Page 2 of What If We Do

I snort. “An angry and petty as fuck woman scorned on her wedding day.”

“Amen to that, Sis!” My bridesmaids give each other a high five. “We’ll be right by your side all night.”

___

Okay, small confession here. I think deep down I’ve always known Mark Adelman was not the love of my life. I mean, did I love him? Yes. But if I’m being honest with myself as I reflect on what happened last weekend, I know he didn’t really believe in me.

In who I am.

In who I want to be.

He didn’t see my work as viable or as a benefit to the community. I’ve always had this feeling, though he never said the words outright, that he thinks being a social media influencer isn’t a real job and that it’s all fun and games telling followers about my favorite shoes or my favorite books or my favorite new kitchen tool. He has no idea just how daunting it can be. The hours of research, website building, content planning for social media, the constant array of messages from one company or another wanting you to be a part of their brand. It’s much harder work than anyone gives it credit for, but I ignored his little snide comments over the years. I even ignored his silence when trying to tell him about some of the best partsof my job. The money. The unique gifts. The extra perks. The friends I’ve made along the way. He didn’t care. I chose to keep my chin up anyway and continue doing what made me happy…even if the feeling of inadequacy stirred in my soul more often than I care to admit.

“Have you spoken to him?”

“He texted me the day after. Two words. Can you guess what they were?”

“I’m working?” Maria guesses.

I shake my head. “Guess again.”

Jess narrows her eyes, tapping her fingernails on the tabletop. “I’m sorry?”

“Not even that,” I scoff. “His text just said I can’t.”

Maria’s brow peaks. “I can’t? Seriously?”

I nod silently as Mark’s words sink in.

“Fucking Asshole,” Jess murmurs.

“Yep.”

“So, what are you going to do about the honeymoon?” Maria takes a sip of her coffee. “You guys are supposed to be on a plane in a few days for New Orleans.”

I roll my eyes. “He never wanted to go to New Orleans. He wanted to go to Fiji or someplace remote and tropical. You know, where all the rich people go.”

“Didn’t he agree to New Orleans for you?”

I nod. “Yeah. He secured VIP tickets for us to attend the famous Once Upon a Halloween Night party together. It’s at Generations Hall in the French Quarter and it’s one of the biggest Halloween parties of the year. I’ve been dying to go since I was in high school. So, he agreed to a few days in New Orleans if I agreed to a private Caribbean cruise on his friend’s yacht after that. That’s why we decided to wait a week between our wedding and our honeymoon. Now that’s all fucked.

Jess shakes her head. “No girl. You’ve got that all wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re going on that honeymoon.”

“What?”

“Yeah.” She nods with a smirk on her face like she just planned the best prank of her life. “You’re totally going and you’re taking every single one of your followers with you. And it’s all on Mark’s dime.”

I shake my head. “Sorry. No. I have no interest in putting myself on the yacht that belongs to one of Mark’s friends or…sleezy businesspeople. No thank you.”

“Not the cruise,” she says. “Fuck the cruise. Let him eat that trip and explain it to his friend if he hasn’t already. I’m talking about the Halloween party.”

Hmm. I’m intrigued.

“I’m listening….”

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