Chapter 2

The room went awkward.

Isabel pursed her lips, one hand on her shoulder, already moving to pull the dress off herself.

She made a show of tugging the zipper down an inch or two, and Theodore stopped her.

"That dress looks great on you. Pearl couldn't pull it off like this."

"Just keep it on. Save her from embarrassing herself. Imagine her making a fool of herself up on that stage."

My nails dug hard into my palms. I took a slow, deep breath.

I still remembered trying on the wedding gown, Theodore sitting in the chair, telling me I looked beautiful.

But his mind had been somewhere else the whole time.

I'd assumed the endless wedding prep had just worn him out, and let it go.

Yet he could reach behind Isabel without a second thought and zip her up.

He'd even bought the wedding shoes in her size and put her in my gown.

The two of them had crossed the line long ago.

My eyes went red, tears welling at the rims.

Theodore pressed his lips together, silent for a moment, before he finally spoke.

"Come on, be good. I promised her when we were kids that if I couldn't marry her, I'd let her wear a wedding gown herself."

"She and I are like brothers, that's all. You can put your mind completely at ease."

"Why cling to something this small? I'm all yours. What does it matter whether she wears one dress or not?"

When he finished, Isabel came over too.

"Sis, you're overthinking it. He and I ran around bare-bottomed as kids. We're the kind of close where we could strip down for a bath and neither of us would bat an eye."

"If anything was going to happen, it would've happened already."

She planted a hand on her hip, raised an eyebrow, and draped her arm across Theodore's shoulder.

"My boy's getting married, so as his dad I'm wearing the gown to help him put on a good show. What's wrong with that?"

"I just don't like hanging around you weepy girls. Such a buzzkill."

She curled her lip as she said it.

Theodore turned quickly to soothe her.

"Pearl, don't lose sight of who actually means well to you. Don't ruin the mood for everyone over this."

She'd taken my gown, gotten her way, and played the innocent on top of it.

I was done waiting on them.

"Theodore, let's break up."

There was no need for this wedding anymore.

I peeled off the heavy bridal gown and dropped it at his feet.

Theodore froze, his face darkening.

He seized my wrist, gripping hard enough to crush the bones.

"Pearl, have you lost your mind? Your relatives are all out there. If they find out you called off the wedding, where does that leave your parents?"

"Have you forgotten the promise we made at your grandfather's bedside last week, before he passed?"

His grip hurt. I stumbled back two steps.

Of course I hadn't forgotten.

But he was the one who hadn't cared about this wedding first.

A whole lifetime was too long. I couldn't wait it out.

Splitting up now was better for everyone.

"You really won't go through with it? Pearl, don't come crying to me later!"

He suddenly let go, and I couldn't catch myself. The small of my back slammed into the vanity.

The pain made me suck in a sharp breath.

Theodore didn't spare me a single glance. He took Isabel's hand and walked out of the room.

Passing my mother in the doorway, his face stayed hard.

"Pearl, honey, what's wrong?"

My mother saw the strain in my face and hurried over, worried.

"Why did that girl's dress just now look so familiar to me?"

My nose stung. I shook my head.

My voice caught as I spoke. "Mom, if I said I don't want to get married anymore, would you blame me?"

Outside were all her friends and my father's.

And plenty of relatives from back home.

Canceling the wedding out of nowhere would cost them face for certain.

But she only let out a quiet sigh.

"Silly girl, all that matters is that you're okay. If you really don't want to marry him, I won't blame you."

"Don't worry. I'll explain it to those people myself."

She turned to go.

I caught her by the arm.

"I'll be the one to say it."

The whole story. Start to finish.

This was not going to just blow over.

My mother nodded, relieved, and the makeup artist glanced over at me, hesitating.

Something like admiration had crept into her eyes.

"Miss Sanders, shall I keep going with the makeup?"

"Keep going."

Even if it was a divorce, I would stand in front of everyone and announce it with dignity.

I stripped the bridal gown off cleanly and tossed it into a corner like trash.

All I had left on was the skin-toned undergarments.

There was nothing else for me to put on.

My eyes fell on the white dress Theodore had bought.