- 4.
After they leave, I take a breath.
I don’t want to deal with them anymore.
But once it starts, I can’t stop it.
I rub my temples.
I can’t give up yet.
They dumped a whole mess on me.
Luckily, I started planning this wedding a
month ago.
く
Most of it’s already done, so I just need to
finish it up.
Still, I end up staying up all night.
The next day, I drag myself out of bed.
I only got two hours of sleep.
But the wedding’s today, and I have a lot to
- do.
By the time the wedding rolls around, I can
barely stand.
I close my eyes, dizzy, and stumble.
Someone grabs me.
I open my eyes, and it’s Mark.
Without thinking, I push him away.
He looks surprised, then his face hardens. “What are you doing standing around? The wedding’s a mess, go do something!”
I smile a little.
Money is hard to make, and life is hard to
live.
I don’t have the energy to fight with him.
I turn away, but someone calls me back.
Ashley walks over in a beautiful purple dress
that shows off her waist.
I can’t help but look at the dress.
Mark was going to buy me that dress.
Now, Ashley’s wearing it.
I dig my fingers into my palms.
Ashley spins around, all happy.
She has a fake smile and asks, “Do you like
this dress? Does it look good with the
flowers?”
I can’t say anything, so I just nod.
Her smile gets bigger, and she looks at me.
“Would you be our wedding host?”
Something ine
نط
Something inside me snaps.
I bite my lip, but I don’t say anything.
Mark says softly, “Ashley, don’t, she’s not a
good fit.”
Ashley hugs Mark’s arm and whines, “Why
not? She’s been doing this for years, if she
can’t even host a wedding, why does she
even have a company?”
Mark gives in and says, “Okay, okay.”
He gives me a cold look and says, “Sarah,
you’ll host our wedding.”
I laugh. “What if I don’t want to?”
Mark frowns at me and says, “Then I guess
<
you’re not as good as you think you are. And I
don’t think the company is worth anything.”
I bite my tongue, and it starts to bleed.
It’s so embarrassing.
Why can’t we just leave it alone?
I would have left them alone even without all
this.
Why do they have to be such jerks?
I nod.
I walk past them.
As I walk by Ashley, I stop.
I ask, “Do you like wearing other people’s
hand–me–downs?”
