Chapter 46
Forty-Six
Eva had planned hundreds of weddings.
She knew the rhythm of them, the invisible structure. She knew when people would cry, when they would laugh, when the nervous energy would peak, and when it would settle.
She knew this moment. The big question. And she knew there was often a pause, just to acknowledge the weight of the moment.
But this pause was different. This was someone not answering.
Eva told herself it was nothing. Of course Maddy would hesitate. The day she’d had? But she’d still go through with it. She’d still choose Adam. There were a million reasons she should and only one that she shouldn’t. Given those odds, Eva couldn’t dare to hope.
But the pause stretched. And stretched…
A ripple moved through the room. It was subtle: guests shifting, leaning in, wanting an end to the tension. For the predictability of ‘I do.’ For everything to make sense.
Eva kept breathing in and out like someone who wasn’t panicking. Who wasn’t wishing. She’ll say it. She’s going to say it.
But Maddy still wasn’t saying anything.
The bouquet in her hands had gone rigid, her knuckles pale against the broken stems.
Still, Eva wasn’t really hoping. She didn’t dare.
The silence went on. And it was worse than any disaster the day had thrown at them so far. The ceiling had come in. The wind had been loud. The doors had slammed. The arch had literally left the premises.
But the quiet was something else.
Eva swallowed. She shouldn’t be thinking this. She shouldn’t be standing here hoping for disaster.
But hope was breaking through.
You’re exactly what I need.
This wasn’t just about a kiss. It was about the course of Maddy’s life. Not just about the choices she had, but the ability to make them at all.
Could Maddy do this? Could she find the strength to say no? And could Eva find the strength to watch it all come crashing down? Could she let the plan fail?
Yes.
She was tired of holding it all up. She wanted the chaos. She wanted Maddy.
Maddy, who still wasn’t saying anything either way.
The officiant glanced up, uncertainty flickering across her face.
‘Maddy?’ she prompted gently.
No response.
Adam coughed. ‘Mads.’ He laughed. ‘Did you hear the question?’ But he didn’t look amused. He knew what was happening.
This was it. This was the moment when everything tipped one way or the other.
Hope flared in Eva. Please.
Maddy’s lips parted. And then…
‘I can’t.’
The words were quiet, but they cut through the room like a razor.
Eva didn’t breathe. For a moment, she wasn’t entirely sure she hadn’t imagined what she wanted to hear.
But it had been said. And it was out there.
The room hadn’t reacted yet. The meaning was still catching up. But Eva felt it immediately. Something cracking open.
Everything had changed.