nt. My father’s jaw clenched so tightly I swore I heard his teeth grind.

And then, pure chaos.

Erica stumbled back, her hands shaking.

“This… this isn’t real!” she stammered.

But the proof was right there, glaring under the bright glow of the screen.

“Dinner will be served now!” she blurted, waving her hands in the air.

“Everyone just take your seats and enjoy!”

Stan turned to her, his expression morphing into pure rage.

“Erica, you told me that you went onto Paige’s computer and deleted the footage.”

“Oh?” I mused, my voice dripping with mock innocence. “You mean you knew about it? You knew that the security cameras were going to catch you in the act?”

His face paled, giving himself away.

The guests murmured louder now, judgment and disgust flickering through their faces.

And then, before Erica could retaliate, a voice cut through the tension.

“Paige.”

I turned.

Jack stepped forward from the crowd, his crisp white shirt visible beneath the black vest of his waiter’s uniform.

Month ago, when I told Jack about what I wanted to do, he was adamant that he needed to be with me.

He had just come over after work and the first thing he saw was my sister’s wedding invitation on the table.

“I want to go to the wedding,” I said. “I just don’t want to be… I don’t know. Jack, Erica is a problem.

She’s used to everything being about her. I want to teach her some kind of lesson.”

Jack moved around the kitchen, chopping whatever I asked him for.

“Then I’ll come with, Paige,” he said.

“But I don’t want to draw attention to you,” I said, handing him a bowl of ramen. “I don’t want Erica to spoil my moment before I even get to it.

And if she sees you, that’s exactly what she’ll do.”

“Then I’ll come in as a waiter, if that’s what it takes!” he said. “But I want to be there. That way, if you need me, I’ll be right there.”

In the end, I gave in.

I was switched off from my parents, and I hadn’t been close with my family for a long time, so knowing that Jack was around made me feel better.

Now, Jack set down his tray of champagne glasses on a table and smiled at me.

His sharp blue eyes met mine. They were steady and unwavering… and reassuring.

I had never been more grateful to see someone in my entire life. As much as I was surrounded by family, having Jack around was the one thing that had kept me grounded throughout the ceremony.

I despised Erica and Stan but watching them actually get married did tug at my heart.

But now? Seeing Jack?

I was comforted.

“Shall we go?” I asked.

Jack shook his head and walked over to me.

Gasps rippled through the crowd as he strode toward me, each step measured and purposeful. And then, without hesitation, he dropped to one knee.

The room, already reeling from the scandal on screen, now fell into a stunned silence.

Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.

He opened it, revealing the most breathtaking ring I had ever seen.

“I’ve waited long enough to ask you this, my love,” he said, his voice strong, clear, and certain. “Paige, will you marry me?”

A sharp inhale swept through the crowd.

Erica let out a strangled sound.

“Are you… are you kidding me right now?” she screeched. “Paige!

Why? What the hell? Now?

At my wedding?!”

She looked like a deer in headlights but she also looked a canon about to burst through the room, taking everything down with her. For a moment, I felt bad. But on a whole… I felt vindicated.

I smiled, the weight of the past year lifting from my shoulders.

She had stolen the wrong man.

Stan was nothing compared to Jack. Jack was everything that Stan hadn’t been. He was trustworthy and certain about life and his love for me.

Stan?

Stan had just wanted a good time.

But as I looked at him now, he looked heartbroken. He looked like everything wrong had happened to him and the weight of it all was suffocating. He looked at Erica who was still fuming.

He even tried to reach out to hold onto her hand but she tugged it away with such a force that he looked shocked.

I would have checked on him. But he wasn’t my problem.

Instead, I turned back to Jack, my chest tight with emotion.

“Yes!” I said, my voice unwavering. “Yes, Jack!

I will!”

The room erupted. Some guests, still reeling from the scandal, now cheered. My mother wiped away tears, not of shame this time, but of joy.

Erica’s face twisted in pure, unfiltered rage.

There was something unfamiliar about her rage. I hadn’t seen her so upset in my entire life. Erica was used to getting everything she wanted but now on the most important day of her life, she had lost control.

There was no joy in her actions. There was no victory over me anymore.

There was just… anger and hurt. And disappointment.

I should have felt bad, right?

But I couldn’t. I just couldn’t bring myself to it.

“This is my day!” she shrieked, stamping her foot and knocking her chair over.

I turned to her, tilting my head.

“Oh, honey,” I said, my voice dripping with sweetness. “You stole that fool from me and my wedding.

I just returned the favor and stole the show.”

Then, with Jack’s hand firmly in mine, I walked out of the hall, leaving my sister standing at her wedding reception, humiliated, betrayed, and hurt.

The wedding was far behind us, but my heart was still racing. The echoes of gasps, whispers, and Erica’s shriek still clung to the edges of my mind.

Now, though, it was just Jack and me.

We sat across from each other in a tiny 24-hour diner, both of us absurdly overdressed for a place that served greasy fries and milkshakes in chipped glasses. My sleek black dress felt out of place against the cracked leather booth, and Jack looked like he had just stepped out of a movie scene.

And yet, this was the most comfortable I’d felt all night.

Jack slid a plate of fries toward me.

“Eat,” he commanded.

“You’ve had a long day.”

“That’s an understatement,” I laughed, but I picked up a fry anyway.

For a while, we just sat there, the hum of the diner filling the silence. It wasn’t awkward, it was easy. But that had been life since I met Jack.

Finally, I set my drink down and met his gaze.

“So… how long were you planning that?”

“The proposal?” he smirked.

He exhaled, leaning back against the booth.

“I’ve wanted to ask you for months, Paige.

But I knew you weren’t ready. Not just for marriage, but the whole commitment thing? You needed time to heal.

I wasn’t going to rush that.”

His fingers traced patterns on the table and then picked up his milkshake.

“But when I found out that she invited you? That was the final straw. I wasn’t going to let you stand there alone while she flaunted him in front of you.”

“And you got a job in the catering industry, or you snuck in?”

“I called in a favor, honey,” he grinned.

“Apparently, I look good holding a tray.”

I laughed, really laughed, for the first time in a long time.

Jack leaned forward, his expression much softer now.

“I meant every word, Paige. I love you. And I’ll wait as long as you need.

But this evening felt like the right moment to finally ask.”

“I think,” I said after a moment, “that you chose the perfect moment.”

And for the first time in a long time, I felt like I had won.

What would you have done?

Source: amomama