Chapter 4

Two hours later, Jeffrey texted me. He wrote, "Harper's fine. Does your hand still hurt? And can you review the wedding itinerary and menu and send them back to me?"

I stared at the screen until tears finally streamed down my cheeks.

Later, I sent in my resignation and made arrangements to hand over my work before calling Clifford. "I don't want to wait anymore. If you still want this, I'll marry you tomorrow."

…

On the morning of the wedding, Mom opened my room door.

"Barbara, Harper and Jeffrey have signed the paperwork," she said with a pleased smile. "Don't worry. Once she has the baby, Jeffrey will make it up to you."

I stuffed the last of my clothes into my suitcase and nodded. "Okay."

Mom ran a hand through my hair. "I knew you'd understand. You'd never make things difficult for me."

She didn't know that Clifford and I had gotten married the evening before.

Before we made it official, he had asked me thrice, "Are you sure about this?

"If you're only doing this to get away, you don't have to. I can get you out of here right now. You don't need a piece of paper to prove anything."

I'd told him, "I'm not doing this to prove anything to them. I just don't want this relationship anymore, and I don't want to be part of that family anymore."

Afterward, I slipped the key to Mom's house and the one to the home Jeffrey and I shared into an envelope. Then, I handed it to a hotel staff member.

I wrote on the front, "You don't need to save a place for me anymore. I won't be coming back to make things difficult for anyone."

…

When we arrived at the hotel, Mom pulled me to the door of the adjoining room.

"Just sit here for a while. Don't go into the ballroom. Harper's having a hard time right now. Once the ceremony's over, Jeffrey will come check on you."

Jeffrey came over too, his gaze settling on my bandaged wrist. He lowered his voice and reassured me, "I'll come find you as soon as the ceremony's over. Just wait here for me."

"Wait for what, exactly?" I asked, holding his gaze. "Until you marry her and come back to tell me I'm the one you love?"

His eyes were red-rimmed. "Barbara, I'll make it up to you."

Just then, Harper walked over in the wedding dress I'd designed. She was also holding the vows I'd written.

"Barbara, can I read the part about how Jeffrey shielded you from the rain when you were 17? After today, everyone will think that was a memory he and I shared."

After saying that, she leaned close and whispered in my ear, "You've always blamed yourself for Dad's death, haven't you? Well, let me have this wedding, and we'll call it even."

I didn't take the paper she held out.

"Harper, I always gave in to you because I thought I owed you something. But you were never entitled to my husband."

…

Soon, the wedding began in the ballroom.

On the screen, I watched Harper walk down the aisle in my wedding dress, past the flowers I'd picked out, reciting the vows I'd written.

But Jeffrey kept glancing toward the door. He still expected me to be sitting in some corner, waiting for whatever scraps of affection he was willing to throw my way.

…

At 12:20 pm, they began playing messages from the bride's friends and family. But I never appeared on the screen.

Jeffrey furrowed his brow. He was about to send someone to find me when my favorite wedding song began playing from the room next door.

Suddenly, panic seized him. He rushed to the adjoining room and shoved the door open.

I was standing before Clifford in a simple white dress.

The officiant held the microphone, and his voice rang out clearly across the room. "Barbara Harper, do you take Clifford Nash to be your husband?"

I held Clifford's gaze and didn't look back.

"I do."