I drove to the chapel without remembering half the trip.
When I reached the venue, guests were already arriving, smiling and carrying gifts. A coordinator led me to a small side room.
Lily sat there in her pearl-covered dress, crying. Her flower basket was on the floor.
Brittany stood near the mirror in her silk gown, arms crossed.
“What happened?” I asked.
Brittany smiled coldly.
“I realized a new family should begin without reminders of the old one,” she said.
Then she looked at Lily and added, “Besides, sweetheart, you look too much like your mother.”
I waited for Mark to defend his daughter.
He stood in the doorway.
He had heard everything.
But he said nothing.
I turned to him, shaking. “Your daughter is crying because your fiancée told her she isn’t wanted, and you’re just standing there?”
Mark only looked down.
Then he muttered, “Brittany is stressed. It’s a big day.”
That was when I understood. He was not going to protect Lily.
Before I could leave, I noticed Carol, Mark’s mother, standing in the hallway. She had heard it all. Her face went still, and without a word, she turned and walked away.
