On the day I was supposed to get married, my best friend’s mother told everyone I’d been a sugar baby in college. That I’d had an abortion. When I found out, my first instinct was to call the cops. But everyone, everyone, told me to focus on the wedding. To not stoop to the level of a gossiping old hag. Then I learned that someone at her table was live-streaming the reception. The rumor spread like wildfire. My mother-in-law believed it. She forced my husband to divorce me. An anonymous complaint was filed at my job, and I was fired. My parents, unable to show their faces in our small town, disowned me. The blows came one after another, and I fell into a deep depression. I jumped to my death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back on my wedding day. … "Hold on," I said, stopping the makeup artist's brush mid-air. I lowered my head and grabbed my phone. It didn't take long to find the live stream. I clicked the link, and the voices of several middle-aged women filled the room. "So what does the groom's family do? This is quite the fancy setup." "I hear they're in the hotel business. Own a bunch of properties. You have to hand it to Jane, she really knows how to play her cards. She's pretty, sure, but her real talent is wrapping men around her little finger." I turned the volume up, and the sound from my phone's speaker cut through the quiet of the bridal suite, catching the attention of my bridesmaids. One of them leaned in. "Fiona," she gasped, recognizing a face on the screen. "That's your mom." Fiona rushed over, just in time to hear her mother, Rose, continue her tirade. "Honestly, our Fiona is prettier than Jane, but she just doesn't have those… vixen's tricks. Jane's so well-endowed for a reason, you know. All those men… She was a born seductress. Dating boys in elementary school, a rich man's plaything in college. She'd do anything for money, sleep with anyone. Had a few abortions, too. Oh, what a shame." Fiona’s face went bone-white. "Jane, don't listen to her," she stammered. "She's just talking nonsense. I'll go out there right now and make her stop." But before Fiona could move, I shot up from my chair and stormed toward the door, my wedding dress rustling around me. Fiona grabbed my arm. "Jane, don't! It's your wedding day! I'll handle it. I'll make sure she doesn't say another word, I promise." My other friends chimed in, echoing her plea. The bride couldn't just march out before the ceremony started, it would look terrible. "Yeah, Jane, just hang in there," Fiona said, her face a mask of sincerity, as if she truly had my best interests at heart. "You know my mom, her mouth runs faster than her brain. I'll go give her a piece of my mind. After today, I'll make her apologize to you personally. Don't let her ruin your big day." In my last life, I didn't find out from a live stream. A relative, disgusted by the gossip, had come to tell me in hushed tones. And I had listened to them. I had endured it. But the next day, before Fiona could drag her mother over for a half-hearted apology, the story was already everywhere. That one rumor cost me my husband, my parents, and my career. It pushed me until I broke. And through it all, Rose never once spoke up to say she'd lied. Reborn, there was no way I was letting it go. After all, I knew which was more important: a wedding, or my life. I ignored Fiona and strode out of the room. When I reached Rose's table, she was still deep in the sordid details of my supposed abortion. "She was still in college, of course she couldn't let her parents know. She borrowed money from my Fiona. My girl has such a big heart, she stole from me to help her friend. That's how I found out. And I know the boy’s mother, too. I checked with her later. Her son really did knock Jane up." "Aunt Rose, is that really true?" someone asked. "Mom! What the hell are you talking about?!" Fiona’s shriek and my sharp question echoed at the same time. Rose jumped, startled. She turned and saw me, her smile instantly awkward. But she recovered quickly, feigning ignorance. "Jane, honey, what are you doing out here already?" I stared at her, my face a canvas of pure shock. "Aunt Rose, is it true? Did I have an abortion in college? Did you see it with your own eyes?" What had been a quiet murmur at one table suddenly had an audience. My appearance, my raised voice—it drew every eye in the hall. Rose was flustered, suddenly at a loss for words. Fiona looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole. She tugged on her mother's sleeve. "Mom. Apologize." Rose stood up. "Jane, I'm sorry. You know me, I just talk without thinking." My eyes widened in mock disbelief. "So you're saying it's true?" Before Rose could answer, my parents and my fiancé, Ethan, had rushed over. "Jane, what's wrong?" my mother asked, taking my arm. "Whatever it is, we can talk about it calmly." "Mom, Aunt Rose is telling everyone that I was promiscuous in college, that I got pregnant and had an abortion," I said, my voice trembling with feigned horror. "But I don't remember any of it! That man… he must have drugged me! It’s the only explanation!” My mother’s face instantly darkened. She glared at Rose. "Rose, what is the meaning of this? Spreading vile rumors at my daughter's wedding?" Rose forced a laugh. "It was a mistake. I misspoke. I already apologized to Jane." My mother turned back to me. "Jane, you know your Aunt Rose loves to gossip. She's already said she's sorry, just let it go." My father added from behind me, "That's right. Look at yourself. All our friends and family are here. No one's going to believe such a ridiculous lie." It wasn’t just my parents. Everyone started trying to smooth things over. Seeing the moment about to be swept under the rug, I let tears well in my eyes. "No, no, Aunt Rose told the story with such detail! How could it be fake? If I don't remember it, it must have happened against my will! That man committed a crime! Aunt Rose, you have to tell me who he is! I'm calling the police!" The word "police" wiped the smile right off Rose's face. "There's no one!" she said quickly. "Fine, I made it all up, okay? Jane, it's your wedding day. It's my fault, I shouldn't have said those things. Let's just… let this be my apology." She raised her teacup. "I'll drink to your happiness, and we'll say no more about