Instead, Ed grinned at me with this mischievous look I should have recognized as trouble.
“Ready, babe?” he asked, his hand covering mine on the knife.
“Ready,” I said, smiling up at him.
We made the cut together, and I was reaching for the server when Ed suddenly grabbed the back of my head and shoved my entire face straight into the cake.
The crowd gasped.
I heard my mom’s sharp intake of breath, someone’s nervous giggle, and the scrape of chairs as people shifted uncomfortably.
And just like that, my beautiful veil was ruined.
Buttercream frosting covered my face, my hair, and the bodice of my dress. My carefully applied makeup was completely destroyed. I couldn’t see anything through the thick layer of cake and frosting.
I stood there feeling completely humiliated. A lump formed in my throat, and I felt like I might burst into tears right there in front of everyone.
The shame was overwhelming. This was supposed to be our moment, our perfect day, and Ed had turned it into a joke.
What’s worse was that Ed was laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world.
He reached over and swiped a glob of frosting from my cheek, then licked his finger.
“Mmm,” he said loudly enough for everyone to hear. “Sweet.”
That’s when I saw movement in my peripheral vision.
Ryan had suddenly pushed back his chair and stood up, his jaw tight with anger. His face was darker than I’d ever seen it.
What he did next, no one in that room could have predicted.
Ryan strode across the dance floor in just a few quick steps. Before Ed could even react, my brother grabbed him by the back of the head and shoved his face straight down into what was left of the wedding cake.
But Ryan didn’t stop there. He pressed Ed’s face deep into the cake, grinding it in until every inch of Ed’s face, hair, and expensive tuxedo was covered in buttercream and crumbs.
I stood frozen, utterly shocked by what I was seeing.
