Megan stepped out from the taxi, and there she was, standing right in front of her husband's family house. The sun was slowly setting behind her, casting a golden glow over the mansion. Her shoe clicked on the pavement as she stood still, staring at the house like it was a dream she hadn't seen in five long years.
She had been boiling with anger when the taxi pulled over. Her chest had been rising fast, and her fingers were digging deep into her purse. How could they not show up? After everything she went through in prison, five whole years, locked up like a criminal, abandoned and alone, she thought the least they would do was be there for her release.
In her head, she had imagined the Bushman family standing outside the prison gate, smiling and waving, arms wide open, ready to take her home. But none of them came. She had stepped out, looking left and right, hoping maybe they were late, maybe stuck in traffic. But there was no one. Not even a single call or message. That made her feel like fire was burning in her chest. She wanted to scream. She wanted to shout.
But now, her anger vanished, just like that.
Because what she saw in front of her was nothing short of shocking. From the look of things, she could tell that the Bushman family had thrown her a very luxurious welcome party. The whole place looked like a grand event. Her eyes moved slowly around the compound.
There were expensive cars parked neatly along the wide driveway—long black cars, shiny red ones, even a white. Soft lights hung from the trees. Fancy ribbons danced with the wind. The smell of grilled meat floated in the air. She could hear soft jazz music playing from inside the house. It all looked so rich, so clean, so full of life.
She looked at the guests walking inside the mansion—men in black suits, women in long shiny gowns, some carrying gifts, some holding glasses of wine. Their voices mixed with laughter. They didn't even look worried. They looked like they came for a celebration.
And Megan, standing right there with prison dust still on her shoes, couldn't help but feel surprised. A slow smile formed on her face. Her eyes softened, and her shoulders relaxed. 'They didn't forget her.' Maybe they had just planned something big, something beautiful, and didn't want to ruin the surprise by showing up at the prison.
So at that moment, without wasting any more time, with a bright smile on her face, forgetting what happened today, she immediately walked closer to the mansion and opened the front door. Immediately she stepped inside, all head, turned back immediately to look at her.
At that moment, some of the guests stared at Megan with wide eyes, blinking as if they had just seen a ghost. A few even leaned toward each other and began whispering in hushed tones. Some didn't recognize her at all—after all, five years behind bars had changed her. She wasn't the same shining woman they once knew. Her body was slimmer, her skin a little pale, and her hair tucked back in a simple style. But the little number of people who did recognize her those ones froze on the spot, completely shocked.
Their mouths hung slightly open, and a few of them even stepped back slowly.
"Is that Megan?" someone whispered.
"She's out already?"
"I thought she was supposed to rot in prison."
"No one told me she'd be here…"
Their voices filled the room in soft confusion, like flies buzzing around the same rotten fruit.
But Megan wasn't smiling anymore. Her face dropped the second she saw what was in front of her, what was on the stage. Her chest began to rise fast. Her eyes blinked once, then twice. But the picture wasn't changing. It was real.
Her husband, Kelly, stood on the stage in a sharp dark suit, holding hands with a young lady in a bright white gown. The girl's face was glowing with joy, her makeup neat and perfect. There were lights flashing above them, cameras clicking in the corners, and on the wall behind them was a banner in gold letters that read:
"Congratulations to Kelly & Tasha – Forever Begins Today!"
At that moment Megan's hands turned cold.
From where she stood, she could clearly see bridesmaids in matching dresses lined up beside the stage. Young men in suits stood proudly like groomsmen. Everyone was clapping and smiling—everyone except her, and some guests that were focused on her.
It seems like the celebration she had walked into… wasn't for her at all.
It was a wedding, and it was her husband's wedding.
"How… how is this even possible?" she whispered under her breath, her voice shaking.
Her feet started to move before her mind even gave permission. She stormed down the aisle, her heels hitting the floor hard with each step. People turned to look at her, gasping, stepping aside quickly. Some even whispered louder now, trying to stop her, but no one dared to touch her.
She walked up the stage, her face filled with nothing but burning rage. Her eyes locked onto Kelly's.
"What's going on here?" she shouted, her voice loud and clear. "Kelly, I demand an answer! What is this?!"
The music stopped. The clapping died. The whole room went quiet, as if someone had sucked the air out of it. Everyone watched, frozen.
Kelly's face turned pale. His lips moved a little, but no words came out. He just stood there, holding the bride's hand, too shocked to speak at that moment, too ashamed to look Megan in the eyes.
And then, the Bushman family arrived. Mr. Bushman, Kelly's father, walked in first. His face was stiff like stone. Right behind him was his wife, Deborah Bushman, dressed in a rich blue gown, her necklace shining like she came to show off. And at the end came Jessica Bushman, Kelly's sister, walking tall with a cold smirk on her lips.
All of them had already stood up from where they were seated, and now they began walking toward Megan. Some of them didn't even hide their disgust. Deborah pulled a handkerchief from her purse and gently covered her nose. Jessica followed and did the same, like Megan smelled like prison toilet.
At that moment, Deborah would then remove the handkerchief from her nose. She slowly pulled it down with two fingers like she couldn't bear the smell anymore. Her eyes squinted as if she was forcing herself to stay calm.
"I'm going to be very, very quick with her answer because you stinks Megan. Like, you smells so bad."
Deborah's lips pressed into a tight line as she leaned a little forward. "Oh my God," she muttered, turning her face sideways for air. "Why did you even come like this?
why did you even try and take your bath before even coming? why do you stink this badly?"
She said it aloud, not caring who was listening. Some of the guests laughed under their breath, others just looked away in shock.
At that moment Deborah gave a light fake smile, placing her fingers gently on her chest. "You've been locked up for five years, Megan, dear," she said in a slow, mocking tone. "So maybe your brain doesn't understand how things work anymore, hmm? So, I'm going to explain it in a very, very simple language that you will understand."
She opened her palm and gestured toward the couple on stage. "As you can see clearly, my son Kelly is getting married to this beautiful young woman today. And yes, all of us — the entire family — we support this decision fully."
"Now that you're of what is going on, can you just turn around and just—"
However before she could finish the sentence,
At that moment, Jessica would then said, "Mother, you are forgetting something."
Jessica's voice came sharp and fast, and she walked with long, firm steps toward her seat. Her dress swayed with every move, and her face looked serious.
she then immediately walk closer to where she's seated and brought out an envelope that, "You are forgetting something. She's supposed to sign this."
Jessica bent down quickly, grabbed a brown envelope from her purse, and stood up straight. She walked back toward the front and held it in the air. "She's supposed to sign this," she said again.
Deborah gave a small laugh, snapping her fingers. "Ah! Yes! It totally slipped my mind. This smell is so bad it distracted me." She looked at Megha again and waved her hand like she was chasing off a fly.
Jessica stepped forward and pushed the envelope toward Megan's chest. "These are your divorce papers," she said coldly. "Sign them. Now. And just get lost."
At that moment, hearing what they just said, Megan 's mouth opened slightly. Her eyes began to water, but she blinked fast, trying to stay strong. Her hands trembled beside her.
she wasn't expecting this from any of them.
She looked at Kelly, then at Deborah, and finally at Jessica. "I… I thought I meant something to this family," she whispered.
She remembered all the dinners, the hugs, the promises. It all felt like a lie now, she thought they actually took her in like a family,
She looked down at the envelope in her hand. Everything felt heavy her chest, her legs, her heart.