جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 34

Vivian's POVThe wedding was six weeks away.I stood in the bridal boutique, staring at my reflection in the three-way mirror. The dress was ivory silk, elegant and understated, with a neckline that dipped just enough to be tasteful. It was the kind of dress a woman wore when she wanted to look like she belonged in a magazine spread… perfect, polished, passionless.The sales associate circled me, making small adjustments, her voice a pleasant hum of compliments and suggestions. I nodded along, saying nothing, watching the stranger in the mirror who was supposed to be me.My phone buzzed in my clutch.I glanced at it and Ethan's name lit up the screen.Ethan: meet me at the venue at 4. The event planner wants to go over the venue arrangement and decorationI typed back a quick confirmation and set the phone aside.This marriage was a transaction. It was a fair trade. Neither of us pretended otherwise.But sometimes, in the quiet moments, I caught myself wondering if that was enough. If

Vivian's POVDinner was served in the dining room.The table was a masterpiece of opulence… crystal goblets, silver cutlery, china plates with gold trim that probably cost more than my rent. Candles flickered in the centerpiece casting dancing shadows across the faces of the assembled guests.I was seated between Ethan and an elderly aunt who smelled of lavender and mothballs. Across the table in my line of sight sat Derek and Charlotte.It was deliberate. I knew it was on purpose. Eleanor had arranged the seating to make me feel uncomfortable, to force me to stare at the man I had once loved across a table with the trappings of the life I had almost had."Miss Vivian, " Charlotte said, her voice light. Just curious. "How did you and Ethan meet?"I slowly took a sip of my wine to buy myself a moment. The burgundy liquid was rich and velvety, a vintage that probably cost more than I had made in a week at my job. I wasn't poor_that was what annoyed me most. I came from one of the most p