Chapter 5

A second of silence in the living room.

Then Ethan's voice.

"You won't be alone."

A knock at my door.

Ethan stood in the doorway, his tone careful.

"Olivia — an award like this only comes once in a lifetime for Ava. It really is a big deal."

"What if we moved our wedding to the evening?"

I almost wanted to laugh.

As if a wedding only comes around more than once.

One of the housekeepers muttered under her breath: "Who has a wedding in the evening?"

Mom immediately snapped at her.

"Don't talk nonsense. And you — don't go believing old superstitions like that."

Ethan looked at me with that soft, certain expression. "Olivia — what do you say? You've always been the understanding one."

I looked at him.

And I thought of something from a long time ago.

I had won a small art competition — the first time I'd ever placed. I was so proud, I counted the days until my parents could come see me collect the award.

They told me Ava's speech competition was more important, and went there instead.

Ethan saw how crushed I was.

"Don't worry. I'll be there. I promise."

But in the end, he went to Ava's competition too.

I stood on that stage alone. In the audience, every face belonged to someone else's family, and the applause belonged to someone else.

And here I was, still alone.

"Fine. Move it to the evening. I don't mind."

There was no point. A wedding without its real center — it didn't matter when it was held.

The moment they had their answer, the celebration started back up. Laughter rolled through the living room, one wave after another.

By the end of the night, Ethan had drunk too much.

They say people tell the truth when they're drunk. I looked at his unfocused eyes and, before I could stop myself, I asked:

"Ethan — are you looking forward to our wedding?"

He didn't answer.

The wind passed between us, cold and thin.

"Then why did you confess to me? Why did you ask me to be with you?"

I knew the answer. I needed to hear him say it.

His voice came out thick and blurred.

"In this life... you aim for the top, and you settle for the middle. Finding someone five percent like her... that's already the best I could do."

"And you're her sister. Being with you, I still get to be close to her..."

The wind stung my eyes.

I didn't know when the tears had run out. There were none left.

The truth was crueler than I had imagined.

The morning of the wedding.

Before dawn, the whole house was in motion — but not for my wedding.

Everyone was choosing outfits, doing hair and makeup, mapping out the route to Ava's awards ceremony.

I came out of my room, fully dressed and ready.

"I'll skip the ceremony. I need to get to the venue and make sure everything's in order."

Ethan didn't look up. He was helping Ava run through a last-minute checklist.

"Okay, go ahead. Don't keep the guests waiting."

I picked up a small bag and walked out the front door.

Then I headed to the airport.

As the car pulled away, I caught a glimpse in the rearview mirror — Ethan's car, the whole family climbing in, laughing, heading off toward Ava's ceremony.

The awards show ran four hours.

Four hours later, I landed in Millhaven.

My phone buzzed.

A message from Ethan.

Olivia — the wedding's in the evening anyway. Skip the reception prep for now. I'll be there later. Ava needs me here. Go wait at the hotel. Be good.

I stared at those words for a long time.

Then I blocked his number and locked my phone.

Lily wrapped her arms around me.

"Let's go."

Meanwhile, back at the venue.

By the time Ethan's group finally arrived, the wedding hall was chaos.

A friend grabbed his arm.

"Wasn't the bride supposed to be here already? Where is she?"

Ethan went still.

The wedding coordinator spotted the groom and rushed over.

"Mr. Carter — we've been trying to reach the bride all evening. She's not picking up. We can't get hold of her."