Locked Out of My Own Home, I Called Off the Wedding

A few weeks before the wedding, my brother Adam, my childhood friend Liam Foster, and my best friend Celia Brooks moved into the house I shared with my fiancé, Julian Reed. From that day on, the smart lock seemed to forget who I was. The lock wouldn't recognize my fingerprint, and my code never worked. I kept getting locked out. Every time, Julian said, "There's nothing wrong with the lock. You're doing it wrong." My brother thought I was making a fuss over nothing. "Stop blaming everything on the lock. Everyone else can get in. Why can't you?" Liam tried to calm me down too. "Don't ruin everyone's mood over a stupid lock." Yesterday, I stood doubled over with stomach pain, trying the lock over and over. My fingers were stiff from the cold, and I still couldn't get into my own home. Just then, the others came home. Celia pressed her finger to the scanner, and the lock clicked open. I stood frozen outside the door. Julian shook his head. "We're getting married soon, and you still can't figure out how to unlock a door?" The next day, I had a repairman look at the lock. After checking it, he told me, "Nothing's wrong with the lock. Only four fingerprints are registered, and the code was recently changed." So the lock that was supposed to let me into my own home had been keeping me out all along. I checked the lock's access log, then texted the wedding planner, "The wedding is off." 1 When Julian called, I was going over the cancellation forms. "Wren, what do you mean the wedding's off?" I gripped my phone. "Exactly what it sounds like." "The wedding is in 17 days. Do you know how much we'll lose in cancellation fees?" "I know. I'll pay them." He was quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, his tone had softened. "Is this because Celia slept in our bedroom last night? She likes a soft bed. It was one night. Can't you be a little more understanding?" I took a deep breath, my nails digging into my palm. "You care so much about her. What about me? "Last night I was hurting so much I couldn't stand up straight. I called you six times from outside the door. Julian, you didn't pick up once." He paused. "My phone was on silent. I didn't hear it." "Then you texted me to stop messing with the lock and find the building manager." He said, "I figured you'd used the lock wrong again." I opened my mouth, but tears fell onto the paperwork before I could speak. The ink on the contract smeared. I hurried to wipe it with a tissue, but the more I wiped, the worse it got. "The repairman checked. The lock isn't broken. It has four fingerprints registered: yours, Adam's, Liam's, and Celia's." The line went silent. "The code was changed, too," I said, my voice breaking. "All of you can come home. I'm the only one who can't." Julian sighed. "Celia said some stranger had been knocking on the door, so I had her reset the lock. She probably forgot to add your fingerprint. I'll fix it when I get home." "It's my house. How could she leave out my fingerprint but remember everyone else's?" "I never said it wasn't. Just come home, okay? Don't call off the wedding over something so trivial." I looked down. I'd been holding back the question, but I couldn't anymore. "When you realized I hadn't come home all night, did you even look for me?" He didn't answer. I heard Celia ask on the other end, "Julian, where did you put my medicine?" He didn't even hesitate. "Second drawer of the nightstand." That was where I used to keep my painkillers. I covered my mouth and waited for the lump in my throat to ease. Then I said quietly, "Don't bother adding me." "Wren, don't hang up. I'm coming to find you right now." "I've already made up my mind." "You can't just call off a wedding like that." My voice trembled. "But you didn't ask me before locking me out, did you?" I hung up. Nora, the wedding planner, handed me a tissue and didn't rush me. After a while, I finally wiped my tears. "Sorry. Please continue." "Ms. Harper, once you cancel, we can't guarantee the original date will still be available if you rebook. Do you want to think it over?" My pen hovered over the signature line. Six months ago, I'd stayed up past midnight, waiting for bookings to open so I could secure our anniversary as the wedding date. Julian had promised we'd celebrate our anniversary together every year. "Ms. Harper?" I snapped out of it and signed my name, my decision made. My phone lit up. Celia had sent me a photo. She was wearing my pajamas and sitting on the bed in the master bedroom. A photo of Julian and me was right behind her. She wrote, "Wren, you're not mad, are you? Julian says you're not coming home tonight." I opened the photo, closed it again, and let my finger hover over Julian's number. When I called, I got a busy signal. Right after that, she texted, "He says he's trying to sweet-talk you and told me not to worry." I turned my phone face down on the table. My shoulders wouldn't stop shaking. Nora said my name softly. Only then did I notice that I'd shredded the tissue in my hand. "I'm fine." I sniffled. "Just refund the money to the account I paid from." Before I left, I sent the property details to a real estate agent and texted, "I want to sell this house." Once the message went through, I cried in the elevator. I stayed doubled over until the doors opened again, then braced a hand against the wall and slowly straightened up. 2 When Julian rushed into my studio, I was sorting through wedding design drafts. He pressed his hand down on the folder. "Why did a real estate agent call me? You're selling the house?" "I told him to contact you. You all need to move out before any showings." "That's the house we're supposed to live in together after the wedding!" I looked up at him, my eyes still puffy. "You remember that?" His grip loosened. "I messed up. I'll add your fingerprint back. Just come home with