Layla stood in front of the mirror at the Grand Regent Hotel, watching a stranger stare back at her in white silk and careful, professional makeup, and tried to convince herself the woman in the reflection was actually her."You look beautiful," Sarah said from the doorway, her voice thick with unshed tears. "Mom would have loved this dress.""Mom would have asked why I'm marrying a man I've known for six weeks.""Mom would have asked that, and then she would have looked at how he treats you, and she would have understood." Sarah crossed the room and adjusted the small string of pearls at Layla's throat, a gift from Evelyn that had arrived two days earlier with a note reading simply, These belonged to my mother. I hope they bring you the same steadiness they once brought me. "You're allowed to be nervous, Layla. That doesn't mean you're making a mistake.""I know." Layla pressed a hand flat against her stomach, willing the churning there to settle. "I just keep thinking about all the
Last Updated : 2026-07-25 Read more