Adrian couldn’t even meet my eyes for long.
“Say something, Clara,” he muttered.
I looked at the man who had sworn he would love me forever, then at the parents who had never truly hidden their contempt.
Mrs. Vale stepped forward first. “Don’t make this more unpleasant than necessary. We’ll reimburse the dress.”
That humiliation hit harder than the betrayal itself.
I had sewn my mother’s old lace into that gown with my own hands.
Mr. Vale smiled thinly. “You’re young. You’ll recover. Women like you always do.”
Women like me.
Poor. Quiet. Thankful.
That was all they saw when they looked at me.
I inhaled slowly until my shaking hands became steady.
Then I smiled.
Adrian visibly flinched.
“Thank you,” I said calmly.
His mother narrowed her eyes. “For what?”
“For telling me before I walked down the aisle.”
