{"id":11362,"date":"2026-10-05T01:15:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T01:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsamazingday.store\/?p=11362"},"modified":"2026-10-05T01:15:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T01:15:10","slug":"i-asked-a-coworker-to-pretend-to-be-my-boyfriend-at-my-ex-husbands-wedding-but-he-teased-me-and-said-no-one-would-date-you-so-my-fake-date-wiped-the-s-11352-9-pbus6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsamazingday.store\/?p=11362","title":{"rendered":"I Asked a Coworker to Pretend to Be My Boyfriend at My Ex-Husband\u2019s Wedding, but He Teased Me and Said, \u2018No One Would Date You\u2019 \u2013 So My Fake Date Wiped the Smile off His Face"},"content":{"rendered":"

My ex-husband\u2019s wedding invitation arrived by text.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

\u201cCome to my wedding with Claire and bring the girls. Your invitation includes a +1, but we both know you don\u2019t have anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was very Max.<\/p>\n

We had been married for almost thirteen years and had two daughters, ten and three, when he decided I no longer looked the way he wanted.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t look like you used to,\u201d he told me.<\/p>\n

Then I discovered Claire.<\/p>\n

His personal trainer.<\/p>\n

When I confronted him about the affair, Max didn\u2019t apologize.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you expect? Men are visual. Claire is perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stood in our bedroom while he packed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou cheated because I gained weight?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou used to have a slim waist, Ronnie. When was the last time you even looked at yourself in the mirror?\u201d<\/p>\n

After that, I looked constantly.<\/p>\n

At my stomach.<\/p>\n

My arms.<\/p>\n

My reflection from the side.<\/p>\n

I changed clothes because I could still hear Max telling me what I should hide.<\/p>\n

Then he announced he was marrying Claire.<\/p>\n

I could have skipped the wedding, but our daughters were going, and my oldest kept asking whether I would be there.<\/p>\n

So I said yes.<\/p>\n

Then I looked at the +1.<\/p>\n

I wanted Max to see that I was fine.<\/p>\n

More than fine.<\/p>\n

That was how I ended up standing beside my coworker Edward\u2019s desk on Monday morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need a favor.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome to my ex-husband\u2019s wedding with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs emotional support?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs my boyfriend.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stared.<\/p>\n

\u201cPretend boyfriend,\u201d I added.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh. Much healthier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward had become one of my closest friends during the divorce. He listened without trying to fix everything, brought me coffee when the divorce became final, and once helped me rewrite an angry message to Max before I sent something I would regret.<\/p>\n

He was also tall, athletic, and annoyingly handsome.<\/p>\n

Exactly the kind of man Max would notice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy me?\u201d Edward asked.<\/p>\n

I tried to joke.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you\u2019re ridiculously presentable.\u201d<\/p>\n

He kept watching me.<\/p>\n

\u201cVeronica.\u201d<\/p>\n

I sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want Max to see me with you and wonder if leaving me was a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward leaned back.<\/p>\n

For some reason, that answer seemed to bother him.<\/p>\n

Then he nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n

I should have wondered why he agreed so easily.<\/p>\n

Instead, I spent the week worrying about my dress.<\/p>\n

Max had trained me well.<\/p>\n

I rejected dress after dress because I could hear his old comments about my waist and arms.<\/p>\n

Eventually, I chose the one I had liked before imagining what he would think.<\/p>\n

Edward picked me up on Saturday.<\/p>\n

There was a large cardboard box in the back of his car.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDonation stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t ask again.<\/p>\n

The wedding was enormous.<\/p>\n

Flowers everywhere.<\/p>\n

White tablecloths.<\/p>\n

Champagne.<\/p>\n

More chandeliers than any room needed.<\/p>\n

Our daughters were thrilled.<\/p>\n

Then Max saw us.<\/p>\n

His eyes moved from me to Edward and back again.<\/p>\n

For one satisfying second, he had nothing to say.<\/p>\n

Claire stood beside him in a fitted white gown.<\/p>\n

She looked beautiful.<\/p>\n

I hated that noticing still hurt.<\/p>\n

Max approached.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo this is your plus-one?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMax, this is Edward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward offered his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongratulations.\u201d<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Max looked him up and down.<\/p>\n

Then he laughed.<\/p>\n

Not politely.<\/p>\n

Actually laughed.<\/p>\n

Several nearby guests turned toward us.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s funny?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHim?\u201d<\/p>\n

Max looked around as though everyone should understand the joke.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour boyfriend?\u201d<\/p>\n

Claire touched his arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cMax.\u201d<\/p>\n

He ignored her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe it. No one would date you. Especially someone like him.\u201d<\/p>\n

My face burned.<\/p>\n

Then he gave me the same grin he always used when he wanted cruelty to sound like humor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you do, pay him to come?\u201d<\/p>\n

For half a second, I was back in our bedroom watching him pack.<\/p>\n

I wanted to disappear.<\/p>\n

Edward didn\u2019t raise his voice.<\/p>\n

Instead, he smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, Max, I brought you a wedding gift.\u201d<\/p>\n

Max looked surprised.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward turned to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive me five minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he walked outside.<\/p>\n

Max watched him leave and smirked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Five minutes later, Edward returned carrying the cardboard box from his car.<\/p>\n

He set it on an empty table.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the groom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Max laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOpen it.\u201d<\/p>\n

By then, several guests were watching.<\/p>\n

Max opened the box.<\/p>\n

His smile disappeared.<\/p>\n

Inside was an enormous pair of trousers.<\/p>\n

He pulled them out.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMine,\u201d Edward said.<\/p>\n

Max looked between Edward and the trousers.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wore these?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward took them back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to be much heavier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Max frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward looked at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cVeronica knows part of this story.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout three years ago, before we became friends, someone brought birthday cake into the office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then I remembered.<\/p>\n

