Rebecca read the room perfectly. She patted Sean on the shoulder. "Come on, babe, don't be so formal. Ellie might not think of me as a sister, but I've always treated her like family."
"It's just a white dress. I'm not picky about that stuff. It's not like I'm going to ruin it."
She tilted her head and smiled at me. "You're not that petty, are you, Ellie?"
Whatever hesitation Sean had vanished in an instant. He let go of Rebecca's shoulder and jerked his chin at one of the bridesmaids. "Go get the dress."
I stared him down. "Sean, don't you dare."
He didn't look at me. His voice was low but absolute. "Rebecca put in more work for this wedding than anyone. Letting her try on a dress isn't going to kill you. She'll give it back."
The bridesmaid came running back with the gown. I lunged for it.
Before my fingers even grazed the fabric, two men shoved me aside. I stumbled and slammed into the corner of a table, pain shooting through my lower back until my legs went numb.
Rebecca took the gown and slipped it on right there in front of everyone. She smoothed the skirt, did a little spin, and smiled with her eyes curved into crescents.
The pose. The look in her eyes. Anyone walking in off the street would have thought she was the one marrying Sean today.
Someone in the crowd started whistling.
Sean didn't step away. He even let his gaze drift down over the dress on her body, and the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
I stood there watching the two of them side by side, and suddenly I wanted to laugh.
The dress was mine. The wedding was mine. The groom was mine.
But in that moment, I was the outsider.
I fixed my eyes on Sean. My voice had gone raw. "Do you even remember whose wedding this is?"
Rebecca's smile disappeared. She lowered her head and fiddled with the hem of the gown, her voice barely above a whisper. "Ellie, I'm just not great at getting along with other girls. Do you really hate me that much? If I did something wrong, just tell me, okay? Please don't be like this."
Her eyes turned red as she spoke.
Sean whipped around and glared at me, his voice loud enough to carry across the entire yard. "Are you done? Rebecca's been helping out of the goodness of her heart and you've been throwing a fit since the start! What do you want?"
I pointed at the gown on Rebecca's body. My finger was shaking. "She ruined my wedding!"
"Ruined your wedding?" Sean let out a cold laugh and stepped closer.
"Let me tell you something. This is how we do things here. The rougher the hazing, the better the marriage. You're a city girl. Is that it? Deep down you think you're better than us? Better than me?"
He was on a roll now. He turned to the guests, arms spread wide, voice climbing higher. "Everybody, take a good look! This is the city wife I found! Can't even handle a little wedding fun, and she says she loves me?"
People started jeering.
Rebecca tugged lightly on his sleeve and murmured something. Sean patted her hand, his voice so gentle it was unrecognizable. "It's okay. I'll handle it."
Then he turned back to me. His eyes went cold. A faint, unreadable smugness hung at the corner of his mouth.
"Since you won't show any respect, don't blame me for what comes next."
He cocked his head toward the men beside him.
I had barely taken half a step back when a deep, heavy roar rolled in from overhead.
Every head turned skyward at once.
A silver-white private jet was descending through the clouds, the emblem on its fuselage blazing under the sun.
