She Dressed Plain For Her Sister’s Wedding, Not Knowing The Millionaire Best Man Loved Her
One Last Dance
Back at the reception, Emma took her seat at the back table. The two women who had whispered about her earlier were gone, probably circling Clare like sharks, she thought bitterly.
The cake cutting happened. Emma watched from a distance as Clare and Thomas fed each other bites, laughing.
Clare caught Emma’s eye across the room and smiled—a victor’s smile.
The first dance began. Thomas held Clare close, their bodies moving in perfect synchronization.
“May I?”
Emma looked up. Garrett stood beside her chair, his hand extended.
“You shouldn’t.”
“I don’t care what I should or shouldn’t do anymore.”
His eyes held hers.
“One dance, that’s all I’m asking.”
Against her better judgment, she took his hand. He led her to the edge of the dance floor, far from the center where all eyes focused on the bride and groom.
His arms encircled her waist. She rested her hands on his shoulders, maintaining a respectable distance.
“This doesn’t change anything,”
she whispered.
“It changes everything.”
He pulled her closer.
“Emma, I’m not giving up on this. On us.”
“There is no us.”
“Liar.”
The word stung because it was true. They swayed in silence.
The music wrapped around them. For a moment, Emma let herself pretend.
Pretend she was someone who deserved this. Someone who belonged in his arms.
“I’m leaving tomorrow,”
Garrett said suddenly.
“Business in Singapore. I’ll be gone for six months.”
Emma’s heart clenched.
“Oh.”
“Come with me.”
She stumbled. He caught her, steadying her.
“What?”
“Come with me to Singapore. Leave this all behind. Your sister’s manipulation. Your family’s expectations. The life that makes you feel small.”
His voice was urgent now and desperate.
“Let me show you who you could be, who you already are.”
“I can’t just leave my job, my apartment.”
“I’ll take care of everything.”
“Money is an issue for you.”
She pulled back, putting distance between them.
“Don’t you see? That’s the problem. I’d be dependent on you completely. If things went wrong, I’d be stranded halfway across the world with nothing.”
“Things won’t go wrong.”
“You can’t promise that.”
The song ended. Applause rippled through the crowd.
Emma stepped out of his arms.
“Thank you for the dance.”
She walked away before he could respond. Garrett watched her disappear into the crowd, his hands clenching into fists.
At the head table, Clare leaned over to Thomas.
“Your best man seems distracted.”
Thomas followed her gaze to where Garrett stood looking lost.
“Yeah, he’s been off all night.”
Clare sipped her champagne, satisfaction warming her more than the alcohol. Everything was going exactly as planned.
The Silence of Three Months
Three months passed. Emma threw herself into work.
She reorganized the entire children’s section. She started a book club for teenagers.
She stayed late every night because her apartment felt too quiet and too empty. Garrett called twice a week from Singapore.
She never answered. He left voicemails she listened to at midnight, his voice a knife twisting deeper each time.
“Emma, please just talk to me. I miss you. The silence is killing me.”
She deleted each one after listening, but she listened every single time.
The Unlikely Apology
Then Clare called.
“I need to see you. It’s important.”
They met at a coffee shop near the library. Clare looked perfect as always, designer sunglasses pushed up on her head, her engagement ring catching the light.
“You look terrible,”
Clare said by way of greeting.
“Thank you.”
“I’m not trying to be cruel. I’m worried about you.”
Clare stirred her latte.
“You’ve lost weight. When’s the last time you slept?”
“Why are you here, Claire?”
Her sister sighed.
“Because I owe you an apology.”
Emma’s head snapped up.
“What?”
“I was horrible to you at the wedding. I threatened you. I manipulated you.”
Clare’s voice was soft and genuine.
“I’ve been thinking about it every day since. The guilt is eating me alive.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I.”
Clare laughed without humor.
“Isn’t that pathetic? I had everything I wanted—the perfect wedding, the perfect husband—and I still couldn’t handle you having something of your own.”
Emma’s throat tightened.
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because Garrett came back early from Singapore. He showed up at my house yesterday.”
Claire met her eyes.
“He told Thomas everything—about his feelings for you, about the kiss in the library, about my threats.”
The world tilted.
“He did what?”
“He confessed. Said he couldn’t keep lying to his best friend. That some things matter more than convenience or comfort.”
Claire’s smile was sad.
“Thomas was angry at first, but then Garrett said something that changed everything.”
“What?”
“He said, ‘If you saw the woman you love being destroyed piece by piece and your silence was a knife cutting her, wouldn’t you do anything to stop it?'”
Claire’s eyes glistened.
“Thomas looked at him and said, ‘Is it that bad?’ And Garrett said, ‘She won’t answer my calls. She’s disappearing again, but this time it might be permanent.'”
Emma couldn’t breathe.
“Thomas asked me if it was true, if I had threatened you both.”
Claire’s voice broke.
“I tried to lie, but he knows me too well. He saw it in my face.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he was disappointed. Not angry. Disappointed.”
A tear slid down Clare’s perfect cheek.
“Do you know how much worse that is? I would have preferred fury.”
Emma didn’t know what to say or what to feel.
“I’m sorry, Emma. I’m so sorry.”
Clare reached across the table, taking her sister’s hand.
“I’ve spent my whole life being the center of attention. And when I saw someone actually seeing you, really seeing you, I panicked. I thought if you became visible, I’d become invisible. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
“Claire—”
“Let me finish. Please.”
Claire squeezed her hand.
“You’re better than me. You always have been. You’re kinder, more genuine, more selfless. And instead of celebrating that, I tried to crush it. I tried to make you smaller so I could stay big.”
“You’re my sister. I could never hate you.”
“I know. That’s what makes this worse.”
Claire wiped her eyes.
“Garrett’s waiting outside. He wanted me to talk to you first, to apologize, to tell you that I released both of you from my stupid threats.”
Emma’s heart hammered against her ribs.
“He’s outside right now?”
Claire nodded.
“He’s been waiting for an hour. I told him I didn’t know if you’d even meet me, but he said he’d wait anyway. He’d wait forever if that’s what it took.”
Emma stood abruptly. The chair scraped.
“Go,”
Clare said softly.
“Go get the ending I tried to steal from you.”
