Chapter 6: Family Dinner Disaster

Before dinner, I had to greet my in-laws.

The living room was crowded with cousins, the TV playing reruns in the background. Emily’s dad was seated in his favorite recliner, beer in hand. I straightened my tie, rehearsed my lines one more time, and stepped forward.

Just as I picked up the coffee mug and called out “Dad,” Jake squeezed through the crowd.

He wedged himself between two uncles, holding a root beer bottle like it was a trophy.

“Hey, too quiet in here!”

He raised his drink, drawing a round of laughs from the kids nearby. My smile faltered.

Emily glared at him, signaling him to behave.

She shot him the kind of look that said, ‘don’t you dare ruin this for me.’ Jake just grinned, leaning against the arm of the couch.

I respectfully called again, “Dad!”

“Hey!” Jake echoed loudly.

A couple relatives quickly covered Jake’s mouth, giving him a friendly slap on the back.

Jake struggled, laughing, as the older cousins tried to hush him. The room buzzed with nervous energy.

My father-in-law and mother-in-law hurried to comfort me.

“Ryan, he’s just Emily’s childhood friend, always a goofball. Don’t mind him, please continue.”

“Jake, if you keep this up, get out! Emily’s getting married and you’re not helping, just making trouble!”

Jake stuck out his tongue.

He waggled it at the nearest aunt, who swatted at him with a napkin, but he just laughed it off.

“How did I not help? I even helped Emily test the bed, but Ryan didn’t give me a gift card!”

“Jake!”

Emily stormed over and slapped him across the face.

Her hand shook as she dropped it to her side, eyes wide, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just done. The sound echoed, cutting through the chatter. Everyone froze, drinks midair.

“Shut up! Say one more word and get out!”

The whole room fell silent, stunned by the sudden slap.

You could’ve heard a pin drop. Even the dog in the kitchen stopped barking.

Honestly, I was shocked too. Jake was shameless and childish, but I hadn’t expected Emily to hit him—especially at her own wedding dinner.

Jake covered his cheek, looking wounded.

He stumbled back, jaw slack, eyes wide in disbelief. The redness bloomed on his skin, and for once, he didn’t have a snappy comeback.

“Em, you hit me?”

Emily suddenly seemed uneasy, her voice dropping and stammering a bit.

Her hand trembled as she lowered it. "Who told you… to keep making trouble? Can’t you let me have a smooth wedding?"

Jake glanced at me coldly, nodding with deep resentment.

He looked at me, eyes hard and narrow, like we were about to square off in a high school parking lot.

“Fine, it’s my fault.”

No matter how much Emily insisted they were just childhood friends, I couldn’t believe it anymore. When Jake looked at me, his eyes were full of jealousy, hatred—even hostility.

I felt a chill run down my spine—something about the way he glared at me, like he’d been waiting for a chance to hurt me.

After Emily finished scolding Jake and turned away, I met her gaze. She avoided my eyes. My heart skipped a beat.

No, there’s definitely something off about their relationship.

I tucked that suspicion away, but it gnawed at me with every word they exchanged.