Chapter 1
"Claire, stand a little farther back and get a shot of Vivian and me. Find a good angle with the light while you're at it, so we'll know what works when it's your turn."
Ethan didn't even look back at me as he spoke.
He was crouched in front of the bridal boutique's floor-length mirror, completely absorbed in adjusting the angle of his phone.
Vivian's reflection filled the mirror.
She was wearing a strapless satin gown with a long train, its skirt studded with tiny, closely set crystals.
After three trips through Boston's bridal boutiques on my own, comparing countless fabrics and cuts, I'd found one dress so special that I'd saved my first fitting for today.
Because Ethan had promised that today, exactly six weeks before our wedding, he would set aside every client proposal at the firm, clear his entire afternoon, and be the first person to see me in that dress.
But now Vivian had worn it first.
Twenty minutes earlier, one of our college friends had pulled it out, teasing that it would be a waste not to let Vivian try it on with her delicate frame.
Vivian covered her mouth as she laughed, protesting, "I couldn't possibly steal the bride's spotlight," though her eyes never left Ethan.
Ethan had chuckled softly, rubbed the tip of his nose, and said, "She's just trying it on for fun. Claire isn't that petty."
Then the women had ushered Vivian into the main fitting room.
An attendant had taken me to a cramped little room at the far end of the hallway.
Behind the heavy curtain, I'd undressed alone and let the attendant fasten a tight row of concealed hooks.
On the other side, all I could hear was laughter, camera shutters, and Ethan's undisguised amazement.
"You look beautiful in that, Vivian." It was Ethan's voice, alive with the same ardor it had held seven years ago, when he'd pursued her relentlessly across our college campus. "It's like it was made for you."
The attendant's fingers paused over the ties at my back, and she cautiously checked my expression in the mirror.
I'd thought that seven years into our relationship, with only six weeks left before our wedding, he could finally give me his undivided attention. Just once.
But I was still the supporting character waiting behind the curtain for someone else to leave the stage.
"Claire, shall we go out?" the attendant asked softly.
I pulled back the curtain and walked into the main showroom.
No one noticed the soft click of my heels against the wooden floor.
Our friends were clustered around Vivian, busy arranging the long train behind her.
Ethan had finished taking a few full-length shots and risen to his feet. He stepped back, smiling down at the pictures on his phone.
Finally, the attendant arranging my skirt couldn't help clearing her throat. "Everyone, here's the actual bride-to-be."
The laughter cut off as though someone had sliced through it.
A few friends exchanged glances, their smiles fading into awkward expressions.
Vivian turned around, lifting the elaborate skirt in both hands, her face a flawless picture of sweetness and guilt.
"Claire, there you are! Yours looks lovely too… But this train is so heavy, and Ethan can't get the whole thing in the shot on his own."
She smiled and winked at me. "Claire, could you take a picture of Ethan and me? A little keepsake of all these years we've been friends."
Ethan smiled with relief, as if she'd finally smoothed things over.
He turned and held his phone out in front of my chest without a second thought.
The screen was still lit, the camera view filled with Vivian's radiant smile as she stood in my dream wedding dress.
My fingers clenched around the cool fabric of my skirt. I didn't move.
I didn't raise my hand. I didn't take the phone.
The air in the showroom seemed to freeze.
Ethan held the phone out for a few seconds, then gradually frowned. "Claire, everyone's watching," he said under his breath. "Don't spoil the fun."
I looked at the face I knew better than almost any other, and for the first time, he felt like a stranger.
"Ethan." I met his eyes, my voice calm. "Who did you come here for today?"