Not everyone laughed fully, since a few people gave those uncomfortable half smiles when they were unsure whether something was a joke or something serious. However, enough people laughed to make my skin feel cold and distant from everything around me.
My mother pressed her lips together as if she disapproved, yet there was a quiet satisfaction in her eyes that confirmed everything I feared. Megan, standing just behind me, leaned closer and whispered urgently.
“Olivia, please do not go through with this, not like this.”
I was no longer standing inside the wedding I had planned for months with careful detail and hope. I was standing inside the truth that I could no longer ignore or soften.
I looked directly at Daniel and spoke with a steady voice.
“What did you just say?”
His smile disappeared and was replaced by irritation, as though I was creating unnecessary drama in the middle of something important.
“Do not start this now,” he muttered under his breath. “We are in the middle of the ceremony.”
“No,” I said, raising my voice so everyone could hear me clearly. “Tell them exactly what you meant.”