- 31.
The wedding went as planned. My mom arrived the day before to see me off. Tears welled up in her eyes as I put on my dress. For the first time
in twenty–six years, she hugged me. “Olivia, I’m sorry. I wasn’t a good mother. Have a happy life.” “I don’t need you to be rich and famous. Just be happy and safe.” She hadn’t given her blessing because she was ashamed of me. She
really did love me. My throat tightened. I
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hugged her back, whispering, “Okay.” The
wedding cars lined up outside. I saw Ethan standing by the gate, dressed in a new suit, his hair neatly styled. I ignored him and started towards the car, but he grabbed my arm. His voice was rough. “Olivia, is this… revenge?” He gave a wry smile. “Don’t do this. Marriage isn’t a game. You can punish me any way you want, just don’t marry someone else.” I stopped Alex from intervening, shaking off Ethan’s hand and brushing my arm where he’d touched it. “You think too highly of yourself.” “If you need to hear it, fine. Ethan, I don’t love you anymore. Leave me alone.” As the cars pulled away, I saw him standing there, his figure slumped in
defeat.
