The night before the wedding, I took Neal Dickerson's call in the hospital.
"Sonia Swanson, the ceremony goes ahead tomorrow."
"But we'll hold off on the marriage license for now."
The hand holding the billing slip went stiff.
"Why?"
A beat of silence on the line.
"Georgina Swanson feels insecure."
"She gave you seventeen years of being the dutiful daughter. We can't just leave her out in the cold."
"I'll get the license with her first. Give her some standing."
The blood rushed to my head.
"And me? What do the seven years I've spent with you count for?"
I was the one. The Swansons' real daughter, lost for seventeen years.
But from the day they brought me home.
Every bit of care, every bit of favor still went to Georgina, the one who'd been swapped at birth.
Neal's voice turned a great deal colder.
"Sonia, the wedding is still yours. You're the one I want to marry, always."
"It's just a piece of paper. Don't make so much of it."
"Everyone knows you're my wife."
Then my birth mother's voice came down the line.
"Sunny, Georgie is your sister, after all. Can't you give way to her just this once?"
I bowed my head and hung up, quietly.
Right. It's only a piece of paper.
You wouldn't care about it at all.
...
The door of the dressing room swung open.
Neal stood there in his suit, brows faintly drawn.
"Sonia, we didn't get the license, but this wedding is top-tier in every way."
"You know I haven't shortchanged you."
He held out a cup of warm milk.
"Drink it. You'll be on your feet a long time during the ceremony."
I didn't take it.
My eyes had landed on Georgina, just behind him.
Her bridesmaid dress was cut almost exactly like my gown. She even had a tiara on her head.
Georgina caught me looking and dropped her gaze at once.
"Sonia, Neal had this made for me. I never imagined it would look so much like your gown."
"Sonia, please don't be angry with Neal."
She came forward and slipped her hand through Neal's arm.
Her eyes reddened, her voice gone soft and small.
"If it really bothers you, I'll leave right now."
Neal reached over and patted the back of her hand.
"Don't talk nonsense. You're a daughter of the Swansons too. No one would dare send you away."
He turned his head and looked at me.
"Sonia, Georgina's health is fragile. Quit scowling at her."
"It's a piece of paper. Who out there doesn't know you're the one I'm marrying?"
I looked at that expression of his, so utterly certain he was in the right, and a bone-deep tiredness came over me. I didn't even have the strength left to argue.
I lowered my eyes and said it softly. Fine.
It was a quiet goodbye.
Neal blinked, then his tone eased.
"There you go."
He raised a hand to fix my veil.
I tilted my head a fraction and slipped away from it.
His hand froze in midair, then drew back as if nothing had happened.
"Come on. The officiant is waiting."
The venue was full of roses, my favorite flower.
But now the scent only struck me as sharp and absurd.
The ceremony went smoothly.
Up on the dais, Neal read his vows to me, tender and full of feeling.
The guests applauded, one after another.
My birth parents sat at the head table, faces full of satisfaction.
Until the bouquet toss.
The officiant asked with a smile,
"Who will the bride pass this happiness on to?"
I had just started to turn.
Neal pulled the bouquet from my hands.
He walked straight down off the dais and handed it to Georgina.
"Georgina, don't be afraid."
"Today isn't a day about anyone leaving anyone. You'll always have a place in our hearts."
The whole room fell silent in an instant.
Georgina pressed a hand to her mouth, tears spilling down in great drops.
