Chapter 3 The Surprise Waiting at the Altar

The next morning, the hairstylist had just finished pinning up my hair when Lawrence arrived.

He rested his hands lightly on my shoulders and looked at me with a gentle smile. "I had them take down the video from last night."

His voice was soft, as if he were afraid of ruining the peace in the room. "I also removed the wedding montage. Today is just about us."

I looked at him through the mirror.

The man reflected there wore the same warm expression he always had whenever he tried to comfort me.

For a second, I almost believed him.

The door suddenly swung open.

Lawrence's mother, Hazel, walked in with Sienna.

Sienna wore a pale ivory bridesmaid dress, and tucked into her hair was a pearl hair clip.

My whole body went rigid.

It was the keepsake my mother had left me.

When I was sixteen, she had been so sick she could not even get out of bed.

Even then, she had smiled and said, "Jas, wear this when you get married. It'll be my way of walking you down the aisle."

Lawrence had been there that day.

He had watched me put the hair clip into my jewelry box, and he had heard every word my mother said.

Now it was in Sienna's hair.

Lawrence's expression darkened instantly. "Who told you to wear that?"

Hazel frowned. "I did."

She looked me straight in the eye, her tone matter-of-fact. "Jas, you're the bride. A veil is all you need. It's just an old hair clip. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it?"

I did not even look at Hazel.

I walked straight over to Sienna. "Take it off."

Sienna had already lifted her hand.

But Lawrence stepped forward and caught her wrist. "Don't."

He lowered his head and carefully untangled the strands of hair caught in the clip, one by one.

His movements were unbelievably gentle, gentle enough that it looked like he was afraid of hurting her.

I stood there, suddenly remembering years ago.

The first time I had worn that hair clip for him to see, he had laughed and said, "It's too plain. When we get married, I'll buy you something much more expensive."

So, he remembered that it was not expensive. He just did not remember what it meant to me.

Tears streamed down Sienna's face. "Lawrence, I'm so sorry. I honestly didn't know it belonged to Jasmine's mom."

Lawrence said nothing. He removed the hair clip and handed it to me.

For one brief moment, I really thought he was on my side.

Then Sienna suddenly gasped. The clasp had nicked her fingertip, and a tiny bead of blood appeared. It smeared across one of the pearls, a vivid, glaring red.

Hazel's face was drained of color. "Blood on a wedding day is bad luck."

She snatched the hair clip from my hand and threw it into the nearby trash can.

I rushed over and dug it out.

The moment my fingers touched the cold pearls, I realized I was shaking.

Lawrence's expression shifted when he noticed that the hem of my wedding gown had picked up a little dirt. "The ceremony's about to start. Go change into a clean dress first."

I froze.

Slowly, I looked up at him. "What did you just say?"

His throat tightened. "That's… not what I meant."

The makeup artist asked quietly, "Ms. Lind, would you like to change your gown?"

I lowered my eyes to the smudge on the hem.

It was barely noticeable. But at that moment, it looked exactly like every humiliation I had swallowed over the years.

"Yes."

Lawrence visibly relaxed.

He walked over and wrapped me in a gentle hug. "Jas, just bear with it today. After the wedding, I'll take you to have the hair clip repaired myself. I promise."

There was a knock at the door.

The officiant called from outside, "Mr. Croft, Ms. Lind, the ceremony begins in fifteen minutes."

Lawrence took my hand. "Let's go."

I nodded. "Okay."

Just before I turned away, the tablet on the table suddenly lit up.

The latest version of the ceremony program appeared on the screen.

"1. The Groom's Tribute: Ten Years of Love."

"2. A Childhood Friend's Blessing."

"3. Surprise Segment: An AI Message From the Bride's Mother."

My eyes locked onto the third item. It felt as though an invisible hand had clenched around my heart.

Lawrence followed my gaze, and his face turned ghostly pale.

He reached to turn off the screen. But the officiant's voice had already rung out from outside. "The bride, please prepare to make your entrance."