Chapter 4

Martha’s lips trembled violently.

It took her a long time to find her voice.

"Claire, sit down first. Sit. Tell me slowly, what on earth happened?"

I told her everything that went down at the bridal shop, start to finish.

As she listened, Martha's pale face turned dark with fury.

She jumped to her feet.

"Has he lost his damn mind?!"

She grabbed her phone and dialed a number.

"Ethan Vance, get your ass over here this instant."

I couldn't hear what Ethan said on the other end.

Martha roared into the receiver.

"Right now!"

She slammed the phone down and came back to sit beside me.

"Claire, I am so sorry. It's my fault for raising such a blind, foolish son."

I shook my head softly.

"You've always been wonderful to me, Martha. This is entirely on Ethan."

Less than twenty minutes later, the front door rattled open.

Ethan walked in.

Right behind him was Rachel.

The second Rachel stepped across the threshold, she put on her sweetest voice.

"Hi, Mrs. Vance!"

Martha didn't even look at her.

She glared straight at Ethan.

"Explain to me right now. The dress, the photos—what the hell were you thinking?"

Ethan's expression instantly soured.

He shot a venomous glare at me.

"Claire, you ran to my mom to tattle? How old are you? Can't we handle our own problems between us? You just had to come crying to my mother?"

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Martha slammed her hand down onto the coffee table with a resounding smack.

"Don't you dare raise your voice in this house! Did you do what Claire said, yes or no?!"

Ethan tugged at his collar, visibly irritated.

"Yes! Fine, yes, it's true! But it's not what—"

"You took wedding photos with Rachel?!"

"It was a birthday present for her!"

"You wore a tuxedo, she wore Claire's custom wedding dress, you took a whole damn album together, and you're telling me it was just a birthday gift?!"

Martha’s voice shook the walls.

"Are you completely brain-dead?!"

Rachel quickly chimed in.

"Mrs. Vance, please don't be mad at Ethan! It really was just for fun, we didn't mean anything by it! Ethan and I grew up together—if there was ever anything romantic between us, wouldn't it have happened years ago?"

Martha finally turned her head toward her.

Her gaze was so piercingly cold that Rachel instinctively took a step back.

"I didn't ask you to speak."

Rachel's face drained of color.

Ethan immediately stepped in front of Rachel, shielding her.

"Mom! Stop treating Rachel like that! She didn't do anything wrong!"

"She didn't do anything wrong?!"

Martha let out a laugh that sounded more like a sob.

"She took Claire's wedding dress and tailored it to her own body! She posed for romantic wedding photos with you while wearing Claire's gown! And you have the nerve to tell me she did nothing wrong?!"

"Go ahead, ask any woman on this earth if she would tolerate this garbage!"

Ethan opened his mouth, stammering.

"It was just harmless fun! I didn't cheat on her! Rachel and I are completely innocent! They're just pictures! Does everyone have to blow this completely out of proportion?!"

"Fine," Martha said, her eyes boring into him.

"Let me flip the script. If Claire had put on a bridal gown and posed for a romantic wedding album with another man, would you just shrug it off and act like nothing happened?"

Ethan's face froze.

His mouth hung open, but not a single sound came out.

Watching him stand there like a statue, I felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion.

Men like him never listen.

They never understand anyone else's pain until it happens directly to them.

Martha looked back at me, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Claire, sweetheart... I am so, so sorry."

I stood up.

"It's not your fault, Martha."

"At least I found out who he really is before walking down that aisle."

I walked to the entryway and slipped my shoes on.

Then I turned to Ethan.

"My parents bought the condo. Go over there right now and pack your crap."

Ethan stared at me in total disbelief.

"Claire, you're really calling off our entire wedding over something this stupid?"

I looked right through him.

"You think it's stupid."

"Because you've never once bothered to put yourself in my shoes."

"You think Rachel is more important. You think her feelings matter more than mine."

"That's fine."

"You can have each other."