking bewildered.

“Max?” she called, her voice uncertain.

He turned to her, shifting in an instant.

“Emily! Finally. Look, I just —”

“What are you doing here?” she interrupted.

“You called me,” he said, softening his tone.

“You mentioned you were nervous, so I came.”

Emily blinked, taken aback. “I… I called you this afternoon. I’m sorry.

I shouldn’t have done that. I didn’t expect you to actually come.”

“That makes two of us,” I interjected, stepping forward.

Emily’s eyes widened. “Kate… I didn’t—”

“What’s happening?” I crossed my arms.

She looked between Max and me, clearly anxious.

“I swear, I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Didn’t mean for WHAT to happen, Emily?”

Her shoulders slumped as she exhaled shakily. “Max and I… we were involved. A long time ago.

Before you two got together.”

I felt the ground shift beneath me.

“It’s not what you think,” Max interjected quickly.

“Oh, really?” I snapped. “So you didn’t just ditch our family to rush to your ex’s wedding?”

“Kate, it’s not like that!” he insisted, desperation in his voice.

“Then what is it like, Max?” I demanded, tears stinging my eyes. “From where I’m standing, it looks like you chose HER over our children!”

But Emily wasn’t finished.

“I don’t know why he’s here,” she confessed. “I called him this afternoon because I was feeling anxious. I just wanted to apologize — for leaving him, for everything — before I started fresh with my new husband.

But before I could finish, the call dropped. I tried to reach him again, but my calls went straight to voicemail. I never asked him to come.”

I stared at her, then at Max, my chest tightening with each passing moment.

After a tense silence, Emily retreated inside, leaving me alone with Max.

“Do you realize what you’ve done?” I said, my voice trembling.

“Kate, I was just trying to help—”

“No,” I interrupted. “You weren’t trying to help. You were trying to… relive what?

Your glory days? Prove you still matter to her?”

He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came.

“Our children, Max,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face. “You left our children.

Do you know what that means?”

“Kate, please,” he reached toward me, but I stepped back. “You don’t understand what I was trying to stop!”

I turned away, flames of anger igniting within me. “Stop?

You left our children alone! What could possibly justify that?”

“I thought…” he trailed off, raking his fingers through his hair. “I thought if I came here, I could prevent her from making the same mistake I did.”

“What mistake?”

“Marrying the wrong person,” he murmured, and the words struck me like a blow.

I shook my head, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Then I guess we both made that mistake, didn’t we?”

I turned and walked away, not waiting for his reply.

Later that night, as I tucked Emma and Liam into bed, Emma wrapped her small arms around my neck.

“Mommy?” she whispered. “Are you and Daddy going to be okay?”

I held her close, my heart aching. “I don’t know, sweetheart.

But I promise you and Liam will always be okay.”

“Pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise,” I said, locking our fingers together.

Later, standing alone in the kitchen, I stared at my wedding ring as my phone buzzed with another message from Max: “Please forgive me… I’m sorry. We need to talk.”

I replied with three words: “Not tonight, Max.” Then I switched off my phone and let the tears finally flow.

I’m unsure of what lies ahead for us, but one thing is clear — I’m done putting myself last. Because sometimes, the hardest part isn’t the betrayal; it’s accepting that the person you love isn’t the person you believed they were.