Stories
I Saw a Girl Dropping Letters in a Rusted Mailbox – the Truth Left Me Stunned
March 10, 2025
When my brother's cold-shouldered fiancée suddenly treated me like her BFF after he proposed, I knew something was up. I turned down her maid-of-honor request — but then vendors started calling to confirm wedding plans. She'd used my name behind my back… and that was just the beginning.
I'm not a professional planner or anything, but somehow, everyone comes to me when they want an event that sparkles.
People celebrating together | Source: Pexels
Weddings, baby showers, anniversary dinners — I've done them all.
Just earlier this year, I planned my boyfriend's sister's wedding. Was I a bridesmaid? Sure. Was I also coordinating vendors and picking linens at two in the morning? Also yes.
But here's the thing about being the go-to person for celebrations: there's always that one person who doesn't appreciate what you bring to the table.
A dissatisfied woman | Source: Pexels
For me, that person was my brother's girlfriend, Sarah.
From the very beginning, Sarah gave me that sugar-coated poison smile. You know the one I'm talking about, right?
She'd make these snide comments like, "You really go all out for these little parties, huh?" Or my personal favorite, "Not everything needs to look like a Pinterest board."
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
She never said thank you for the holidays I hosted or the birthdays I threw. Just critiques disguised as compliments.
"The decorations were... interesting," she'd say, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "I probably would have gone simpler, but that's just me."
Every interaction left me feeling like I'd been dipped in honey and rolled in broken glass.
A woman sitting with her head in her hands | Source: Pexels
Then Liam proposed.
The moment that ring hit her finger, she flipped like a switch. I'm talking complete personality transplant.
Suddenly she was calling me every other day and tagging me in "maid of honor inspo" boards on Instagram like we were lifelong besties who'd been planning this moment since we were 12.
A woman looking doubtfully at her phone | Source: Pexels
"Oh my gosh, I saw this centerpiece idea and thought it was amazing!" she'd gush over the phone. "I'm sending you a screenshot."
It was weird and bewildering, but I assumed she was trying to build a better relationship since we were going to be family now.
A week into the love-bombing campaign, Sarah's true intentions slipped out.
A woman glancing at someone | Source: Midjourney
"I want you to be my maid of honor," she said during one of our suddenly frequent coffee dates. "And I was hoping you could help with the wedding planning too. You've got such good taste. You'd make everything look amazing."
I nearly choked on my latte.
A latte on a table | Source: Pexels
We weren't close. We barely tolerated each other at family dinners. But there she was, batting her eyelashes like we were best friends.
"Sarah, that's really sweet," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "But I'm booked solid for the first half of the year. I don't have the time to give your wedding or my maid-of-honor duties the attention they deserve. I'd be happy to be a regular bridesmaid instead."
Two people sitting across from each other at a coffee shop | Source: Pexels
Her sweet smile froze, then cracked around the edges.
"Well," she said, her voice tight, "you planned your cousin's wedding. And your boyfriend's sister's too."
"I know, but those were different circumstances. I really can't take on another planning project right now."
The mask slipped completely.
A woman glaring at someone in a coffee shop | Source: Midjourney
Her eyes went cold, calculating. "I see."
After that conversation, Sarah went radio silent. No more daily texts about wedding colors or venue options. No more Instagram tags or Pinterest boards.
I figured she'd moved on, maybe tapped one of her actual friends to fill the maid of honor role.
I was wrong.
A woman walking outdoors | Source: Pexels
Two weeks ago, I got a call from Marcus, one of the hotel coordinators I work with regularly.
"Hey! Just confirming your wedding details. Everything still looking good for the spring date?"
My heart stopped. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Your wedding? Sarah said you were planning it and had booked through us again. She mentioned you'd be in touch about the final headcount."
A woman speaking on her phone | Source: Pexels
"Marcus," I said slowly, "I'm not getting married. And I'm not planning Sarah's wedding."
Silence. Then confusion.
Then his voice, now cautious and concerned: "Well... that's odd. She specifically used your name when she called. Said she was working with you and asked for a 25 percent discount because of our past work together."
A woman frowning during a phone call | Source: Pexels
"Twenty-five percent discount?" I felt like I might faint.
That's when the pieces started clicking together in the worst possible way.
I started making calls.
Every vendor I'd ever worked with — the florist who did those gorgeous cascade arrangements, the photographer who captured my cousin's perfect sunset shots, the bakery that makes those incredible red velvet cakes.