Edward had been standing near the break room.<\/p>\n

Someone offered him cake.<\/p>\n

He refused.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who look like me don\u2019t need cake.\u201d<\/p>\n

I had been having a terrible week with Max.<\/p>\n

Without thinking, I replied,<\/p>\n

\u201cFunny. My husband talks about me like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward\u2019s smile disappeared.<\/p>\n

Then I told him,<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate hearing it from him. I don\u2019t like hearing it from you either.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, I took my cake and walked away.<\/p>\n

I had almost forgotten the conversation.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Edward hadn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat stayed with me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Max looked impatient.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat exactly is the point?\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward folded the trousers over one arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point is Veronica never told me what I should weigh. She never told me I would be more valuable if my body changed. She just made me realize I had started speaking to myself the same way someone else was speaking to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

People were listening now.<\/p>\n

Edward continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stopped postponing my life until I looked acceptable. Later, I changed some habits, and my body changed too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Max smirked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo Veronica inspired you to get in shape. Great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward answered immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is exactly what you still don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Max\u2019s smile faded.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe didn\u2019t fix me. There was nothing wrong with me that needed fixing before I deserved to enjoy my own life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Claire glanced at Max.<\/p>\n

Then at me.<\/p>\n

Max gave an uncomfortable laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does any of that have to do with me?\u201d<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Edward handed him the trousers.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you looked at me tonight and decided my appearance proved something about Veronica.\u201d<\/p>\n

Max shrugged.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward held his gaze.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why are you still trying so hard to prove it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Max stopped smiling.<\/p>\n

A few minutes later, Edward asked me to step into the hallway.<\/p>\n

His expression had changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cVeronica, Max was wrong about you. But there\u2019s something I should have said before we came.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou asked me because you thought showing up with a man who looks like me would prove something to Max.\u201d<\/p>\n

My face warmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI agreed because I hoped you would realize it wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could have told me that before the wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead, you let me pretend you were my boyfriend so you could teach me a lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n

No excuse.<\/p>\n

No argument.<\/p>\n

Just that.<\/p>\n

I walked farther down the hallway because I refused to cry where Max could see me.<\/p>\n

Edward followed but kept his distance.<\/p>\n

Then I heard a small voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n

My oldest daughter stood nearby.<\/p>\n

I quickly wiped beneath one eye.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked toward the reception.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did Dad say nobody would date you?\u201d<\/p>\n

I crouched beside her.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was being unkind.\u201d<\/p>\n

She thought for a moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cEdward isn\u2019t really your boyfriend?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why did you say he was?\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment, lying would have been easier.<\/p>\n

Instead, I told her the truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I wanted your dad to think somebody wanted me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we wanted you here.\u201d<\/p>\n

I had no answer.<\/p>\n

She hugged me.<\/p>\n

That one sentence did more for me than anything Edward or Max had said all evening.<\/p>\n

After she ran back to the reception, Edward was still waiting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still angry with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then Max appeared.<\/p>\n

His confidence had returned, but it looked more fragile now.<\/p>\n

I stared at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re marrying Claire. You got what you wanted. Why do you still need me to be undesirable?\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n

Claire had followed him into the hallway.<\/p>\n

Max glanced at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s twisting this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Claire looked at me, then at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou told me she stopped trying.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Claire\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat isn\u2019t what I just heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first time since Max had packed those suitcases, I wasn\u2019t waiting for him to explain what his opinion meant about me.<\/p>\n

Back inside, Edward began putting the old trousers into the box.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing with them?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking them to the donation center.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n

He raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still mad at you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou owe me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStart by getting those pants out of my ex-husband\u2019s wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n

He picked up the box.<\/p>\n

\u201cBest fake date you\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly fake date I\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill undefeated.\u201d<\/p>\n

I laughed despite myself.<\/p>\n

Soon afterward, I gathered the girls.<\/p>\n

As we reached the exit, Max called my name.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what happens with you and Edward?\u201d<\/p>\n

I turned.<\/p>\n

Even now, he needed to know.<\/p>\n

If Edward wanted me, Max could measure my value with that.<\/p>\n

If he didn\u2019t, Max could measure that too.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really need the answer, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

He opened his mouth.<\/p>\n

I walked away.<\/p>\n

Outside, my older daughter paused beside the car and smoothed her dress.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes this make me look weird?\u201d<\/p>\n

The question sounded casual.<\/p>\n

That made it hurt more.<\/p>\n

I could have immediately told her she looked beautiful.<\/p>\n

Instead, I asked,<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you like the dress?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked down, then spun once and watched the skirt move around her knees.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen that\u2019s the answer that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled and climbed into the car.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Her little sister followed, leaving frosting on the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look sticky.\u201d<\/p>\n

I laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou definitely do.\u201d<\/p>\n

After buckling her in, I walked around to the driver\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

My reflection appeared in the dark car window.<\/p>\n

For a moment, Max\u2019s old question returned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen was the last time you even looked at yourself in the mirror?\u201d<\/p>\n

So I looked.<\/p>\n

But this time, I didn\u2019t inspect my waist.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t turn sideways.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t wonder what Max would criticize.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t wonder whether Edward would approve.<\/p>\n

I simply looked at myself.<\/p>\n

Then my three-year-old yelled from inside the car,<\/p>\n

\u201cMom! Go!\u201d<\/p>\n

I smiled, opened the door, and got in.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My ex-husband\u2019s wedding invitation arrived by text. \u201cCome to my wedding with Claire and bring the girls. Your invitation includes a +1,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3666,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsamazingday.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsamazingday.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsamazingday.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsamazingday.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsamazingday.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsamazingday.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsamazingday.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsamazingday.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsamazingday.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsamazingday.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}