I stared at Colleen.
For a moment, that seemed to explain everything.
Adrian had an older brother, Julian.
Of course.
This must be his wedding.
Julian and I had always gotten along well.
He had been quieter than Adrian, but he was kind to me.
At holidays, he was usually the person helping me carry dishes into
the kitchen while everyone else argued over football.
I won’t lie — it hurt a little that he hadn’t invited me.
But after Adrian’s death, I’d barely spoken to his family.
Maybe they thought a wedding would be too painful for me.
Maybe Julian had decided that seeing him stand at an altar would remind me too much of everything I’d lost.
I tried not to take it personally.
Then I noticed the corsage on her wrist.
I’d made it myself that morning.
It was for the groom’s mother.
Colleen glanced at me, then quickly followed the coordinator away.
I watched her leave.
Something still felt wrong.
I told myself that explained her strange behavior.
Maybe she’d simply felt awkward seeing me here.
Maybe she thought I would be upset.
Maybe she felt guilty that Julian was getting married only three months after Adrian’s funeral.
I forced myself back to work.
There were arrangements to finish. Candles had to be placed. The ceremony flowers needed one final check.
A few minutes later, I spotted her near the groom’s room.
This time, I almost walked away.
Of course she was there. Her son was getting married.
Still, something about the way she moved bothered me.
She looked around before slipping inside.
Then I heard Colleen’s voice.
“You need to hurry. The ceremony starts in 20 minutes.”
A man answered.
I stopped.
That wasn’t Julian’s voice.
Something about it made my whole body go cold.
I had heard that voice half asleep in the morning.
I had heard it whisper beside me in movie theaters.
I had heard it arguing about cake.
But that was impossible.
I moved closer to the door.
Through the narrow opening, I could see Colleen.
