During the wedding in the church, my groom, as a joke, held up a sign behind his back that said “Save me”: I was deeply hurt and decided to teach him a lesson

The ceremony was proceeding as usual. Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, the priest recited prayers, and the guests watched our every move with bated breath. Everything seemed perfect. I turned to my groom and spoke the words I had carried in my heart for so long:
— You are the most important person to me, the one I love the most, and I know you will never betray me.
And suddenly… the hall burst out laughing. People laughed as if we were at a comedy show, not at a sacred ceremony. I froze, confused, not understanding what was happening. “Why are they laughing? What’s so funny about my words?” — I thought, bewildered.
I tried to ignore it, but at one point I couldn’t take it anymore and looked toward the guests. Everyone’s eyes were on my groom.
I also looked at him — and what I saw made my blood run cold. Behind his back, clearly visible to everyone, he held a large sign with the words: “SAVE ME.”

In that moment, the world seemed to stop. The laughter of the guests, the priest’s shocked expression — everything blurred together, while inside me pain and anger rose up. “Everyone must think I’m forcing him to marry me,” I thought bitterly.
And then I did something I have never regretted.Calmly, without a single word, I stepped closer, snatched the sign from his hands, and slowly, demonstratively, tore it into tiny pieces. The sound of the paper ripping in the silence of the church was louder than any words. The groom froze, and the guests immediately stopped laughing.
— Are you mocking me? — I asked coldly, staring straight into his eyes.
— It was just a joke… — he mumbled awkwardly.
— A joke? At our wedding, in the church? What’s so funny about that?
I turned to the priest:

— I’m sorry, but there will be no wedding.
A whisper ran through the hall, someone gasped, others lowered their eyes.
Then I looked back at my “groom” and, summoning all my dignity, said:
— Well, I saved you. You’re free.
I turned around and slowly walked down the aisle toward the exit. My veil brushed lightly against the pews, while behind me rose a murmur of shocked voices. Some tried to stand up and say something, but I walked on steadily, without stopping.
He wanted a spectacle — and he got one. Just not the one he expected.