it. Just pretend I was lying. Okay?" She drained the cup in one gulp. Then she looked at me. "There. Are we good?" I just stared at her, my expression making it clear that we were not. Rose felt my displeasure. She clearly thought she, the elder, had already given me, the younger, enough face, and was annoyed by my persistence. She started to get up, muttering about how I'd ruined the mood and she should just leave. I shot out a hand and grabbed her arm. "No, Aunt Rose. You can't just leave." She looked at me, exasperated. "I've apologized! What more do you want? Do you want me to get on my knees and beg?" I narrowed my eyes. "Everyone heard what you said. Since you admit it was a lie, then you need to clear my name. Right now. Get up on that stage and tell everyone that you're a malicious gossip and everything you just said was a complete fabrication from your own sick mind." Rose’s face hardened. Apologizing in front of this small group was humiliating enough. Now I was trying to force her onto the stage. Her patience snapped. "Jane, I apologized to give you an out. Don't you dare think what I said wasn't true. Let sleeping dogs lie. You should take that advice to heart." My grip on her arm tightened. "So it is true? Then tell me the man's name. Otherwise, you made it all up, and I'm suing you for slander." That did it. Rose was officially provoked. "His name is Nathan! And he was married at the time! Don't tell me you've forgotten that, too." I froze for a split second. And in that same instant, Fiona's face drained of all color. Rose didn't notice her daughter’s strange reaction. She only saw mine and became instantly smug. "Remember now, do you?" Before I could speak, Fiona lurched forward, grabbing her mom’s arm and pulling her toward the exit. "Mom, you've gone too far! This is Jane's wedding! We're supposed to be friends! How are we ever supposed to face each other after this?" "What are you so afraid of?" Rose snapped back, shaking her off. "I gave the little brat a chance to save face, and she threw it back at me. A friend like that is no friend at all." Rose had no idea. Fiona wasn't afraid of our friendship ending. She was terrified of the truth coming out. In my past life, I always wondered how Rose could remember such specific details about a lie. But listening to her now, and seeing Fiona's reaction, a bold idea began to form in my mind. The moment she said his name—Nathan—I was certain. Someone was a mistress in college. Someone had an abortion. But it wasn't me. It was her own precious daughter, Fiona. I'd seen Fiona get into Nathan's car near campus multiple times. I knew they'd been a thing for a while, but I never knew Nathan was married. And I remembered a time when Fiona was terribly weak and pale. When I asked what was wrong, she just said it was a bad period. I was naive back then. I didn't understand how menstrual cramps could cause that much pain. Seeing them about to escape the reception hall, I blocked Rose's path again. "You're not leaving. You have to be my witness." I insisted I had no memory of any of this, no memory of ever being involved with Nathan. Since she remembered it all so clearly, she could come with me to the police station and give a statement. If she refused, it was proof she was lying. Rose, however, thought I was just playing dumb, trying to bury the past. She stopped trying to leave and squared off with me. "It doesn't matter if you admit it, it's still true! And I'll tell you what, Nathan is having his engagement party in this very hotel, right now. I'll call him over. Let's see how you handle that." I lifted my chin. "Go on then. Get him over here. Let's confront him together!" Spurred on, Rose wrenched her arm from Fiona's grasp, pulled out her phone, and made the call. And it was true. Nathan really was in the hotel. A few minutes later, Nathan's mother arrived. The second she appeared, Rose grabbed her hand. "During your son's first marriage, did he or did he not get a college girl pregnant? Look, isn't this her?" I expected Nathan's mom to deny it, given the public setting. It wasn't exactly something to be proud of. But to my surprise, she said smugly, "That was years ago, who remembers the details? But yes, there was some little thing who was always chasing after my Nathan." Then she seemed to remember where she was and covered her mouth with a giggle. "Why did you call me over here to talk about this?" Rose shot me a triumphant smirk. "Did you hear that, Jane? Let's just leave it at that. It's your wedding day, so I'll do you a favor and not air all of your dirty laundry." With that, the two of them started chatting as if nothing was wrong, discussing Nathan's second fiancée, the daughter of his boss, and how well his career was going. I cut in. "This lady only said 'some little thing.' How do you know that was me?" The entire hall was craning their necks, trying to catch every word. The wedding planner came over and whispered urgently that the ceremony was about to start. My parents, mortified, tried to pull me away. "Jane, what do you think you're doing? Can't this wait until after the wedding?" I shook my head like a metronome. "No. I want this settled now. Before my reputation is completely destroyed." My dad's voice was tight with anger. "She already gave you an out, didn't you hear her? Drop it! Do you even want to get married or not?" I looked over at my future husband and mother-in-law. Their faces were as black as thunderclouds. The disgust in their eyes was overflowing. "This is the wonderful daughter-in-law you picked out for me," my mother-in-law sneered at Ethan. "I told you from the start she was a little fox, but you wouldn't listen." Ethan strode over, his voice sharp with displeasure. "Jane, is any of this true? Because if it is, I don't think we can go through with this wedding." His mother added from behind him, "How utterly shameless. To make such a huge scene to cover up your own filthy past." Their words were like daggers. My parents cared only about their own reputation, about getting the wedding over with. My fiancé thought I was embarrassing him. But he and I had met freshman year. We were inseparable for years. He, more than anyone, knew whether or not I'd been pregnant. And yet, in the end, he believed them too.
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