For a few seconds, I tried to convince myself not to follow.
Maybe she was attending another wedding at the hotel.
Maybe she had gone through the wrong door.
Maybe there was an explanation that had nothing to do with me.
But she had looked nervous.
Not confused.
Nervous.
So I followed her.
The hallway was quieter than the ballroom.
The music became a dull pulse behind me.
When I reached the bridal suite, the door hadn’t closed completely.
I pushed it open.
Inside, Clementine was standing beside the bride’s dress, frantically searching through a small white bag.
“Clementine?”
She spun around.
The color drained from her face.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
“What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
Her hands moved immediately.
She quickly shoved something into her purse.
I stared at her.
“What was that?”
She ignored the question.
“Please. Go back to the reception.”
Something about her voice made me stay exactly where I was.
Then I noticed something strange.
A second wedding dress was hanging behind the bathroom door.
It wasn’t Elowen’s.
I knew Elowen’s dress. I had seen her in it less than an hour ago.
This one was different.
Simpler.
Smaller.
And under it sat a pair of men’s shoes and a navy suit jacket.
For one awful second, I couldn’t breathe.
I knew that jacket.
Same brand.
Same size.
Even the same silver cufflinks.
My body reacted before my mind caught up.
I stepped toward it.
Clementine immediately stepped in front of me.
“Don’t.”
I stopped.
Her eyes were glassy.
My voice sounded strange when I spoke.
“Why is this jacket here?”
Her lips trembled.
Before she could answer, a phone inside her purse started ringing.
She glanced at the screen and quickly silenced it.
But I had already seen the caller’s name.
My entire body went cold.
“That’s impossible.”
Clementine stared at me.
Then the bridal room door began to open.
Clementine []moved before I did.
She grabbed my wrist.
“Davina, please.”
I pulled free.
A man stepped into the room.
For a second, my mind refused to understand what my eyes were seeing.
He wore a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.
His dark hair was slightly longer than I remembered.
There was more weight in his face, and a faint scar ran beside his left eyebrow.
