8.

For a second, the sunroom was so silent that Charlotte could hear the distant clatter of scaffolding being unloaded on the lawn.

Then Sean let out a sharp, incredulous laugh.

"Your date?" He stared at her as though she had just spoken in a foreign language, his eyes narrowing. "You're joking."

"Do I look like I'm joking, Sean?" Charlotte asked, keeping her voice steady.

Sean moved away from the back of the sofa, stepping into the open space between them. The smug confidence he usually wore around Olivia had vanished, replaced by an expression of disbelief that quickly turned into irritation. Charlotte, the wife he had discarded, the woman he and his family had spent years making feel undesirable because of her weight, was planning to attend his wedding with another man. The very idea seemed to offend him.

"Who?" he demanded. "Who the hell are you planning to bring? Some man you've known for five minutes, or are you going to hire some stranger just so you don't have to sit there alone?"

Charlotte looked at her sister and almost smiled. Olivia was already imagining the embarrassment of Charlotte arriving with some unsuitable man, perhaps someone who would make the guests whisper for entirely different reasons. She could turn the whole thing into another story about her poor, lonely sister desperately trying to prove that she had moved on.

"Easy babe," Olivia said, turning to Charlotte with a look of exaggerated concern. "If my sister wants to bring someone, we should accommodate her. Really, Char, I had no idea you were seeing anyone. It's just a little surprising, considering how much you've been through recently."

"Is it?" Charlotte asked.

"Well, I only mean that two weeks isn't a lot of time to make arrangements. I hope you've found someone who understands the situation and won't feel uncomfortable being there."

The pity in Olivia's voice was almost convincing, but Charlotte knew her twin too well to miss the satisfaction underneath it. Olivia wanted her to feel foolish for making the announcement, and she was probably waiting for Charlotte to admit that she had no one. That would give her another opportunity to offer sympathy while secretly enjoying the humiliation.

Margaret, however, appeared delighted.

"Oh, a date!" she exclaimed, bringing her hands together as a bright smile spread across her face. "Charlotte, darling, why didn't you tell me? Is it someone we know? Someone from the club, perhaps, or one of your father's old business associates?"

"Mom, I don't think we need to turn this into an interrogation," Charlotte replied.

"I'm not interrogating you. I'm asking a perfectly reasonable question." Margaret's smile faltered slightly before she recovered. "It's just nice to know that you're moving on with your life. You've spent so much time by yourself in the North Wing, and I was beginning to worry that you had given up on the idea of finding someone."

Charlotte's expression cooled. Even now, her mother couldn't seem to be happy without reminding her of everything she thought was wrong with her life. Margaret was pleased that Charlotte might have a man, but the relief in her face suggested that the prospect mattered partly because it would spare the family the embarrassment of having a lonely, abandoned daughter at the wedding.

"I appreciate your concern, Mom, but I can manage my personal life without everyone's assistance."

"Of course you can, darling. I didn't mean to offend you."

Sean gave an impatient scoff. "This is ridiculous. She hasn't mentioned a man in five months, and suddenly she's bringing someone to my wedding?"

Charlotte turned to him. "You seem very interested in my plans for someone who has made it abundantly clear that he wants nothing to do with me."

"Don't twist my words."

"I'm not twisting anything. You divorced me in everything but name long before I finally demanded it. You made your choice, Sean, and I'm making mine."

His jaw tightened, but instead of backing down, he stepped closer. "And what happens if this man doesn't exist? What happens when you show up here in two weeks with nobody beside you because you couldn't find a single person willing to come?"

Olivia lowered her gaze, apparently trying to hide her reaction, but Charlotte caught the faint curve of her lips. Her sister clearly shared Sean's doubts. Neither of them could imagine a man choosing Charlotte, not because they knew anything about her prospects, but because they had spent so long treating her as though she had none.

Charlotte refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her hesitate.

"Then I suppose you'll have one less thing to worry about," she replied. "But since I'm attending the wedding, I expect a seat to be reserved for my date beside mine at the family table."

Sean stared at her, his expression darkening with every word.

"You'd better not be planning to make a scene at my wedding."

Charlotte let out a quiet, humourless laugh. "You should be more concerned about your own behaviour, Sean. You're the one shouting because your ex-wife has agreed to attend your wedding with a guest."

"I'm not shouting!"

"Then perhaps you should stop acting as though I've asked to bring a criminal into the house."

