Chapter 3 - The Ceremony
The venue overlooked the ocean.
White chairs.
Glass arches.
Rows of guests dressed in curated wealth and expectation.
Everything looked exactly like Grant wanted it to look.
Perfect.
Untouchable.
Fragile.
---
The music had already begun when I arrived.
I didn’t rush.
I didn’t hide.
I walked.
Steady.
Measured.
Visible.
At first, no one noticed.
Then a few heads turned.
Then more.
Whispers spread like cracks through glass.
Grant stood at the altar, smiling as Celeste approached him—radiant, confident, one hand resting on the illusion she carried.
Then he saw me.
The smile disappeared.
Not instantly.
But completely.
Like something had been erased.
---
Celeste slowed.
Confused.
“Grant?” she whispered.
He didn’t answer.
He couldn’t.
Because I was already walking down the aisle.
---
Vivian stood up abruptly.
“What is she doing here?” she demanded under her breath.
No one answered.
Because no one could look away.
---
I stopped halfway down the aisle.
Close enough.
Visible enough.
Unavoidable.
Lily shifted slightly in my arms but didn’t wake.
I adjusted the blanket gently, then looked directly at Grant.
“You forgot something,” I said.
My voice carried.
Clear.
Controlled.
Unshaken.
---
Grant forced a laugh.
“This is inappropriate,” he said quickly. “You need to leave.”
“Do I?” I replied.
Celeste’s expression tightened.
“You had no right to come here,” she snapped.
I tilted my head slightly.
“No right?” I repeated. “That’s interesting.”
The guests were silent now.
Watching.
Waiting.
Sensing something beneath the surface.
---
I stepped forward.
One step closer.
Then another.
Until I stood just a few feet from the altar.
“I won’t take long,” I said calmly.
Then I held up the envelope.
“This is for you.”
Grant hesitated.
“Take it,” I added.
His hand moved before his mind caught up.
He took the envelope.
---
May you like
“Go ahead,” I said.
“Open it.”
