Sloan saw what was happening and started walking over, but I shook my head. I wanted to hear whatever final manipulation Nia had prepared. Partly out of curiosity, and partly because I knew this would be the last conversation we'd ever have.
"I made the biggest mistake of my life," she said. "I threw away the best thing I ever had because I was stupid and greedy, and I did not appreciate what I had until it was gone."
"Nia, it is my wedding day. What do you want?"
"I want you to know that I was lying when I said I was not in love with you. I was lying to myself, lying to everyone. I was in love with you. I just thought I could do better. I thought love was supposed to be more exciting."
That is when I realized something that probably sounds cruel, but felt like the most honest thing I had ever understood.
I did not care.
Not in a bitter way or an angry way. I just genuinely did not care about her regrets, or her realizations, or her feelings about our relationship. It was like listening to someone tell me about a movie I had seen years ago and barely remembered.
"I am sorry you are struggling," I said. "But this is not the time or place for this conversation."
"I know you are married now, but marriages end. People get divorced. If you ever realize you made a mistake..."
"I did not make a mistake," I said. "I married someone who wanted to marry me from the beginning. Not someone who had to shop around first to make sure I was the best available option."
That is when Sloan appeared beside me.
She did not say anything dramatic or territorial. She just put her hand on my back and smiled at Nia with the kind of confidence that comes from knowing you are genuinely wanted.
"Congratulations on your pregnancy," Sloan said. "I hope everything works out for you."
It was not mean or sarcastic. It was just final. Like closing a door gently, but firmly.
After security escorted Nia out, Sloan and I went back to celebrating with people who actually wanted to be there.
And that is when it hit me.
For the past 8 months, I had been so focused on not being someone's backup plan that I had missed the bigger picture. I had found someone who made me her first choice from day one.
Sloan never needed to explore other options to know she wanted to be with me. She never had to test the market to make sure I was good enough. She never made me feel like I was competing with some fantasy of what else might be out there.