“No. YOU did this.”
Her jaw tightened.
“I don’t know what Andrew told you, but Judith wasn’t excluded.”
Charles looked toward the empty back row.
Then back at Claire.
“Really?”
Claire said nothing.
And silence always tells the truth faster than words.
Charles reached into his jacket pocket and removed a folded cream-colored paper.
An envelope.
My stomach dropped when I recognized the handwriting.
Andrew’s.
Charles handed it to me gently.
“You should read it.”
My fingers trembled slightly as I opened it.
Inside was a second seating arrangement list.
The original one.
My name had been placed in the front row beside Andrew’s godparents.
A note at the bottom read:
Move Judith Langley to rear seating section. Bride’s request.
Something inside me went still.
Not broken.
Still.
Because pain only surprises you when love still feels safe.
And in that moment, I realized my son had allowed someone to reduce me to an inconvenience.
Claire saw the realization on my face immediately.
Her voice sharpened.
“Andrew agreed with the change.”
