Chapter 1: She Changed the Entire Plan So I'd Be Too Ashamed to Show Up
My husband, Ethan, has always had a soft spot for his younger sister, Lauren.
Their parents divorced when she was little, and Ethan basically became the person who fixed every problem in her life.
Flat tire?
Ethan.
Short on rent?
Ethan.
Needed help moving?
Ethan.
So when Lauren got engaged, nobody was surprised when Ethan offered to cover a good chunk of the wedding.
I didn't mind.
We could afford it, and I knew how much seeing his sister happy meant to him.
Then, about a month before the wedding, Ethan and I stopped by Lauren's apartment to return something she had left at our house.
The front door was partly open.
Before we knocked, I heard Lauren laughing with two of her bridesmaids in the kitchen.
They were talking about her bachelorette weekend.
Originally, they had planned to rent a cabin and spend a couple of days doing wineries, restaurants, and silly bridal games.
Then one of the girls mentioned me.
"Is Ethan's wife coming?"
Lauren laughed.
"She kind of has to be invited.
Ethan is paying for half of this."
Then she lowered her voice, but not enough.
"I'm changing it anyway.
There's that adults-only pool resort outside the city."
Her friend asked why.
Lauren said, "Because she'll never come if she has to wear a swimsuit."
They all laughed.
One of them said, "That's awful."
Lauren replied, "Come on.
She wears cardigans in July.
You really think she's getting into a pool with twenty girls taking pictures?"
I just stood there.
I've never been particularly confident about my body, and Lauren knew that.
I'd even confided in her once after she asked why I always avoided swimming on family vacations.
Apparently, she had remembered.
Just not for the reason I thought.
I stepped back before they could see me.
Ethan had heard every word.
He didn't storm inside.
He didn't confront her.
He barely said anything on the drive home.
That almost made me more nervous.
Two days later, Lauren texted the new itinerary.
She had changed everything.
Pool resort.
Matching swimsuits.
Group photos.
Even some ridiculous "bride squad pool games."
I declined.
Lauren immediately replied, "Aww, I figured you might."
That sentence bothered me more than the invitation.
I showed Ethan.
He read it once and handed my phone back.
"Don't answer her again."
The morning of the bachelorette, I was drinking coffee in my pajamas when Ethan walked into the kitchen carrying a shopping bag.
He placed it in front of me.
Inside was a simple black swimsuit and a loose linen cover-up.
"I'm not going," I said.
"Yes, you are."
"Ethan."
He sat across from me.
"You're not going there to prove anything about your body.
You're going because my sister doesn't get to decide which rooms you're allowed to feel comfortable walking into."
Then he smiled.
"And I'm driving."
An hour later, we pulled up to the resort together.
The bridal party was already gathered beside their cabana.
Lauren saw me first.
Her smile disappeared.
Then she noticed Ethan.
"What are you doing here?"
"Just dropping her off," he said.
Lauren forced a laugh.
"Okay…
weird, but fine."
Then Ethan glanced around at the cabana, the catered food, the rented daybeds, and the bottles already sitting on ice.
Almost all of it had been charged to his card.
He took out his phone.
Lauren's face immediately changed.
"Ethan, what are you doing?"
He didn't answer.
He looked straight at her.
His answer made Lauren go completely pale.
---
May you like
What did Ethan say that drained the color from Lauren's face?
Comment **"NEXT"** if you want Part 2 — it's already in the comments.
