"Wedding ring, one hundred and twenty thousand dollars."
"Wedding dress, one hundred thousand dollars."
"Wedding shoes, fifty thousand dollars."
Hailey stood still, holding her bouquet tight. Her fingers were a little shaky, but her smile didn't move. Not even a little. She looked straight ahead at Benjamin, the man every girl in the city dreamt of having, standing there in his deep blue wedding suit. He looked calm, but the way he looked at her—it was full of love, like she was the only person in the world.
The whispers from the crowd didn't bother her. In fact, they made her feel even stronger. Hailey's heart was full, not just because she was getting married, but because today was the day everything changed. All her life, she was the outsider. The girl who had to sit at the corner of the table while the rest of the family laughed. The one who wore hand-me-downs while her half-sisters got new shoes every month. The girl they said would never be anything.
But now? Now she was the bride. The bride of Benjamin Taylor.
At that moment She slowly turned her head. There they were her stepmother and half-siblings, sitting on the third row. They weren't smiling. Her half sisters' eyes were wide, lips tight. Her stepmother had her hand on her chest like she needed something to hold onto. Perhaps they couldn't believe it. Perhaps they were still trying to understand how the same girl they once made clean the house was now wearing a dress worth more than their car.
Hailey didn't look away. Not this time. She had hidden too long in the shadows of that house. Too many nights crying into her pillow, wondering why they hated her so much after her father died. Too many birthdays forgotten, too many words like, "No man will ever marry you" ringing in her head.
But Benjamin saw her, he didn't care that she came from a broken home. He didn't care that she had no name, no title. He loved her. Truly loved her.
And that was her greatest win.
She turned back to Benjamin, tears sitting quietly in the corner of her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. Not yet. This wasn't the time to cry. This was the time to shine.
Hailey was all smiles as she looked at the man in front of her, This was the perfect revenge for her, in front of step mother and her half siblings.
They badly treated all her life since her father died. They never thought she would get married, but here she was, getting married to the most influencial man in the city, Benjamin Taylor. The Taylor family was part of the top five most wealthy family in the city, and she was lucky to stumble up on the youngest son in the family.
It wasn't about the money though, but love, Benjamin was the love of her life, however she wondered what would be going on the faces of the her half siblings and step mom now.
At that moment, the church grew quiet. Even the soft hum of the air conditioner seemed to hush as the pastor's voice echoed clearly, "Hailey, do you take Benjamin Taylor as your husband?"
Hailey looked up, her heart full. She smiled—not the kind of smile people fake for photos, but the real kind, the kind that starts from deep inside the chest. "Yes," she said softly, but with so much surety, the whole room heard it.
Some people clapped quietly. Some nodded. But Hailey didn't care for any of that. Her eyes didn't wander not yet. Not until the pastor turned to Benjamin and asked the same question.
That was when her eyes, just for a second, shifted toward the guests. Row after row of expensive suits, glossy shoes, and curious stares. But her eyes didn't stop until they landed at the far end of the room where an old woman sat, quiet but strong.
It was Granny Charlotte.
Immediately Hailey's lips curved into a warm smile. It wasn't wide, just soft and meaningful. And Granny Charlotte returned it. Her smile wasn't big either—it didn't stretch from ear to ear like some of the others—but it carried something more: a calm, deep kind of love. A quiet kind of care.
Granny Charlotte. The woman who wasn't even her blood but felt more like family than anyone in the room.
Hailey remembered it like it was yesterday. The shopping mall, the crowded walkway, the sudden scream. People were standing around, looking but not helping. But she had run forward, dropped her bags, and pressed her hands to the old woman's chest. Her doctor instincts kicked in. She had saved a life that day.
And that life was Granny Charlotte.
Since then, the old woman wouldn't stop talking about her son, always saying things like, "You'd like him. He's kind. Handsome too." At first, it had made Hailey laugh. She didn't even know her well, and yet she already wanted to marry her off like some protective matchmaker. Hailey never accepted, of course. Not because the idea was bad, but because her heart had already chosen someone—Benjamin.
Still, the way Granny Charlotte cared, it never felt pushy. It felt... like love.
Hailey knew what that meant. When you grow up with people who only tolerated you, even small kindness feels like a warm blanket. Granny Charlotte had never judged her. Never tried to remind her of her past. She only showed up with fruit baskets, kind words, and advice that sounded old but wise.
She was funny too. The kind of funny that will make someone smile when you didn't feel like it. The kind that reminded you what it meant to be human.
Looking at her now, sitting straight with her hands resting gently on her lap, Hailey felt peace. Granny Charlotte didn't need to say anything. She was here. That was enough. And even though her smile wasn't loud, it was honest.
Hailey turned back to face Benjamin, her heart feeling safe. In this room filled with people who barely knew her, who might only be here for the name Taylor and the grand wedding—Granny Charlotte was the only one who truly meant her well.
At that moment, the pastor's voice rang out again, calm and firm. "Benjamin Taylor, do you take Hailey as your lawful wedded wife?"
There was a pause. A heartbeat. Everyone waited for Benjamin to speak.
Then suddenly—"You can't do it!"
The voice cut through the silence like a sharp knife.
Heads turned. The whole church turned their eyes toward the one who shouted. It came from the third row. A woman stood tall, her arms folded tightly across her chest, her lips twisted in disgust.
It was Josephine.
Hailey's half-sister.
She stood there boldly, like she had been waiting for this moment. Like she had been planning it all along.
"You can't marry her!" Josephine shouted again, pointing directly at Hailey. "She's a whore! And not just that—she's in debt! She's only marrying you because she needs your money!"
Gasps filled the room.
Chairs squeaked. Phones were raised. Someone in the front row dropped their program. The silence was gone now shattered. All eyes bounced between Hailey and Josephine, waiting to see what would happen next.
Hailey's face changed instantly. Her smile dropped. Her lips parted, but no words came out at first. Her expression twisted—not just in shock, but in pain. Her perfect day... the day she had dreamed about since she was little... was being ripped apart in front of everyone.
And by Josephine of all people.
Hailey stepped forward slowly. "What are you doing?" she asked, her voice trembling with anger. "Are you really doing this, Josephine? You haven't had enough? After everything you and your mother did to me?"
But Josephine didn't blink. "You know it's true," she said, raising her voice again. "He doesn't deserve to be tricked like this!"
"She's spouting nonsense!" Hailey snapped, her voice now louder, her eyes burning.
Benjamin stepped in. His voice was firm, but his brows were tight. "That's enough," he said to Josephine. "You don't just stand up in a wedding and throw wild words around."
But Josephine smirked. "Oh, so you think I made it up? I have proof."
The whole room buzzed again. The word "proof" dropped like a storm cloud.
Hailey blinked hard. Her hands clenched at her side. Her chest was rising and falling too fast. What proof? What was Josephine even talking about? Was she making things up to ruin her name?
Benjamin turned slowly to Hailey, his jaw tight. "Hailey," he said in a low voice, "tell me now... is any of that true? Were you... were you really sleeping around?"
Those words crushed her.
They weren't loud, but they hit her harder than Josephine's shouting ever could.
Her heart sank. She could barely speak. She looked at him—Benjamin, the man she loved—with eyes full of hurt. That he even asked… that he let that question come out, in front of everyone, in front of the cameras, the guests, the whispers… it cut her deep.
"No," she said. "She's lying. I swear to you—she's lying."
At that moment Benjamin didn't look away. He studied her face. Then he nodded.
And slowly, he turned to Josephine, his voice cold this time.
"You say you have proof. Good. Bring it forward now," he said. "Because if you don't… I promise you, Josephine—I will make sure you get locked in prison for the rest of your life."