I sat in front of the mirror, my fingers brushing against the lace of my bridal gown, tracing the exquisite floral designs sewn into the fabric.
Today was the day.
I was marrying Sam.
The love of my life.
A tear tickled the corner of my eye, and I chuckled at myself, wiping it away before it fell.
“Careful,” my maid of honor, Lauren, teased from the doorway, holding out a flute of champagne. “We spent way too long on your makeup for you to ruin it now.”
“I just…” My voice wavered. “I can’t believe this is real.”
And in just thirty minutes, I’d be heading down the aisle toward the man I’d loved for what seemed like an eternity.
I stood at the altar, my pulse hammering, my fingers curled around my bouquet, and locked eyes with Sam, my five-year fiancé.
Then the door creaked open.
A woman walked in.
She looked amazing. She had long, dark hair cascading over one shoulder and lips painted a vivid, vibrant red.
But it wasn’t her attractiveness that gave me a cold.
It was how she looked at Sam.
“Aren’t you going to tell them?” she asked, her voice smooth and confident.
“Tell us what?” I swallowed.
“That you’re already married, Sam,” she said.
I glanced at Sam, expecting him to chuckle, shake his head, or just do anything… anything!
But he did not.
Instead, he moved forward.
And then, right in the middle of our wedding, he walked to her.
God help me, he wrapped his arms around her.
Sam moved his lips, whispering something into her ear. Something only she could hear.
She gave a gentle laugh.
“I…” He exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down his face. “Hazel, I need to explain this.”
I turned to her, my voice trembling.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Anna,” she said simply.
She was his childhood best buddy. Someone he had been close to for many years. But he never discussed marriage.
“Sam,” I said, forcing the words to come out. “Tell me the truth. Right now. In front of all our family and friends.”
“When we were kids, we had a pretend wedding,” he admitted. “Candy ring pops, a few scribbled vows, and Anna trying to play a song on her ukulele. We thought it was the real deal at the time. We were twelve.”
“But Anna is my best friend, that’s all.”
“Then why did you hold her like that? Why did she just walk in here and say that?”
“A few years ago,” he said, “Anna was in a terrible car accident.”
“The doctors said that she might never walk again.”
“Anna spent years in rehab, fighting to get her life back,” Sam continued. “I invited her to the wedding because how could I not have her here? But she told me that she wouldn’t be able to come.”
“I wanted to walk through those doors by myself,” Anna said just as softly.
“I’ve been practicing with heels for a long time now. I’ve literally been teaching myself how to walk in them for your day.”
“I’m so sorry for the drama, Hazel,” she said, her voice laced with something between guilt and amusement. “Sam and I have always pranked each other, and I thought… why not one last time?”
Tears flowed from the back of my eyes. I couldn’t believe it. This woman clawed her way back up, determined to regain her foothold.
I smiled at Sam.
“And I am so happy for you both. Truly,” Anna said.
The room was still. Then there was laughter.
The tension in the room subsided, and the vibe shifted as the visitors murmured and chuckled gently.
My wedding had been a dream.
The love. The joy. The warmth of it all.
Sister Wives star Janelle Brown’s son Bad News
Garrison Brown, whose family is at the center of the long-running TLC reality series Sister Wives, was found dead at 25.
His mother, Janelle Brown, and his estranged father, Kody Brown, posted similar messages on their social media.
“Kody and I are deeply saddened to announce the loss of our beautiful boy Robert Garrison Brown,” the statement by Janelle read.
“He was a bright spot in the lives of all who knew him. His loss will leave such a big hole in our lives that it takes our breath away.”
It went on: “We ask that you please respect our privacy and join us in honoring his memory.”
Flagstaff Police said that Garrison died “as a result of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” as reported by Variety.
His deceased body was discovered by his brother Gabriel, 22, after Janelle asked her children if anyone could check on Garrison since he stopped responding to her messages. Prior to his suicide, Garrison was sending “troubling” messages to some of his friends.
According to TMZ, Janelle revealed to the police that “Garrison had texted a group of people that the Brown family works with [presumably from their show].”
In one of the messages, he allegedly stated: “I want to hate you for sharing the good times. But I can’t. I miss these days.”
When Janelle got a word about these messages, she texted Garrison directly. The two had a brief conversation but he then stopped responding.
Those who knew Garrison could witness his troubles. Some of his friends even spoke of him as of not a happy man.
According to TMZ, his roommates heard a pop on Monday night but they had no idea it could be a gunshot. They, however, didn’t check on him.
They said they were aware he was having troubles with alcohol abuse as well as problems with his ex-girlfriend. He was said to be battling depression, too.
Garrison was part of the show Sister Wives, which features the lives of his father and his four wives and many children, from the start. At the time the show first aired in 2010, he was just 12 years old.
His parents were together for thirty years, with Janelle becoming Kody’s second wife, but they split in 2022. They had six children together.
Last year, Kody opened up about his recently estranged relationship with his eldest son.
“I haven’t been in touch with Gabriel and Garrison for quite a while,” he shared at the time.
“I’m pretty sad that I’m not close [to them] anymore. There was just so many things in our lives that we did that were rich together, you know, just special experiences.”
He went on: “I think and hope that in time we’ll just get over this and that we’ll be safe being back around each other.
“Right now, there’s not really an open door with Gabe and Garrison. They’re they’re not willing to engage me.”
We are so very sorry for this loss.
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