Do you believe in “The One?” I wasn’t sure I did, but then, my wedding turned into a telenovela. Let me give you some background on the rollercoaster of emotions, a tale of love, betrayal, and unexpected twists that changed my life.

It all started with what seemed like a classic story. I met Maria years ago while we were on a cruise with friends. We hit it off immediately, and I knew I wanted to be with her forever. After five incredible years together, I wanted to propose to Maria.

Little did I know that the storm of deception was about to hit like a tidal wave.

Enter Lucy, Maria’s “best friend.” I also met her on the cruise, and she seemed great. But the secret to it all was that Lucy had a secret of her own — an unrequited love for me. Lucy couldn’t bear the thought of me proposing to Maria, so she hatched a devious plan to break us apart.

And despite everything, it worked.

Lucy took it upon herself to manipulate the situation by telling Maria and me that the other had fallen for someone new — spinning a web of lies that left us both confused and hurt.

Instead of talking it out like adults, we went our separate ways with contempt spurring us on. Maria soon followed suit and left our hometown, moving to her sister’s house a few hours away.

I didn’t realize that Maria’s absence would hurt me so much. But in the aftermath, Lucy was there to help me pick up the pieces.

While Maria had moved away, Lucy remained exactly where we were. So, we began spending a lot of time together. I was grieving the breakup, and Lucy was missing her friend. Naturally, it brought us together.

Admittedly, at this point, I didn’t know about the deceit and the role she played in our breakup. So, I found solace in Lucy’s company, and we decided to tie the knot after a few months.

Little did I know this was just the beginning of the twisted journey fate had in store for all of us.

Leading up to the wedding, I began to have cold feet. There was a part of me that loved Lucy, but the love I had for Maria was still deep in my heart.

Unfortunately, Lucy noticed all of this. She even caught me looking through Maria’s social media one night when she was getting into bed. I ached for the love that once took over my life.

“Jake,” Lucy said to me. “I need you to try harder. If not, how will we get married?”

“I know,” I said. “I will.”

I knew that I couldn’t hurt Lucy. She helped me the most when I needed it, and I couldn’t break her heart. But, despite my efforts to move on, the ghost of Maria lingered in the corners of my mind.

After that, we threw ourselves into wedding preparations. I involved myself in every decision, from colors to food to the band. I wanted to try harder because Lucy deserved more.

Then came the unexpected turn.

Lucy seemed to have a change of heart.

“I love you, you know that, right?” Lucy said a few days before our wedding when we were taking a walk.

But I didn’t think anything of it.

Then came the wedding.

Determined to make things right, Lucy embarked on a mission to find Maria. And she found her. Lucy invited Maria to the wedding, saying she needed her best friend to be there when she walked down the aisle.

Lucy did not reveal that I was the groom.

Then, on the day, I later found out, Lucy told Maria how she lied that I found someone else.

“Jake still loves you. It was all my fault. There was no other woman. It was always you.”

Then, Lucy told Maria that I was the groom but that she couldn’t go ahead with the wedding, knowing that I didn’t love her the same way.

She told Maria that she couldn’t live with herself and that she only tried to find her happily ever after.

Anyway, while all this was happening, I was preparing for the ceremony on the other side of the venue. Then, about thirty minutes later, I stood there waiting at the altar, my heart pounding.

This was it.

Then, the music changed, a wedding march waltzing through the air. Everyone stood up, waiting for the bride to walk down the aisle toward me.

And there comes Maria, wearing a beautiful wedding dress. The love I thought I lost forever had returned, turning my entire world upside down.

It’s been a few weeks since the would-be wedding, and Maria and I are back together. We’re trying to make up for lost time and determine if we will truly walk down the aisle, this time planned and official.

Has anything as crazy happened to you?

Here’s another story: Michael and Mary are staying in a Los Angeles hotel while Mary is in town for a business trip, but Michael has a secret. Unbeknownst to Mary, he’s been having an affair with a maid working at the hotel. What will happen when Mary returns to the room unexpectedly while his lover is there?