Chapter 2 - What Was Underneath
The zipper caught halfway.
For one horrible second, nothing moved.
My mother saw it and came forward.
“Enough,” she whispered through a smile meant for the guests. “You’ve made your point.”
She reached for my elbow.
I stepped back.
“Nora.”
My maid of honor was already moving.
She handed her bouquet to the nearest guest and came up beside me.
“Hold still,” she murmured.
Her fingers found the snag: a fold of lining caught in the teeth.
Brooke stood.
“Nora, don’t help her do this.”
Nora didn’t even look up.
“Then stop making it necessary.”
The zipper released.
Nora eased the puffed sleeves from my shoulders while I held the ivory satin underneath in place.
The pink bodice loosened.
The enormous skirt dropped around my feet.
A sound moved through the ballroom. Not applause. Not yet.
A collective breath.
I stepped out of the dress my mother had chosen.
Underneath was the one I had designed.
Simple ivory satin. Bare shoulders. A waist that fit. A skirt that moved when I moved.
Ethan looked down at me.
“There you are,” he whispered.
My throat closed.
My mother stared at the pink fabric on the floor.
“Pick that up,” she said.
Nobody moved.
“Olivia.”
I turned toward Nora.
“Show the first one.”
The screen behind us changed.
Our engagement photograph disappeared.
An email filled the space.
CANCEL OLIVIA’S CUSTOM GOWN IMMEDIATELY.
My mother’s name appeared beside the message.
Then her words.
Too plain.
Too modern.
Not right for the family image.
A chair scraped.
Someone in the back whispered, “Oh, my God.”
My mother faced the room.
“That correspondence has been taken out of context.”
“Then give them the context,” I said.
“Not here.”
“You picked here.”
Brooke started down the aisle.
“Turn it off. This is humiliating.”
I looked at her.
“Yes.”
She stopped.
For years, that word had belonged to them. My clothes were humiliating. My choices were humiliating. My refusal to smile at the right moment was humiliating.
Now Brooke heard it from the other side.
“Show the reply,” I said.
Her face emptied.
The next screenshot appeared.
“Replace it on the wedding morning. She’ll be too embarrassed to argue in front of everyone.”
Below it was Brooke’s name.
Ethan let go of my hand.
May you like
For one terrible heartbeat, I thought he was walking away.
Instead, he stepped between me and my mother.
