Substitute No More

For this wedding, I didn’t have any bridesmaids of my own. Instead, Sandra had invited Stella’s friends.

In the makeup room, they didn’t even bother to hide their mockery.

“Stella really had bad luck. Died young, and now this country bumpkin gets to take her place.”

“So what? Everyone knows she’s just a stand-in. Mr. Davidson loves Stella. Mr. and Mrs. Walker love Stella, too.”

I didn’t care about their sneers and gossip. However, one of them suddenly threw a pillow straight at my head.

I turned and stared coldly at her. She didn’t apologize, lifting her chin proudly.

“What’s the point of glaring? Go ahead and complain. Who’s going to stand up for you? If you cause trouble and ruin the rehearsal, you’ll be the one getting punished. It’s pathetic.”

She wasn’t wrong.

To everyone here, I was just someone to be tolerated. Anyone who had ever known Stella seemed to think they had a right to step on me.

At the wedding rehearsal, everything was decorated in Stella’s favorite red tones.

The aisle was lined with red roses, and even the bouquet was made from them.

Everyone had forgotten that I was allergic to red roses. Just touching them caused me to break out in hives.

I forced myself to bear the itching all over my body and walked through the entire rehearsal with Justin.

The moment our eyes met, I saw a tenderness in him that I’d never seen before. However, I knew he wasn’t seeing me.

“Why isn’t there a seat for Grandma in the family section?” I pointed at the empty spot.

Sandra’s gentle expression vanished immediately.

“What would we save a seat for that old woman for?”

I said quietly, “Mom, Grandma raised me.”

Sandra frowned and snapped under her breath, “You’re the Walkers’ daughter, not her granddaughter. You ungrateful brat.”

My heart skipped a beat. Looking at Gilbert and Sandra’s obvious displeasure, I thought of what I had overheard the night before, and pain started to spread through my chest.

Justin put his arm around me.

“Mrs. Walker’s right. Stella never even acknowledged that woman. And now you treat her like treasure. Eva, you don’t know how good you have it.”

I clenched my fists so hard that my nails left white marks in my palms. Justin had spent time with Grandma before. Yet, now, just to defend Stella, he was demeaning her, too.

As I watched Justin, Gilbert, and Sandra sigh over Stella’s old photos again, something in me finally broke.

Still, I told myself to hold on a little longer until the wedding was over. Then, I’d leave with Grandma.

I took Gilbert’s arm and walked toward Justin. Every step felt like torture.

Before I reached them, Nick rushed over to Justin and whispered something. Justin’s face changed instantly.

I tried to read their lips.

“Grandma… missing…”

The bouquet slipped from my hands. I let go of Gilbert and ran over to Nick, grabbing his arm.

“What did you say? What happened to Grandma? Where did she go? I’m going to find her! Take me to her!”

Justin pulled me back hard, shouting, “Eva, get a grip! You’re still at the wedding venue. We’ll deal with Grandma after the ceremony.”

I shook off his hand and stared at him, stunned.

“You know she has Alzheimer’s. And now she’s gone missing, you want me to wait? I’m not getting married!”

Sandra walked up and slapped me across the face.

“Snap out of it! So what if she’s dead? What does that have to do with you? If you don’t go through with this wedding, don’t blame me for cutting you off.”

Tasting the blood in my mouth, I looked around slowly at everyone before pulling off the wedding dress and throwing it at Justin.

I turned and walked straight toward the door.

Justin’s face darkened as he stared at the gown I’d tossed aside.

“Eva, if you walk out that door, I’m canceling the wedding. Don’t even think about marrying me!”

Even with his threat hanging in the air, I didn’t stop.

It was time for me to leave all of this behind.