She came from old money the kind of family that had been rich for generations. She was exactly the type of woman Richard had said he needed. Someone who fit his world.
Margaret felt sick to her stomach. She ran to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. When she looked up at the mirror she saw a woman who looked tired and scared.
Her eyes were red. Her face was puffy from months of stress and crying. Her hair which she used to style carefully, was pulled back in a simple ponytail.
He’s getting married, she said to her reflection. And he wants me to sing at his wedding. But wait.
Did Richard even know she had been hired? Maybe this was all a terrible coincidence. Maybe Patricia the event planner had found Margaret’s name somewhere and hired her without knowing the connection. Or maybe, maybe Richard knew exactly what he was doing.
Margaret’s phone buzzed. It was a text message from an unknown number. Hello Margaret.
This is Patricia Monroe. Just wanted to confirm, you received the contract details yes? Mr. Cole specifically requested a female vocalist with raw, emotional talent. Your demo recording was perfect for what he wanted.
Please confirm your acceptance by tomorrow morning. Looking forward to working with you. Margaret’s blood ran cold.
Raw emotional talent. Those were the exact words Richard used to use when he talked about her singing. He used to say, Margaret your voice has this raw, emotional quality that makes people feel things.
He knew. Richard knew she was being hired. This wasn’t a coincidence at all.
This was intentional. Margaret didn’t sleep that night. She lay in bed staring at the ceiling, her mind spinning with questions and pain.
Why would Richard do this? Was he trying to humiliate her? Did he want her to stand on that stage pregnant with his child, while he celebrated marrying someone else? Was this his way of showing everyone how far he had moved on while she had stayed behind, struggling and alone? The cruelty of it made her chest ache. By the time the sun came up, Margaret had made a decision. She would say no.
She would reject this job no matter how much she needed the money. She still had some dignity left. She wouldn’t give Richard the satisfaction of watching her perform at his wedding like some kind of hired entertainment while her heart broke all over again.
She picked up her phone to type a rejection email to Patricia. But then she looked around her apartment. At the overdue bills stacked on the small table.
At the empty space in the corner where a crib should be. At her nearly empty refrigerator. At the notice from her landlord warning that if she was late on rent one more time, she might be evicted.
Margaret’s hand moved to her belly, where her baby was growing. Her little one who didn’t ask to be born into poverty. Her child who deserved a mother who could provide food, shelter, safety.
Could she really afford to say no? Three thousand dollars wasn’t just money. It was survival. It was diapers and baby clothes and rent and food.
It was the difference between having a home and being homeless when her baby was born. Margaret sat down heavily on her couch, tears streaming down her face. She felt trapped.
Stuck between her dignity and her desperation. Between her pride and her baby’s needs. What kind of choice was this? That afternoon Vivian came over after her shift at the bookstore.
She took one look at Margaret’s tear-stained face and immediately sat down beside her. What happened? Vivian asked taking Margaret’s hand. Margaret told her everything.
About the job offer, the money, and the horrible truth that it was Richard’s wedding. When she finished, Vivian was quiet for a long moment. Then she said something Margaret didn’t expect.
You should do it. Margaret looked at her friend in shock. What? Vivian how can you say that? He abandoned me.
He threw me away like garbage. And now he wants me to sing at his wedding? It’s humiliation. Only if you let it be, Vivian said firmly.
She turned to face Margaret fully, her eyes serious and kind. Listen to me Margaret. Richard thinks he has power over you.
He thinks hiring you for his wedding will make you look small and him look big. He thinks you’ll stand up there feeling ashamed and broken while he looks like a king. Exactly.
Margaret said. That’s exactly why I can’t do it. But what if you flip the script? Vivian continued.
What if you take his trap and turn it into your triumph? You need that money desperately Margaret. Your baby needs that money. Why should you lose $3,000 just to protect Richard’s little game? Margaret wiped her eyes.
I don’t understand what you’re saying. Vivian squeezed her hand. I’m saying, go to that wedding.
Take that money. But don’t go there as Richard’s victim. Go there as Margaret Williams, a talented singer who is doing a professional job.
You’re not singing for him. You’re singing for yourself and for your baby. You’re singing because you’re a survivor.
But everyone will stare at me. They’ll whisper about me. They’ll know I’m the ex-girlfriend he threw away.
Let them whisper, Vivian said with fire in her voice. Let them stare. Because at the end of that night, you’ll walk out of there with $3,000 in your head held high.
And Richard? Richard will have to watch you stand on that stage strong and beautiful and unbroken. And he’ll realize that he didn’t destroy you. He’ll realize you’re better than he ever deserved.
Margaret looked at her friend, seeing the fierce love and loyalty in Vivian’s eyes. You really think I can do this? Margaret whispered. I know you can, Vivian said.
You’re one of the strongest people I know. You’ve survived heartbreak, poverty and carrying a baby all alone. Singing at a wedding? That’s nothing compared to what you’ve already survived.
That night, Margaret sat at her laptop and opened a reply email to Patricia Monroe. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long time. Finally she began to type.
Dear Patricia, Thank you for this opportunity. I accept the job. I will perform at the wedding on November 15 at the Grand Pearl Hotel.
Please send me the contract and song list. Sincerely, Margaret Williams. She hit send before she could change her mind.
It was done. In less than a month she would stand on a stage and sing at Richard Cole’s wedding. The thought terrified her.
But it also lit a small flame of something else deep inside her. Determination. If Richard thought he could humiliate her, he was wrong.
If he thought she would crumble under the weight of his cruelty, he didn’t know her at all. Margaret Williams would go to that wedding. She would sing.
And she would survive. But what Margaret didn’t know, what no one knew yet, was that this wedding would change everything. Not just for her but for Richard, for all his guests, and for everyone who would later watch the video that would spread across the internet like wildfire.
Because Margaret had a secret plan forming in her heart. A song. A truth.
And a reckoning that was coming. Three days after Margaret accepted the wedding job, something strange began to happen. Words started flowing through her mind.
Lyrics. Melodies. Lines of poetry that appeared in her thoughts while she washed dishes, while she walked to the grocery store, while she lay in bed at night….
