This article was originally published on 24/7Mirror
Making Big Wedding Plans
When Sarah and Richard decided to get married, they also made an arrangement not to see each other for a few days before the big wedding day.
Sarah was very specific about how she wanted her wedding to go and she made sure everything was going as planned. But she didn't know that she would be the one to make a big scene at the wedding when everything would be going perfect.
Happy Faces Everywhere
It was the morning of the wedding day and everyone was happy. The bride was excited and happy thinking about what she would do once she gets married.
Thousands of happy and excited thoughts were running through her mind. She didn't have even the slightest of ideas what would unfold next.
Girl Talk
As it is the case almost everywhere, the girls were more excited than the boys. Sarah and her friends gathered in a room that was booked in an exquisite hotel and talked about the big day.
There was laughter, crazy talk, and everything getting discussed in detail. Some of her friends who were already married shared their stories and have her tips. Sarah was getting Goosebumps at the thought of enjoying her honeymoon with the love of her life.
Unexpected Wedding Jitters
As everything was going smoothly and there were all fun and games, one of Sarah's friends jokingly teased her about the changes that would happen in her life after getting married.
At that time, no one noticed that things started to go south for Sarah. She deeply loved Richard, but she started to wonder if only love was a strong reason enough to live her entire life with him.
Feeling Anxious
Now, Sarah was feeling anxious and she walked out of the room. All of a sudden, marriage was not as appealing as it seemed.
Cold feet at the wedding day is not uncommon, so Sarah's friend Jennifer* stepped in to give her some advice. Jennifer had already been married for a year, so did the advice helped Sarah?
A Great Friend
Jennifer, being a good and caring friend, helped Sarah understand that finding true love is not easy in this day and age. She made Sarah understand what she had was something only lucky people have and she was indeed special to have someone who asked her to marry him.
Sarah knew that her friend was saying the right thing, but she kept on thinking if she was indeed making a mistake. To prevent any issues in the future, Jennifer came up with a perfect idea.
Bending The Rules
As Sarah and Jennifer have been best friends since they were children, they knew each other very well. Jennifer knew how adamant Sarah was and she also didn't want her best friend to lose a great man just because of her fear.
So, Jennifer came up with an idea to bend the rules for the sake of making sure her friends do not make a mistake.
Execution of The Plan
Now that Jennifer was all ready to execute her plan, she excused herself and went back to the hotel room in search of something.
No one knew what Jennifer was searching for. All she said to them was that everything was okay and there was nothing to worry about. But was everything okay?
Calling Richard
As Jennifer went to the room, Sarah waited anxiously. When she was on the verge of crying out loud, Jennifer walked in and handed her a phone.
They both knew that the best thing to do at that moment was to call Richard. Sarah felt assured thinking that the only person who could get her out of her misery was the love of her life.
Red Alarms
So, when Sarah called Richard, he knew straight away that something wasn't right. After all, they had decided that they would not talk or see each other before the wedding and now she was breaking the rules.
When Richard answered the phone, Sarah first apologized for calling him and then started to explain her fears and doubts that were making her having second thoughts about their wedding. Richard was left shocked at hearing it and he remained silent for a few seconds. Those few seconds felt like an eternity to Sarah.
Giving Assurance
Richard heard everything that Sarah said and then started to explain to her that her thoughts were normal and there is nothing to worry about. He pointed out that she was with him for six years and he assured her that he only loved her and would do his absolute best to make sure she lives the best life with him.
He also went on to say that he feels super lucky to have her as his bride. As everything settled down and they were back to laughing and flirting, Sarah hung up the phone.
Feeling Much Better
Now, Sarah was feeling way better and that's why she decided to hang up the phone so that Richard doesn't run out of words. She wanted him to have some words left for the altar.
She was deeply in love and the smile on her face showed that she was feeling confident and happy again. Jennifer, who was listening to their conversation, felt super happy and proud of her beautiful friend.
Calmness Before A Storm
As we've read/heard somewhere that calmness before a storm can be dangerous, that's exactly what happened in Sarah's case as well. Lightning struck thrice in the form of text messages.
