Chapter 2

When Allison reached the ballroom entrance, she saw Camila in person for the first time.

Until now, everything Allison knew about her came from Daniel.

He told her that Camila came from a poor family, worked hard for everything she had, and was the most educated woman in her hometown.

He told her that Camila was brilliant, the smartest student he had ever taught.

He told her that Camila was sweet, cheerful, and resilient, with a quiet strength that made people want to root for her.

Now, as Allison watched Camila waiting outside the ballroom for her cue, she had to admit that Daniel had described her perfectly. In her beautiful white wedding gown, Camila looked sweet and radiant, with the shy, nervous smile of a bride about to walk down the aisle.

"What am I going to do? It's almost time, and I'm so nervous. What if I trip? I always wear sneakers. I'm not used to walking in heels at all..."

The wedding staff standing around her smiled and tried to reassure her. "Don't worry. Your bridesmaids and our staff will be right beside you. We won't let you fall. Just relax and enjoy your big day."

Camila lifted the skirt of her gown slightly with both hands and asked with a playful smile, "Do I look pretty?"

"You do. You're the most beautiful woman here today," one of the staff members said with a laugh.

That was the scene Allison walked in on when she reached the ballroom.

Her eyes darkened, and bitterness rose in her chest.

Back then, she looked forward to her wedding with Daniel, too.

But Daniel told her seriously, "This year is critical for my promotion to associate professor, and the company and lab are still getting off the ground. I really don't have time to plan a wedding."

At 21, she understood the pressure 26-year-old Daniel was under. She never imagined that 7 years later, at 28, she would be standing at her own husband's wedding to another woman.

Camila noticed Allison. Her smile faltered for the briefest moment before brightening again. "Welcome to our wedding."

At that moment, Allison wanted nothing more than to ask, "Do you know Daniel is already married?"

But before she could say it, the emcee's booming voice rang out from inside the ballroom. "Please welcome the bride!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the ballroom doors slowly opened.

Camila quickly composed herself. After her bridesmaids entered, she walked into the ballroom with slow, graceful steps, looking almost unreal.

Allison stayed where she was and watched Camila walk inside. Her calm gaze followed the bride into the room.

The ballroom wasn't large, but it was decorated like something out of a fairy tale.

Every seat was filled. Allison looked around and didn't recognize a single person, which meant most of the guests were probably Camila's relatives and friends.

As the bride entered, the lights in the ballroom dimmed, leaving only the couple onstage illuminated.

Before the staff could close the doors, Allison stepped inside. She stood in the shadows below the stage and watched the couple like every other guest, a faint smile on her lips as she kept her eyes fixed on them.

For the first time that day, she saw Daniel clearly.

The husband who had shared her bed and her life for seven years was now standing onstage in a perfectly tailored white suit, solemnly taking his bride's hand from Brandon.

"Daniel, I'm entrusting Camila to you. Take good care of her," Brandon said with a smile.

"I will." Daniel's deep, steady voice left no doubt that he meant it.

He held Camila's hand tightly. When her eyes filled with tears, he gently wiped them away with his free hand.

It was a touching scene. They looked perfect together.

Allison could hear the women around her sighing with envy.

But all she could see was Daniel's hand wrapped around Camila's.

She couldn't remember the last time he held her hand.

Come to think of it, he never once held her hand in public. Then again, he never publicly acknowledged her as his wife either.

And somehow, in seven years of marriage, Allison never realized it.

She always believed Daniel was reserved and uncomfortable showing affection, so she learned to keep her own feelings in check.

But that clearly wasn't true.

Daniel knew how to show affection. He knew how to be gentle and attentive. Just not with her.

Allison took a deep breath, but the tightness in her chest only grew worse.

The ceremony moved on to the speeches from the bride's and groom's families.

Brandon and Stella stepped onto the stage and stood beside Camila.

When Allison saw Brandon holding a microphone and several sheets of paper, she assumed he would speak next.

Then the emcee made an announcement that sent a sharp pain through her chest.

"Next, please welcome the groom's mother, Mrs. Elaine Hall, and his son, Philip!"

Allison's breath caught. She stared in disbelief as a woman and a little boy walked hand in hand toward the stage.

They were her mother-in-law and her six-year-old son.

"Ph-Philip? Why..." Allison whispered, unable to understand what she was seeing.

Philip spent nearly every weekend at the Hall estate. Allison personally dropped him off there the day before. At the time, Elaine told her she was taking him to a class reunion today.

So why were they both here?

Elaine wore a gentle smile, and the way she looked at Camila was full of affection.

Allison had only seen that expression on Elaine's face once, the day Philip was born.

Her eyes filled with warmth, Elaine took Allison's hand and said, "You must be exhausted. You did so well."

But that was the only time. After that, Elaine went right back to being cold and distant.

Philip stood between Elaine and Daniel. Despite all the people onstage and in the audience, he didn't look nervous at all. Instead, he beamed at Camila.

The smile on Philip's face cut Allison to the core.

A dull ache spread through her head, filling her ears with a relentless ringing. She didn't hear a single word of either family's speeches.

She didn't come back to her senses until the emcee handed the microphone to Philip. "Is there anything you'd like to say?"

Philip took the microphone with the seriousness of a little adult, then looked up at Daniel and Camila beside him.

A warm, indulgent smile rested on Daniel's handsome face as he gently stroked Philip's hair.

With everyone in the ballroom watching, Philip's young voice came through the speakers. "I'm so happy Camila is going to be my mommy! I like Camila, and I want her to be my mommy!"

The ballroom erupted in applause.

Camila's eyes filled with tears as she crouched down and pulled Philip into her arms. They looked like the perfect mother and son.

"What about me?"

Allison stood below the stage, feeling as though the darkness had swallowed her whole. As she stared at the dazzling scene above her, an icy chill sank deep into her bones.

Philip liked Camila. He wanted Camila to be his mommy.

What did that make Allison?

She was his real mother.

A crushing sense of helplessness spread through Allison, the kind that came from being betrayed by the person she loved most.

For a moment, she felt as though she had been dragged back to that night seven years ago, when everyone turned against her and left her completely broken.

Once the emotional moment passed, the couple exchanged rings.

The emcee announced, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!"

But Daniel froze.

Instead of leaning down to kiss Camila, he turned to the emcee with a confused look, silently asking what he was supposed to do.

The emcee stared back at him, equally confused. As far as he knew, everything was going exactly as planned. He followed the script approved by the bride and the wedding planners word for word.

The applause and laughter quickly died down when Daniel hesitated.

Every guest in the room looked at him in confusion. For several awkward seconds, the ceremony came to a complete standstill.

With tears in her eyes, Camila looked up at Daniel like a frightened deer. She gave his sleeve a subtle tug and whispered so only he could hear, "Professor Hall, everyone's watching..."

Daniel looked away from her and glanced at Camila's parents, the rest of the Dixon family, and their guests below the stage.

Assuming Daniel was simply too embarrassed to kiss his bride in front of everyone, the emcee quickly stepped in. "Looks like our groom is a little shy. Let's help him out. Kiss her! Kiss her!"

At the emcee's urging, the guests eagerly joined in.

Soon, the entire ballroom echoed with chants of, "Kiss her! Kiss her!"