me." "What about Celia?" "She hasn't found a place to stay yet." I slowly pulled the folder back. "Then she can stay at a hotel." "She gets scared on her own." The room went quiet. I looked at him, and my eyes started to sting again. "I was out there alone last night. You don't think I was scared?" At last, he looked away. "Fine. I'll book her a hotel." Of course, that was when his phone rang. He answered, and his expression changed at once. "You can't breathe? Did you take your medicine? Don't cry. I'm coming." I reached out and grabbed his sleeve. Julian looked down at me. "Call an ambulance first," I said quietly. "It's not like you can cure her by showing up." "There's no one with her. I have to go check on her." "Julian, we're not done talking." "Wait until I get back." He pulled his sleeve free. Even after the door shut, I stood there with my hand outstretched. It took me a long time to lower it. My assistant, Tessa, stood in the doorway with a stack of files. She looked like she wanted to say something. I asked, "What is it?" She set a printout of an email on my desk. "The client for the engagement party uptown wants to know why another studio has our proposal." I flipped through a couple of pages, then stopped dead. Even the three contingency plans I'd added last night were there. Only now, Celia was listed as the author. It had been sent from Julian's email. I called him, and he picked up quickly. "Something else?" "Did you access my cloud storage?" "Celia's just starting out. She borrowed your proposal for reference." "She used it to pitch my client!" "She's new to this. Can't you just explain the rules to her?" I was so angry my hands shook, creasing the page in my grip. "My team and I stayed up for three nights working on this proposal. You watched me revise it. You know why I came home so late last night." "That's my point. This comes easily to you. Celia just needs something to put in her portfolio." I closed my eyes for a moment and blinked back the tears. "Tell her to withdraw the proposal and explain to the client where it came from." "Is that really necessary? She already feels terrible about the wedding," he said, as though he hadn't expected me to take it seriously. "Wren, do you have to talk like that right now?" "What else am I supposed to do?" I braced myself on the edge of the desk. "Smile and tell her to go ahead and use it?" He didn't say anything. I hung up and sent the client the original proposal, its revision history, and our email correspondence. I also contacted my lawyer to have the evidence preserved. That evening, the client confirmed they were suspending their partnership with Celia's studio pending a review of the proposal. Julian called right away. "Celia's been crying all afternoon. Are you happy now?" I gripped the phone, and despite everything, my chest still ached. "That's what you called to say?" He said, "She already apologized." I waited a few seconds, but he said nothing else. "Julian, my team is waiting on me for a meeting." This time, I was the one who hung up first. I changed my cloud drive password and revoked all sharing permissions. 3 Adam called the very next day. "Wren, Julian says you're selling the house, and you're going after Celia for stealing your proposal?" "Yes." "You've taken this far enough. You're causing a scene right before the wedding, and now both families are upset." I was eating soup. My spoon clinked against the bowl. "Did you know your fingerprint is registered in that lock too?" "Yeah. Celia added my fingerprint." "Did you ever ask why mine wasn't?" He paused. "How would I know? Talk it out with Julian. Stop taking it out on the wedding." "I bought that house, and I can't even get through the door." "What's the big deal about spending one night at the office? You've always been independent, and Celia's not well—" "So I'm supposed to just keep giving in forever?" My brother's voice hardened. "I'm only looking out for you." I set down my spoon. "Then come see me at the studio." He hesitated. "I'm busy the next couple of days." I stared at my cold soup and forced a smile. "Got it." That morning, I took the purchase contract and payment receipts to a law firm. My lawyer, Dana, confirmed that the house belonged solely to me. She also drafted a notice requiring them to move out by a specified date, with arrangements for collecting their belongings. "Have them move out first, then schedule the showings. That'll help avoid any disputes." I nodded and tucked the notice carefully into my bag. When I walked out of the law firm, Liam was standing at the bottom of the steps. He held out a bag of medicine. "Your brother said your stomach has been bothering you." I didn't take it. "I can't just take painkillers whenever I want. I've already seen a doctor." His hand faltered. "Have you eaten anything?" "I have." He walked beside me for a few steps before speaking. "Celia says you won't even let her keep her luggage at the house." I stopped. "Did she tell you she wore my pajamas, slept in my bed, and used my proposal to land a client?" "She said it was a misunderstanding." "Did you ask me before coming here? Did you check whether any of it was really a misunderstanding?" Liam looked at me for a long moment. "I'm just worried you're rushing into this. What if you regret calling off the wedding?" The wind rustled the bag of medicine. He used to wait downstairs for me just like this whenever I had a fever. Back then, I thought my brother and Liam would always be there for me. I pulled my scarf tighter. My eyes stung. "Liam, I already regret it." He went still. "I regret giving all of you the code. I regret telling myself I was being petty every time I got upset." He reached for me, and I took a step back. "Take the medicine with you." Julian's car was parked by the curb. He saw us and came over, scowling. "Your stomach hurts? Why didn't you tell me?" I