Sarah was too busy so she couldn't read the messages. She apologized to her friends for all the trouble and went back to her hotel room. Now, all she could think about was her wedding.
Ignoring The Messages
As Sarah's wedding day was approaching, she was receiving a lot of messages of people sending her their best wishes.
She was exhausted, so she ignored the messages for the time. She even handed her phone to her friend for safekeeping.
An Unknown Number
As Sarah received the third message, she couldn't stop herself from checking the messages. The curiosity got the better of her.
She checked and it was an unknown number that sent her messages. Who could it be and what do you think those messages contained?
Heartbreak Waiting To Happen
Sarah unknowingly was avoiding a big heartbreak, but how long could she do it. So, when she opened the text messages, she came to realize that the unknown person was more than familiar to her fiancé.
She felt like her world stopped moving. She was unable to move, talk, or think about what was happening. Instead of going out to tell her best friends about it, she went to the bathroom and locked the door.
Worried Friends
When texts started to pour in from that unknown number, Sarah started to read each of those texts in sheer disbelief. She had no control over her tears and each word in those text messages was piercing her heart like nails.
Unable to take it no more, she threw her phone away in disgust and anger. Her friends who were waiting outside now began to worry. They started to knock on the door.
The World Felt Like Falling Apart
As Sarah felt a cold chill running all over her body, she couldn't understand anything and started to believe that it was all just a bad dream.
Her friends became more worried as Sarah was not answering their calls or knocks on the door.
Gaining Courage
As a strong-willed woman, Sarah knew that crying about it or thinking that her world has ended would mean nothing if she doesn't pull herself together. She stood up on her feet, picked up the bouquet of beautiful flowers along with her cracked yet working phone and walked out of the washroom.
The moment she took her first step outside of the bathroom, she had made up her mind that she would face the situation and not run from it. All that moment was missing was some stirring background rock music.
Keeping It All To Herself
Sarah decided that she would keep everything to herself. She left for her wedding with confidence. There was no facade or smile...just a confident woman who was determined to do something big that day.
Jennifer must’ve been thinking about the mood swings destroying the most important day of her best friend, but that wasn't the case.
Double Dealing
The texts which Sarah received were from a girl with whom her fiancé Richard had been having an affair.
Sarah felt disgusted that Richard would do something that serious behind her back. Her trust was broken and it meant one thing to her: no trust, no relationship.
Making the Big Decision
Sarah was fuming with anger thinking how easily Richard was making a fool out of her. Instead of sulking and making a scene out of it then and there, she decided to call off the wedding with style.
She was no longer feeling sorry for Richard as she started to get excited thinking about the time when she would reveal to the world who the final joke was on.
"Will You?"
When Sarah got the messages from that unknown girl, she couldn't believe anything. Then she sent screenshots and told her that," I wouldn’t marry him, will you?"
Instead of just reacting badly to the messages, Sarah decided that it would be better to go directly to the girl. After all, she wanted to be clear about everything. The texts between Richard and that unknown girl spanned from several months back to only a few days before the wedding.
Little Moments Started To Add Up
When Sarah gave an interview with Danielle Colley, she admitted that when she received those text messages, she couldn't believe them. However, her doubt was starting to get overtaken when she began to remember little moments and everything started to add up.
She started to feel like she had been made a fool for over six years. But now, she wanted to make him feel ashamed and she knew how she was going to get it.
Playing The Game
Sarah came to notice was that all the screenshots sent to her had selfies in them of different women. While Sarah was fair and blonde, the girl who sent her texts was dark-haired with olive skin. The sender was also one of those girls who sent selfies to Richard.
Every word that she said went like a bullet into Sarah's heart. She couldn’t' believe anything she was saying and it added more fire into her.
A Huge Announcement To Make
Sarah knew that she had nothing to lose. Although she had spent six years with a person she thought was the love of her life, she didn't care about anything. She also didn't care about the money she had spent in the wedding preparations or the memories that she had created with him.
As people traveled from different places to attend the wedding, it was the best way for Sarah to pay the favor to Richard in a style he would never forget.
