Chapter 1

I sent the message, and a reply came back almost immediately.

"Okay."

My grip tightened around my phone as I looked at Charles Lumley again. He was still standing beside Winnie Simpson, watching her fix her makeup with his head lowered.

My relatives gathered by the door were growing impatient.

My aunt, Olive Cruise, glanced at her watch and reminded him in a hushed voice, "Charles, it's already 8:48 am. The lucky moment for the bride to leave is 8:58 am. The cars are all waiting downstairs. We can't delay this any longer."

My uncle, Danny Stewart, chimed in as well, "According to our customs, the bride must leave her family home and get into the wedding car at the designated time. The timing matters. Leaving too early or too late brings bad luck and energy to the newlyweds."

Charles simply said, "I know. Winnie will be ready in a minute."

Then, he turned to me. "Don't worry, Natalie. I've taken care of the entire wedding schedule. Nothing will go wrong."

I asked him, "Do you know what time it is?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Then you should know that I have to be in the wedding car by 8:58 am."

Charles fell silent for a moment before lowering his voice. "As I said, a few minutes won't make a difference. Winnie's your best friend, and her eyeliner's smudged. It's perfectly normal for her to touch it up."

At that, Winnie immediately turned and smiled at me. "Exactly, Natalie. I'm your best friend. You can't expect me to walk out with you looking like a mess, can you?"

Her tone was perfectly matter-of-fact, with even a hint of wounded innocence.

I looked at her. Ever since college, she'd always been good at pulling stunts like this.

Whenever Charles and I went on a date, she'd suddenly call him, claiming she'd had too much to drink and needed him to pick her up. On my birthday, she'd told him she was heartbroken and dragged him off to drink with her all night.

And on the day Charles and I took our wedding photos, she'd insisted on tagging along. Then, she'd complained that her shoes were rubbing against her feet and made Charles carry her all the way from the parking lot to the photography studio.

Every time I brought up boundaries, she'd say the same thing. "We're best friends! Do you really think I'd ever do anything to hurt you? Stop overthinking everything."

Charles always backed her up. "That's just how Winnie is. She doesn't mean any harm."

I'd believed them before.

But now, I was standing there in my wedding dress, surrounded by relatives waiting for me to leave my family home. Yet, she was asking everyone to put everything on hold over a little eyeliner.

My grandmother, Martha Radford, stood by the door, leaning on her cane.

Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke. "Charles, this is an important day for Natalie. Our family has been up since 4:00 am to get everything ready so she could leave at the lucky moment. You young people may not believe in these traditions, but we older folks do."

Before Charles could respond, Winnie spoke up first. "Martha, I know the timing is important, but I wasn't trying to delay anyone on purpose. Nat, talk to her. This is supposed to be a happy day. There's no need to be so serious."

After hearing that, Charles turned to me. "She's right, Natalie. There are so many people here today. Don't make a scene."