Chapter 2

Seeing my face darken further, Cornelius paused, then lowered his voice.

"Kay, be reasonable. It's only the wedding-host role, a very small thing. Don't lose your temper over it. Be the bigger person."

Inside, I laughed coldly.

The bigger person. Again.

Every single time Cornelius and I went out together, Teresa would find some emergency that pulled him away.

Whenever he brought me a gift, he'd have one ready for Teresa too.

I wasn't happy about it.

He'd say she came from a single-parent home, that she was my best friend.

That he only wanted to win her approval.

Be the bigger person.

Every time.

He swore there'd be no next time.

And every time.

He asked me to be the bigger person again.

Now we were married.

And still he asked me to be the bigger person.

Slowly, I raised my hand, my eyes cold.

No more arguing. No more explaining.

I lifted the delicate custom veil from my head and set it gently on the table beside me.

Then I slid off the diamond ring from my finger, the one Cornelius had searched the whole city over to pick out for his proposal.

I looked straight at him as his face changed.

One word at a time.

"Fine."

The whole room went dead silent.

Cornelius's face shifted from dark to furious.

"Kay Lyons, what is this supposed to mean?"

"The wedding's almost here and you're determined to make an ugly scene?"

I held down the pain and anger in my chest.

"Cornelius, tell me, who exactly is making this ugly?"

The wedding staff hurried over to smooth things down.

"Mr. Henson, Miss Lyons, let's talk this through, let's just talk it through."

Seeing how things stood, Teresa quickly pulled her mother over.

Her eyes brimmed with tears, her face full of hurt.

"Neil, Kay, this is my fault."

"It's all because I said my mom had never done the wedding-host thing, and that I'd be nervous at my own wedding, that's why Neil brought it up. Kay, don't blame him. If you have to blame someone, blame me."

Mrs. Swanson spoke up right after.

She pressed a hand to her chest, wearing the look of someone forced into a corner.

"Never mind, Neil. Someone's unwilling, so I won't take part. No sense putting you in a hard spot."

"I only thought that with Teresa's father gone, I was afraid people would laugh at her wedding, so I wanted to get some practice in. It's fine. If someone doesn't want it, then forget it."

The very picture of a reasonable, understanding woman.

But.

Back when my mother brought meals to the two of them.

They wept with gratitude.

Swore they'd never forget what our family had done for them.

I was about to lash out.

My mother took my hand.

She gave a small shake of her head.

And said quietly,

"Kaykay, it's all right with me. As long as I get to see you happy, that's enough."

"Don't fight with Neil over me. It isn't worth it."

For once, Cornelius looked guilty.

"Ms. Lyons, don't worry. It's only the title of wedding host. Let her have it. I promise everything else stays exactly as planned."

My mother nodded.

Then she looked at me, her eyes red.

"Kaykay?"

I looked at my mother's reddened eyes, at the tears she was holding back.

My chest ached everywhere, thick and unrelenting.

But she held on to me tightly, refusing to let me keep fighting.

To keep her from being humiliated in front of everyone, to keep our friends and family from having something to laugh at, I forced down every bit of hurt and anger and set aside, for now, the thought of calling off the wedding.

Cornelius turned to me too.

"There now, sweetheart. From now on I'll do whatever you say. Just this once."

Everyone was urging me to let it go.

I drew in a deep breath.

And said nothing more.