The wedding planner had gone completely still, her eyes fixed on the seating chart in front of her. Margaret looked between her daughters and Sean, clearly anxious that the argument might escalate, while Olivia reached for Sean's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Darling, please," she said. "There's no need to get upset. If Charlotte has found someone, we should be happy for her."

Sean glanced down at Olivia, and for a moment, Charlotte thought he might listen. Instead, he pulled his hand away and looked at her again.

"Just make sure you know what you're doing."

The words were meant to sound dismissive, but the anger in his face betrayed him. He was marrying Olivia in two weeks, and he had spent months behaving as though Charlotte's existence no longer mattered to him. Yet the possibility of another man standing beside her, touching her waist for a photograph, or leading her onto the dance floor while the guests watched seemed to have unsettled him in a way he couldn't explain.

He didn't want Charlotte back. He was certain of that. He loved Olivia, and he had no intention of changing his plans.

But he had grown accustomed to the idea that Charlotte would remain exactly where he had left her, alone and unwanted, with no one else interested in taking his place.

He hadn't considered what it would mean if that turned out not to be true.

Olivia seemed to sense his mood, because her smile became more strained as she turned to Charlotte. "I'm sure everything will work out, Char. I really do hope this man makes you happy."

"Thank you, Olivia."

Charlotte's polite response appeared to irritate her sister more than an argument would have. She had expected resistance, perhaps another accusation about the affair, but Charlotte had agreed to attend the wedding and now seemed perfectly content to make arrangements of her own.

Margaret, meanwhile, had already begun discussing the seating plan with the wedding planner, asking whether another place setting could be added without disrupting the arrangement. She appeared determined to treat Charlotte's date as a welcome development, even though she had no idea who the man was.

Charlotte picked up her handbag and glanced at the invitation cards scattered across the table.

"Since we've settled that, I really should be going. I have a meeting at the company, and I don't intend to be late because we spent the morning discussing my social life."

"Charlotte," Margaret called as she turned toward the door. "At least tell me his name."

Charlotte paused, then looked over her shoulder.

"You'll meet him at the wedding, Mom."

She left before her mother could ask anything else, walking out of the sunroom with her head held high while Sean remained beside the sofa, his hands clenched at his sides. Olivia was still wearing her carefully arranged expression of concern, but the moment Charlotte disappeared through the doorway, the smile slipped from her face.

"Do you think she's telling the truth?" Olivia asked, turning to Sean once she was certain Charlotte was out of earshot.

Sean remained where he was, staring at the doorway with a frown. "She's probably bluffing."

"Probably?" Olivia repeated, her voice losing some of its sweetness. "Sean, surely you don't think Charlotte has actually found someone?"

"I don't know, Olivia. How the hell should I know?" he snapped, then immediately glanced at her as though he regretted raising his voice. "She's been alone for months. She barely speaks to anyone in this house, and suddenly she's announcing that she's bringing a date to our wedding. It doesn't make sense."

Olivia looked down at the invitation card in her hands, running her thumb over its gold lettering. She wanted to believe that Charlotte was lying, because the thought of her sister arriving with another man was strangely unpleasant. Charlotte was supposed to be the one left behind, the one who would have to watch them begin their new life together while she remained alone in the house their father had left behind.

If Charlotte found someone else, even someone who meant nothing to her, it would take away part of the satisfaction Olivia had been looking forward to.

"Well, if she really has found someone, I hope he's a decent man," Olivia said, forcing a small smile. "The last thing we need is another scandal, especially with the press attending."

Sean said nothing, but his expression remained dark.

Margaret, who had been listening to their exchange, shook her head. "I don't understand why you're both making such a fuss. Charlotte is entitled to have a life of her own, and if she's found someone who makes her happy, we should be pleased for her."

Olivia looked at her mother in surprise. "Of course, Mama. I'm pleased for her."

"Then there's no reason to keep discussing it." Margaret turned to the wedding planner. "Please make the necessary changes to the seating arrangements. Charlotte's guest should have a proper place at the family table, and I don't want any confusion on the day."

The planner nodded quickly and began making notes, although the tension in the room had not entirely disappeared.

Sean finally turned away from the doorway, but the irritation followed him as he returned to Olivia's side. He had no intention of letting Charlotte ruin his wedding, and if she was foolish enough to bring some stranger merely to prove a point, he would make certain she regretted it.

He told himself that was all it was. He was protecting his wedding from unnecessary drama, nothing more.

Yet the thought of Charlotte arriving with another man continued to bother him long after the conversation had ended.