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“At the rehearsal dinner?”
I nodded. “I thought maybe she’d finally realized. Me getting married again. She knows no one will ever replace Ryan.”
***
Last night I had seen Marcus dancing slowly with Lily near the dessert table. His hand rested gently on her shoulder. He had tilted his head as if he were whispering something sweet to her.
I had cried because I thought I was seeing how our family was beginning.
Now he remembered Lily's face.
She was too still. Too polite.
“She’s been quiet since last night.”
***
Janine put down the brush. “I’m going to look for it.”
Two minutes later, the door swung open again.
Janine was there, pale. “Julia, come here now.”
I stood up so quickly that my veil snagged the pins. “What happened?”
“It’s Lily.”
I followed her down the hallway to a small room near the bridal suite.
Lily was on the floor, with her sage green dress wrinkled beside her and her knees drawn up to her chest.
“Julia, come here now.”
“Lily?”
She looked up and my heart broke before she even spoke.
“Mom,” she whispered. “Please don’t marry him.”
I fell to my knees. “Honey, what are you talking about?”
“Please don’t do it.”
“Is it because of Dad?” I asked gently. “Because we can stop and talk. Marcus isn’t going to replace him. Nobody could.”
Lily shook her head so hard that a curl came loose. “No. It’s not Dad.”
Janine crouched down beside us. “So what is it, honey?”
“Please don’t marry him.”
Lily stared at the rug. “It’s not who you think it is, Mom.”
My stomach dropped. “What has Marcus done?”
For a moment he closed his mouth.
***
Finally, he whispered, "Do you remember last night, when he asked me to help him carry wine from the storeroom?"
"Yes of course".
“He didn’t want me there for that reason. He wanted to talk to me.”
“It’s not who you think it is, Mom.”
Janine inhaled rapidly.
“No,” Lily said quickly. “She said there would be new rules after the wedding.”
“What rules?”
Lily wiped her face with her sleeve. “He said my time acting like the princess of the house was over. He said after the honeymoon I’d be going to boarding school.”
I stared at her. “Boarding school?”
“He said you would deny it today because you didn’t want me to get angry before the ceremony.”
“She said my time of acting like the princess of the house was over.”
My throat got dry.
“She mentioned school, Mom. She knew the exact date I had to be there. She said it wouldn’t be your problem every day anymore. That you could rest.”
“Honey, you’re not my problem. You’re the best part of me.”
“Marcus said that real families don’t include another man’s son.”
The words hit like a slap in the face.
Janine covered her mouth.
“Honey, you’re not my problem.”
Lily twisted the moon bracelet until her knuckles turned white. “He said you could never truly move on as long as I kept acting like Dad was around.”
The bouquet slipped out of my hand and the white roses scattered across the carpet.
“I wanted you to be happy,” Lily cried. “ I really did. I kept telling myself that maybe Marcus didn’t mean it the way it sounded. But he said that if I ruined the wedding, everyone would think I was jealous. He said he’d tell them I was still grieving and trying to stay with you.”
I drew her to me.
“She said that if she ruined the wedding, everyone would think she was jealous.”
“I thought you would believe him before you believed me,” she sobbed.
That hurt me more than anything.
I held her face in my hands. “Look at me, darling.”
He shook his head.
“Lily. Look at me.”
Slowly, he did it.
“I believe you,” I told him. “Before I say a word, before anyone explains anything, I believe you.”
“Look at me, darling.”
***
There was a knock on the door.
The three of us were paralyzed.
“Julia?” Marcus called from the hallway. “Is Lily there?”
Lily grabbed my arm. “Don’t let him in.”
Janine got up and closed the door.
“Julia,” Marcus called again, now more sharply. “Open up, darling. We have to handle this like a family. I’m sure Lily has already said something stupid to you.”
“Don’t let him in.”
I stood up. My knees trembled, but not my voice.
“Stay away from the door, Marcus.”
A giggle came from the other side. “Honey, don’t let him get upset. The ceremony starts soon. Are you ready?”
Lily withdrew into herself.
That's when something inside me changed.
I picked up the phone.
“Stay away from the door, Marcus.”
Janine stared at me. “Security?”
“No,” I said. “The police.”
***
When the operator answered, I gave the address of the establishment and said, “My fifteen-year-old daughter was cornered and intimidated by an adult male on the property. He is still here, and she is visibly shaken. I need officers to come and remove him from there and file a report.”
Marcus knocked on the door again. “Julia? What are you doing in there?”
“Nothing, Marcus. We’ll be out soon.”
“He’s still here, and she’s visibly shaken.”
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