Chapter 1

I changed back into my own clothes, picked up my clutch from the armchair, and pushed open the heavy oak door.

The hinges groaned—low and long.

No one looked up.

I turned for a last glance. Serafina was angling herself before the mirror, and Lorenzo knelt behind her, lifting the train of her skirt. The photographer called out, “Don’t move—perfect angle.”

I turned and walked out the front gate.

Sliding into my car, my phone buzzed. A message from the wedding planner: Miss Vittoria, have you decided on the bouquet?

Before I could answer, another one popped up: Or Serafina could choose for you—she knows your taste and has great style.

The car was so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat, counting something. Counting how many times I’d been erased in this arrangement.

I typed back: Let Serafina pick.

After all, Lorenzo always thought her taste was better.

A reply came instantly: Got it.

I stared at the screen. Probably relieved—no more backandforth with a wishywashy bride.

Then messages started rolling in. The photographer posted the fitting photos and floor plans in the family group chat. I opened the images: the lighting was masterful, shadows pooling around them like a Caravaggio painting.

I smiled bitterly.

As a child, I’d envied the girl who got to be the bride in their games. When Lorenzo and I got engaged, I thought I’d finally earned that role. I poured everything into this wedding, tiptoeing around it like it was proof I belonged.

But in the end, I was still cropped out of the frame.

The phone lit and dimmed, lit and dimmed. Messages kept coming. I didn’t reply. No one noticed.

I drove back to my city apartment. On the hall mirror hung a sticky note: Wedding countdown: 7 days. I peeled it off, crumpled it, and tossed it into the fireplace. Watched it curl, blacken, and turn to ash.

The next morning, I finally opened my phone.

99+ unread messages in the group.

Serafina had tagged me in one voice message: “Sister, I changed the processional music for you. Your pick was too gloomy—weddings are supposed to be happy!”

Lorenzo followed with a text: Yeah, the old one wasn’t quite right.

The old one? That Sicilian folk song my mother loved—the one I’d chosen since childhood, so she could be with me on my wedding day. Lorenzo knew. Serafina knew. They both thought it was too sad.

Serafina typed again: My sister’s kind of introverted about these things—we’ll handle it for her.

Lorenzo: Mm.

I stared at that single “Mm.” Messages kept flooding in.

No one noticed I hadn’t spoken.

I opened my private chat with Lorenzo. The last exchange was from yesterday, before the fitting. I’d said, “I’m nervous,” and he’d replied, “Don’t overthink. I’ve got it.”

Nothing after that. Not even a private question about my leaving early—just a brief @ in the group: “What’s wrong? Cold feet?” Then Serafina posted a photo of the gown she’d picked for me, and the conversation moved on.

I suddenly understood: I wasn’t just surplus. Surplus implies you once existed. I felt like I’d never been there at all.