Chapter 4 - The Tables Turn
Tyler finally found his voice.
“You said you didn’t want to be involved.”
“I said I wasn’t sure I’d be invited, but you were so generous to let me come tonight.”
I paused.
“And now that I’ve seen how welcome I really am, I’m thinking maybe it’s best if I step away from the whole thing.”
And then I stood up slowly, deliberately, as the tension in the room rose like a tide about to crash.
That’s when Brooke grabbed the papers.
That’s when my mother stood up, too, eyes flashing.
And that’s when Tyler said something that changed everything.
Tyler slammed his hand on the table hard enough that the wine glasses clinkedked and a few people jumped.
“Jason, don’t be dramatic,” he snapped. “You’re really going to pull this over a joke?”
I looked at him genuinely curious.
“A joke? You think that’s what tonight was?”
Brooke tossed the folder back onto the table like it was dirty.
“You’re seriously going to sabotage our wedding just because you’re bitter you’re not part of the inner circle.”
I tilted my head slightly.
“You mean the circle that laughs at me, insults me, and treats me like a stray dog? Someone felt bad for that circle.”
My mother finally spoke, her voice low and sharp.
“This is exactly why we don’t invite you to things, Jason. You always make everything about yourself.”
That one hit me.
Not because it was true, but because it was so incredibly predictable.
The same playbook every time.
I wasn’t supposed to react. I was supposed to take the hit, smile, and come back for more.
When I didn’t, I was the villain.
I kept my voice calm.
“You invited me here to be your punching bag. You just didn’t think I’d swing back.”
My uncle let out a dry laugh.
“He thinks he’s a big shot now just cause he put down a deposit.”
Brooke leaned forward, her tone icy.
“You want a thank you card, Jason? Is that it? Because if you’re doing all this for attention—”
“I’m not,” I cut in. “Trust me, Brooke. I don’t need your attention or your approval.”
I turned to Tyler.
“But you, you’re my brother. You didn’t even tell me you were getting married until after everyone else knew. And then you invite me last minute like I’m an afterthought.”
Tyler’s expression softened for half a second, then hardened again.
“I didn’t think you’d care.”
That hurt more than I expected.
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “That’s the problem, isn’t it?”
There was a heavy silence.
One of the waiters peeked into the room, sensed the tension, and quickly backed out.
A few of the other guests, people I didn’t even know, looked like they wanted to melt into their seats. They had been enjoying the show up until now.
Now it was getting real.
Brooke glanced at my mother, who gave her a slight nod, some kind of unspoken signal that told me they’d been on the same wavelength for months, maybe longer.
Brooke folded her arms.
“Fine. You want us to beg? Not happening. You made your point. You’re not part of this family. You never have been. And Tyler doesn’t need your money to get married.”
“Good,” I said, standing tall. “Because he’s not getting it.”
My mom scoffed.
“You really think we can’t find another venue? That we’ll cancel the whole wedding over this?”
“I don’t think you’ll cancel it,” I said. “But you won’t find a place like the Palisade with less than 4 months to go. Not during wedding season. And even if you do, you’ll be starting from scratch. New vendors, new permits, new deposits. You’ll spend triple what I put down just trying to match it.”
My uncle opened his mouth to argue, then slowly closed it.
Tyler looked like he wanted to fight me. His fists were clenched at his sides, jaw tight.
But he knew I was right.
“I didn’t do this to ruin your wedding,” I said. “I did it because for once, I thought I could be part of something. Because I wanted to believe that maybe things had changed.”
No one said a word.
Not even Brooke, whose perfect posture was starting to crack under the pressure.
I nodded once slowly, then gathered the folder from the table and tucked it back into my bag.
“I’ll send the venue a cancellation notice tomorrow,” I said as I turned to leave. “Good luck finding a replacement. Oh, and you might want to warn your vendors. A lot of them were booked through my connections.”
That was the last thing I said before I walked out.
I didn’t look back.
Not when I heard my uncle mutter, “What just happened?”
May you like
Not when Brooke hissed something under her breath.
Not even when I caught the faint sound of my mother calling my name. Sharp and furious, like I’d stolen something that was rightfully hers.