looked at him and suddenly asked, "Is my medicine still in the nightstand?" He frowned. "It should be." "Did you buy the medicine Celia took last night?" "Yeah. Hers has to be taken before meals, and I was worried she'd forget." I nodded, my throat tight. "Mine has to be taken before meals too. I've been taking it for three years, and you've never remembered once." Julian opened his mouth. I took the notice out of my bag and held it out to him. "Move out by Friday. I'll have someone there to check everything you're taking." "You really have to do this?" "Yes." When he didn't take the notice, I set it on the hood of his car and took a picture for my records. That night, Celia posted a photo on Instagram of a table covered in food. Julian was standing behind her, holding a bowl of hot soup. Her caption read, "It's so nice having someone who remembers I have a sensitive stomach." I stared at it for a long time, my grip on the phone slowly tightening. Then I closed the photo and called the real estate agent to confirm showing times after they moved out. "List it at market price. There's no need to rush into a price cut." I'd bought that house with money I'd saved little by little. I wasn't going to shortchange myself just to get rid of them. 4 Nora called on the day of our scheduled wedding rehearsal. "Ms. Harper, Mr. Reed asked us to go ahead with the rehearsal. The backdrop and your wedding dress have both been delivered. Can you confirm?" I put down my pen. "I never confirmed it. Please stop setting up. I'll come over and sort this out." Then Julian showed up at my studio and blocked the doorway. "Both sets of parents are here. We're having dinner tonight." I shook my head. "I'm going to pick up my dress. I'm not discussing anything else." He frowned. "Wren, do you really have to make a scene in front of our parents?" I looked up at him. "I already sent the cancellation notice. You're the one who insisted on bringing them here." "I just don't want you to regret this later." I ignored him, grabbed my bag, and walked past him. The backdrop was still up when I arrived, decorated with the white roses I'd chosen myself. When my mother saw me, she hurried to her feet. "Wren, sweetheart, whatever's bothering you, sit down and tell us about it." I squeezed her hand, but my gaze went to the head table. Celia was wearing my wedding dress. I'd revised the design three times before settling on the delicate row of crystals around the waist. The dress was too long for her, and she'd stepped on the hem while a staff member tried to straighten it. I stopped short. Julian followed my gaze and rushed to explain. "She was helping check the measurements, so she tried it on." "If you're checking my measurements, why is she wearing my dress?" Celia's eyes went red. "Wren, it's my fault. Don't blame Julian." I walked up to her. My fingertips brushed the skirt, then fell away. On the day we got engaged, Julian came with me to pick out a wedding dress. He'd insisted on being there to see me in it. But now, the dress was on someone else. "Wren," he said, reaching for me, "sit down first. Don't embarrass everyone." I pulled free of his hand. "Could someone please take her to change? Document any damage to the dress and add it to the bill." Celia went pale. "You want me to pay for it?" "You wore my dress without permission. Why shouldn't you?" "I told you, I'm the one who asked her to try it on," Julian said, stepping in front of her. "If you've got a problem, take it up with me." I looked at him, my eyes burning. This time, I didn't back down. "Fine. I'll send the bill to you." Adam's face darkened. "It's one dress. Did you have to take it this far?" "Today it's the dress. Yesterday it was the house. Before that, it was my project. When have you ever stood up for me?" His lips moved, but nothing came out. I turned to both sets of parents and took off my ring. "I'm sorry. The engagement is over." The ring dropped onto the table. Julian's expression finally changed. "You're serious? After all these years together, you can just walk away like none of it mattered?" I looked down at my bare finger. "I couldn't bring myself to let go before. That's why I stayed this long." He reached for the ring. "Then let's talk again. I can have Celia move out." I looked at him. "Too late. I'm done holding on." Suddenly Celia rushed over and grabbed my wrist. "Wren, I'll take the dress off, just don't cancel the wedding!" She grabbed at me, caught her foot in the train, and stumbled into the champagne tower. Julian lunged to protect her, but the glasses crashed to the floor, splashing champagne onto my skirt. My brother blocked my way. "Look what you've done. Are you happy now?" I pulled away from him and pointed at the hall's security camera. "The footage will show who grabbed whom first." Julian had his arms around Celia, who'd gone deathly pale. He looked as though he still had something to say. I stepped back and called security. "Please show them out." Behind me came the sound of muffled sobbing. "Julian, am I causing trouble for all of you?" Julian instinctively turned back and took her arm. "Don't think like that." I called Nora over and confirmed that the backdrop would be taken down and the dress returned to the shop for inspection. Julian followed me to the door. "Wren, where are you going? We're not done talking." "But I'm done." Outside, a light rain was falling. He tried to put his jacket over my shoulders, but I raised a hand to stop him and opened my umbrella. My car had already arrived. Julian stood behind me, panic finally creeping into his voice. "Wren, don't go. Let's start over." I stopped in the rain. "Julian, you always thought I'd be waiting for you to let me back in, no matter how many times you shut me out." I gripped my umbrella tighter. "But this time, I'm the one walking away." Then I walked off into the rain and never looked back.