Ashley noticed the dress before the face. White fabric, unmistakable, moving through the crowd with calm certainty. For a moment, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. Then recognition hit, sharp and humiliating. Rowena was wearing white to her big day.
Whispers rippled through the room. Phones rose. Ashley felt heat rush to her face as anger flooded in, fast and absolute. Of all days, of all boundaries, this felt deliberate. A quiet, calculated insult she believed she had waited years for. Her hands trembled inside the lace sleeves.
She turned to Bill, expecting outrage or support. Instead, she saw his smile falter. His shoulders stiffened. He did not look at Rowena. He did not look at anyone. For the first time since Ashley had known him, fear flickered openly across his handsome face.