Unbelievable
Sarah couldn't believe that the man whom she loved so much for the past six years could be so heartless. She didn't want to believe that he could throw such a devastatingly painful and humiliating blow to her.
He didn't know that his day was going to turn into one of the most unforgettable days ever for the rest of his life.
A Liar and a Thief
Richard was not just lying to Sarah; he was also stealing something of immense value to her: it was her time.
He stole six years of Sarah's life and didn't even think about stopping it when they were about to get married. Richard could easily tell from the expression of Sarah that something wasn't right.
She Still Loved Him
When Sarah arrived at the front, she was still having mixed emotions about what she was going to do. After all, she loved him and she started to think about whether it was necessary.
As she stood there looking radiant and everyone looked at her with admiration, she was thinking about how her dream day became a terrible day. She knew that her dream wedding dress was just a simple costume for her.
A Bold, Bold Move
Now, Sarah composed herself and started to read the text. She made sure that she could maintain a steady voice.
She read in front of everyone, “This weekend. You and I. It is on hot stuff. Bring your A game. Your body is f****** incredible. And s*** do you know how to use it. I wish my GF had half the skills you do.”
Revealing It All
Sarah didn't miss out on any details, not even the smallest one. She read each text that conveyed Richard and the girl had a sexual connection.
She even went into details of how the intimacy was between both of them. She shocked everyone.
The Cat Was Out of The Bag
There were whispers and gasps everywhere as the guests started to hear about the sexual encounters between Richard and the girl.
Although Richard tried to grab Sarah's hand, she pushed him back and showed the phone to everyone from which she was reading the texts. As he stepped forward to get the phone, she ran away with it. As expected, Richard was looking pale in humiliation.
Loss for Words
Sarah read all the text messages and it was time for her to look into Richard's eyes. He was feeling humiliated and loss for words. He felt ashamed for taking advantage of a woman who loved him and devoted six years of her life to him. At that moment, he knew very well that he had lost her. There was no coming back for him and he looked defeated.
Unable to say any word, he stormed out of the church with his best man. It left everyone in his family completely stunned. No one could believe what they were seeing.
A Free Bird
Although Sarah was left alone at the altar, she felt like a free bird. She felt like she could breathe again and live her life with freedom.
She knew in her heart that she had made the right decision. Now, she faced the congregation and announced with no fear that she would not be marrying a liar and a cheater.
Controlling Damage
Sarah knew that her marriage had ended and she made the big decision to invite everyone to celebrate the day of honesty and making the right decisions.
She thanked everyone for gracing her occasion with their presence.
Cheering Sarah
As soon as the drama ended and Richard walked out of the church, there was a silence which was then followed by a little awkward applause and then a huge cheer from almost everyone.
She didn't know about her next move. Believe it or not, there was a party after all that happened. It helped put everyone at ease and also assured Sarah that her life was on the right track again.
Online Attention
As Sarah's story went viral overnight, she garnered worldwide approval from everyone. Although people had their own opinions, most people praised Sarah's actions.
In fact, many women thanked her for having a strong voice and speaking up for herself. She was appreciated for setting a new, high standard for girls who want to speak up for themselves.
Praises Everywhere
One of the users on the internet commented, “Wow!! Very strong and forward thinking of her!! Honesty is the best policy with self and others!! Blessings all!!”
While another one commented, “A very brave woman who deserves and will certainly find, someone better. I wish her luck and happiness.” Sarah became an internet sensation for speaking up and not worrying about the consequences.
A Bright Light for Everyone
Six years is not a short time and Sarah loved Richard, that's why she was hurt the most.
The reaction of Richard at the altar gave more strength to Sarah and helped her overcome the miserable feeling. It was a great feeling for Sarah and her best friends.
Lessons were Learnt That Day
After that day, Sarah has learned how to focus on herself. Her bad experience doesn't make her stop believing that true love exists. But she has become a bit more careful in trusting people.
The best thing is that she has become more confident than ever and is ready to face new challenges of her life...hopefully, she finds someone that truly loves her.