A bakery display | Source: Pexels
Sarah had called them all, used my name to ask for discounts, and even told them I'd be in touch to finalize the details.
Some places even had me listed as the official planner!
I didn't even bother with hello when I called her.
A tense woman making a phone call | Source: Pexels
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Oh, hi." Her voice was casual, unbothered. "What's wrong?"
"You know exactly what's wrong. You've been using my name with vendors. Claiming discounts. Making appointments. Without my permission."
She laughed. "It's not a big deal. You weren't going to help anyway, so it's the least you could do."
A woman speaking on her cell phone | Source: Pexels
"The least I could do? Sarah, you lied to these people. You used my reputation—"
"Your reputation will be fine. It's just a few phone calls."
She honestly didn't see the issue.
This woman had impersonated me, had used my professional relationships for her gain, and she thought it was no big deal.
A woman with her head in her hands | Source: Pexels
"You cannot use my name without permission," I said, trying to keep my voice level. "Especially not to scam discounts and make people think I'm involved in your wedding when I explicitly told you I couldn't help."
"Scam?" Her voice went sharp. "That's a little dramatic, don't you think?"
We argued for 20 minutes.
A woman holding her cell phone | Source: Pexels
Back and forth, her acting like I was overreacting and me trying to explain why identity theft (because that's what this was) wasn't acceptable.
Finally, I called her what she was.
"You're acting like an entitled bridezilla, Sarah!"
A frustrated woman yelling at someone | Source: Pexels
She hung up on me.
Ten minutes later, my brother Liam called.
"You need to drop this," he said without preamble. "Sarah's upset, and you're making this way bigger than it needs to be."
"Liam, she used my name without permission. She lied to vendors—"
A woman standing with her arms crossed | Source: Pexels
"The vendors will figure it out. You're overreacting."
"I'm overreacting? She impersonated me!"
"She's stressed about the wedding. Just let it go."
That's when I decided there was no way I was going to drop this.
An angry woman | Source: Pexels
This wasn't about being petty or holding grudges. This was about respect, boundaries, and the fact that Sarah was dragging my reputation through the mud.
A week later came the final slap in the face.
I found out through my mom (Sarah couldn't even tell me to my face) that I'd been uninvited from the wedding.
A woman glancing to one side in a coffee shop | Source: Pexels
Not just demoted from the bridal party. Completely cut from the guest list.
"She doesn't want any negativity on her big day," Mom said carefully, like she was defusing a bomb. "Maybe it's for the best. Let things cool down."
Negativity. Right. Because standing up for yourself when someone steals your identity is negativity.
An angry woman glaring | Source: Pexels
All I'd done up to that point was politely let the vendors know I wasn't planning Sarah's wedding. I even told them it was a "misunderstanding."
But now, I was out for vengeance!
I contacted every vendor she'd reached out to, plus a few more I knew she hadn't yet. This time, I explained everything — the impersonation, the lies, the complete disrespect for professional boundaries.
An annoyed woman | Source: Pexels
Here's the thing about building relationships in any industry: reputation matters.
I'd been working with these people for years. Always paid on time, always referred new business their way, and always treated them with respect.
They all agreed to blacklist Sarah.
A florist speaking on a phone | Source: Pexels
One by one, every vendor she'd tried to book through my connections shut her out.
Her dream wedding crumbled.
Her Plan B wedding is being held at a chain hotel in the suburbs. No five-tier cake with hand-piped roses — just a thawed-out sheet cake from the grocery store freezer section.
No professional photographer capturing those perfect golden hour shots — just Uncle Bob with his iPhone.
Close up of a cell phone camera | Source: Pexels
The family group chat has been on fire ever since. Half of them think I went too far. The other half thinks Sarah got exactly what she deserved.
Liam's barely speaking to me. Mom keeps trying to play peacemaker.
But me? I'm completely unbothered.
A smiling woman | Source: Pexels
I sit here sipping my coffee, scrolling through the Instagram posts from Sarah's wedding. The generic hotel ballroom with its dated wallpaper and harsh fluorescent lighting. The wilted grocery store flowers. The cake that looks like it came from a gas station.
And I smile.
Close up of a woman smiling | Source: Pexels
Because here's what I learned: when you treat people like stepping stones, don't be surprised when they stop letting you walk all over them.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.
Here's another story: When my sister told me she wanted to announce her pregnancy at my wedding because "it will be fun," I firmly told her not to. She did it anyway. I didn't confront her, instead, I waited for her gender reveal to give her a taste of her own medicine.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided "as is," and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.