Chapter 4: The Wedding I Never Wanted

My mother looked at me, her expression softening as she sighed.

"Elara, remember this. A man who lies to you isn’t worth your time."

"And neither is a man who hides when things get tough."

She cupped my cheek. "Next time, be more careful with your heart. Don’t let yourself be fooled again."

I came back to myself and managed a nod.

From that day on, Zane and Sofia were a whirlwind of activity.

They were in and out, overseeing the wedding venue and preparing favors.

I was busy, too, planning my mother’s birthday party.

I just hadn’t expected them to show up on my doorstep.

"Elara, ever since we were little, I always pictured us being maids of honor at each other’s weddings."

Sofia’s voice was soft, pleading. "Now that I’m getting married, I really hope you’ll be my bridesmaid. Will you?"

Before I could answer, Zane cut in.

"Your dress is already made. It’s being delivered this afternoon."

He added, "My mother saw it. She said the color is perfect on you."

I didn’t look at them.

My gaze fell to their hands, resting on the kitchen counter.

They were wearing matching wedding bands.

Simple, plain bands, engraved with their initials.

It was a design I had sketched in a notebook when I was twenty.

I’d even told Sofia about it, how I wanted to design my own rings one day.

How I wanted to wear them with the person I loved as we walked down the aisle together.

"Elara, if you don’t say anything, I’m going to take that as a yes. Thank you."

Sofia took my hand, her smile bright and brittle.

"All of our parents will be there on the wedding day, not to mention our comrades and commanding officers."

Her grip tightened. "Everyone just wants the wedding to go smoothly."

"You want that too, don’t you, Elara?"

Her smile had changed.

It was laced with warning, a subtle challenge.

She knew how much my mother cared about appearances, about what the neighbors thought.

She knew I would never humiliate my parents in public.

I pulled my hand free, forcing a smile of my own.

"Of course. You have my blessing."

Zane’s attention wasn’t on us.

He was scanning the living room.

He noticed that the photo of the two of us that used to sit on the coffee table had been replaced by a family portrait of my parents and me.

His gaze lingered on the empty space.

As they were leaving, he paused in the doorway, looking at me with an expression that was almost helpless.

"What Sofia said… she just wants what’s best for everyone."

"Don’t take it to heart."

He offered a small, hopeful smile. "When we get married, she’ll be our bridesmaid, too."

"Just think of this as a rehearsal."

I almost laughed in his face.

What on earth made him think I was still playing by his rules?

What made him think I would ever want a man who was about to marry someone else?

Time flew.

In the blink of an eye, it was their wedding day.

Before the ceremony, Zane and Sofia kept glancing in my direction.

They were terrified I was going to make a scene.

But they were disappointed.

I smiled through the entire thing.

When a small crisis with the catering arose, I was the one who stepped in and fixed it.

Seeing how compliant I was, they finally started to relax.

It wasn’t until the officiant was calling them to the altar that a furious voice roared from the back of the room.

"Zane Vale, what the hell are you doing?"

"Didn’t you tell me to stay away from Elara because she was yours?"

"And now you turn around, marry someone else, and make her your goddamn bridesmaid?"

"Are you trying to humiliate her?"