Five years after my fianc\u00e9 slept with my cousin, she arrived at my wedding carrying flowers.
\n\u201cWe were young,\u201d Vanessa said, reaching for me.
\nI stepped back.
\nBehind her stood Aunt Lydia, wearing the same expression she had worn when she told me not to destroy the family over \u201cone mistake.\u201d
\nThe ceremony would begin in twenty minutes. Beyond the hallway doors, seventy guests were finding their seats. My bouquet rested on a bench beside me.
\n\u201cYou weren\u2019t invited,\u201d I said.
\nVanessa glanced at the doors. \u201cCan I at least meet the groom?\u201d
\nThen Andrew stepped out of the bridal suite.
\nThe flowers shifted in her hands.
\nHe looked at me, then at her.
\n\u201cIs this the cousin you told me about? Because she introduced herself differently yesterday.\u201d
\nFor a moment, nobody moved.
\n\u201cWhat did she tell you?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cThat she was helping our videographer.\u201d
\nVanessa recovered quickly. \u201cI wanted to arrange something special.\u201d
\nAndrew\u2019s expression hardened. \u201cYou said you needed a few words for the wedding film.\u201d
\nI looked down at the flowers. White roses. My favorite when I was twenty-seven, engaged to a different man, and foolish enough to lend my cousin a key.
\n\u201cWhat words?\u201d
\nHe took out his phone.
\n\u201cShe asked what I hoped today would mean for you<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Five years after my fianc\u00e9 slept with my cousin, she arrived at my wedding carrying flowers. \u201cWe were young,\u201d Vanessa said, reaching for me. I stepped back. Behind her stood Aunt Lydia, wearing the same expression she had worn when she told me not to destroy the family over \u201cone mistake.\u201d The ceremony would begin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65364,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n