Chapter 5 - The Dinner Before the Wedding
The rehearsal dinner took place on a lower terrace surrounded by lanterns and tropical flowers.
At first, the evening seemed peaceful.
Ethan’s parents welcomed Claire warmly. Lily sat beside the groom’s grandmother and listened carefully to stories about Ethan’s childhood.
Vanessa moved from table to table, charming every guest.
Only the staff saw how quickly her smile disappeared whenever something went wrong.
She complained that the soup was too warm.
She ordered a waiter to replace every candle because one had burned unevenly.
She reduced a young florist to tears over the angle of three orchids.
Claire intervened each time.
By dessert, Vanessa was furious.
She waited until Claire entered a quiet corridor outside the dining area.
“Stop humiliating me.”
“I have done nothing to humiliate you.”
“You keep correcting me in front of the staff.”
“You keep treating them as though they are objects.”
“I am the bride.”
“That does not make you their owner.”
Vanessa folded her arms.
“You cannot stand that people are looking at me instead of you.”
Claire almost laughed.
“You believe I paid millions of dollars for your wedding because I wanted attention?”
Vanessa’s face changed slightly.
“You did not pay millions.”
Claire realized immediately that their parents had lied to her.
“What did Mom and Dad tell you?”
“That they covered the island and you helped with a few vendors.”
Claire studied her sister’s expression.
Vanessa genuinely believed it.
For one moment, Claire felt pity.
Then Vanessa continued.
“And even if you did pay more, it does not give you control.”
Claire nodded.
“You are right. Paying does not give me the right to control you.”
Vanessa looked triumphant.
“But it does give me the right to stop paying.”
The triumph vanished.
“You would not.”
“Try me.”
Before Vanessa could respond, Ethan entered the corridor.
“There you are,” he said. “The speeches are starting.”
Vanessa immediately took his arm.
“Claire was just apologizing.”
Claire looked at her sister.
“No, I was not.”
Ethan’s eyes moved between them.
Vanessa laughed too loudly.
“She is joking.”
During the speeches, Richard praised Vanessa as the light of the Blackthorne family.
Margaret described her as generous, graceful, and endlessly loving.
Neither mentioned Claire’s contribution.
Then Richard raised his glass toward Ethan.
“Thank you for giving our daughter the wedding she always deserved.”
Claire saw Ethan’s jaw tighten.
After the dinner, he found Claire alone near the water.
“They are lying to everyone,” he said.
“That is what they do.”
“Why allow it?”
Claire watched moonlight spread across the ocean.
“Because I thought keeping the peace would protect Lily from family conflict.”
“Has it?”
Claire looked back toward the terrace, where Vanessa was criticizing a photographer.
“No.”
Ethan leaned against the stone railing.
“I love your sister, but sometimes I feel as though I love the person she becomes when no one is watching.”
Claire faced him.
“People are most honest when they believe no consequences are coming.”
Ethan’s expression became troubled.
“What happens tomorrow?”
“I hope she marries you and becomes the person you think she is.”
“And if she does not?”
May you like
Claire looked toward the dark shape of the island rising above the sea.
“Then tomorrow will reveal the truth.”
