All she could do was watch, powerless, as the vows she had dreamed of were stolen in front of her very eyes. The officiant’s voice wavered as he pressed on, reading from the page as if nothing were wrong. “Do you, Liam, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?” “Yes,” Liam said, the word cutting through Clara like glass.
Her breath hitched. Her vision tunneled. Around her, she could feel the weight of a hundred eyes, the whispers, the pity, the shock. Her cheeks burned as though every guest were staring only at her, watching her humiliation unfold like a play they couldn’t look away from. “And do you, Stephanie, take this man—” “I do!” Stephanie cut in eagerly, her voice soaring, triumphant.