Chapter 6 - THE CEREMONYFor forty minutes, everything was beautiful.
Claire walked down the aisle on Richard Westmore’s arm.
James watched her with the unmistakable expression of a man overwhelmed by the person approaching him.
Ava sat in the second row beside Evelyn.
Sophie had been assigned to table nine, much farther back.
That fact annoyed her more than she wanted to admit.
Claire and James exchanged vows beneath an arch of white roses.
When James said:
“I choose you freely, completely, and without reservation,”
Ava felt no jealousy.
Only relief.
She had worried some old feeling might rise.
It didn’t.
James belonged to a life she had left.
Claire belonged to his future.
When rings were exchanged, Ava quietly cried.
Evelyn squeezed her hand.
The ceremony ended.
Guests applauded.
For a while, Sophie forgot about Preston.
Then her phone vibrated.
A message.
PRESTON: Interesting question. Did James tell Claire everything about Ava?
Sophie’s stomach tightened.
She typed:
Leave it alone.
No response.
At dinner, Sophie tried to focus on her table.
She was seated beside a private-school administrator, a plastic surgeon, and an attorney who talked too much about Nantucket.
Across the ballroom, Ava sat at the Westmore family table.
Beside Claire’s grandmother.
Near Richard.
Near James.
Sophie watched Lucas Sterling approach Ava during dinner and kiss her cheek.
Exactly the introduction she wanted.
She felt resentment flare again.
When Lucas sat briefly, they laughed about something.
Sophie imagined Ava mentioning her.
She knew Ava probably wasn’t.
Her phone vibrated again.
This time it was not Preston.
A link.
A small gossip account had posted:
WHICH LOW-PROFILE HEIRESS ATTENDED HER EX-BOYFRIEND’S MANHATTAN WEDDING TONIGHT? Sources say the bride may not know the full history.
No names.
Yet.
Sophie’s blood ran cold.
She stood so quickly her chair scraped.
The attorney beside her looked up.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes.”
She rushed toward hallway.
Called Preston.
He answered.
“You posted that?”
“No.”
“Don’t lie.”
“I don’t run gossip accounts.”
“You fed it.”
“I asked a question.”
“I told you not to.”
“You told me something in a ballroom full of people.”
Sophie’s breathing sharpened.
“If this becomes a problem—”
“What? You’ll tell Ava you leaked it?”
Sophie went silent.
Preston laughed softly.
“Relax. It’s blind gossip.”
“No names.”
“For now.”
“Exactly.”
He hung up.
Sophie stared at her phone.
Then she saw Ava approaching.
“Sophie?”
Sophie shoved phone into bag.
“What?”
“You look pale.”
“I’m fine.”
Ava studied her.
“Are you sure?”
For one insane second Sophie almost confessed.
Then she imagined Ava’s face.
The disappointment.
The end of their relationship.
And worse—
the humiliation of admitting she had weaponized a private conversation because Ava refused a business introduction.
So Sophie lied.
“Just too much champagne.”
Ava nodded.
“Drink water.”
Then walked away.
Sophie watched her go.
Ten minutes later, Claire’s bridesmaid found Ava.
“There’s something online.”
Ava’s stomach dropped.
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The wedding reception had barely started.
And someone was already trying to turn her history into scandal.
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