"Liv." She presses on when I ignore her. "Liv, look at me."
Against my better judgment, I face her.
"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want," she says. "But I'm sorry someone hurt you so badly you lost all faith in love. I hope one day you'll find it again."
The kindness in her voice almost undoes me, and I press my lips together, fighting to keep my emotions in check.
"Andy was my fiancée," I hear myself saying, the words coming out before I can stop them. "We were together for two years, engaged for six months. I thought..." I shake my head, angry at myself for even starting this conversation. "It doesn't matter what I thought. What matters is that I was wrong about everything."
Blair doesn't push for more details, doesn't ask the obvious questions. She just waits, and somehow that makes it easier to continue.
"She was having an affair. With my maid of honor, Rachel. I found out on our wedding day. I was in my wedding dress, about to walk down the aisle. I went to use the bathroom at the venue and heard voices—Andy and Rachel. Andy was telling her they had to stop, that she couldn't continue doing what they were doing because she was getting married to me.” I puff out my cheeks. Rachel said, 'Don't say you don't love me,' and Andy said, 'I do love you. But this is the choice I made. I'm marrying Liv today and we can't see each other anymore.'"
I laugh, but it comes out broken. "And then they went quiet, so I walked in. Found them kissing while sixty guests were seated and waiting for our fairy-tale ceremony to begin."
Blair's eyes go wide. "Jesus, Liv."
"I ran. Left her standing there in her suit, left all those people in their seats, left my parents to deal with the aftermath. Got on a plane to New York the next morning and never looked back." I turn back to the arch and try to focus on the task at hand. "That's when I learned that marriage is an expensive party that ends inexpensive lawyers. I was lucky to get out in time, and I'm not just talking about the marriage. I would have wilted away here."
I immediately regret my confession. This is exactly why I don't talk about Andy—because saying it out loud makes it real again, makes me feel like that devastated, humiliated woman, standing in a wedding dress while my world collapsed around me. It still hurts.
"I'm sorry," Blair says simply.
"Don't be. It taught me something valuable. Love is nothing but a chemical reaction that tricks people into making terrible decisions. And trusting someone completely just gives them better angles to destroy you from."
"So you decided to build a career around other people's delusions?" she asks. “That seems like a strange way to cope.”
"I didn't mean to," I say. "When I got to New York, I had to find work. The only job I could get was in events management—a company that handled corporate parties, charity galas, and weddings. It was so stressful that most event planners refused to do weddings, so they stuck me with those as I was the newbie."
I pause, remembering those early days when every wedding felt like walking through a minefield of my own trauma.
"But the job forced me to compartmentalize it really well. I just saw weddings as any other event—logistics, timelines, vendor management. I took all the emotion out of it, treated love like a line item in a budget." I shrug. "Turns out that made me really good at it. While other planners got caught up in the romance or stressed about the couple's happiness on the day, I just focused on execution. Perfect execution."
Blair is listening intently.
"I worked my ass off too. Long days, sleeping in the office during wedding season. I threw myself into it so completely that I didn't have time to think about what had happened to me." I meet her eyes. "That combination—emotional detachmentand relentless work ethic—made me one of the best wedding planners in the city. Two years later, I started my own business. I'm very good at creating fantasies because that's all they are."
"Do you think Emma's wedding is a fantasy?" she asks.
I meet her eyes again, and this time I don't try to hide the pain. "Emma is the most genuinely kind person I know. She deserves to be happy today, even if I think she's setting herself up for heartbreak. So I'll smile and help her have the perfect wedding day, and I'll pray that I'm wrong about everything. Because if anyone deserves a fairy-tale ending, it's my sister.”
22
BLAIR
Standing in the middle of what was a disaster zone this morning, I can barely comprehend what I'm witnessing. The transformation is nothing short of miraculous.
The oak trees tower above us like natural cathedral pillars, their branches still threaded with the fairy lights from last night's rehearsal dinner that will create a canopy of stars once the sun sets. Ten round tables are positioned across the lawn, each one draped in crisp white linens and topped with those ingenious watermelon centerpieces that overflow with white roses and trailing ivy.
White folding chairs are arranged in neat rows facing the ceremony area, creating a traditional aisle that's been made from a long strip of artificial turf. The bright green creates a walkway that contrasts beautifully with the white chairs and the white roses that have been scattered along the sides.
The archway itself stands proud at the end. What started as a simple metal frame has been woven into a living sculpture of ivy, wild grape vines, and roses. It frames the view of the rolling farmland beyond, creating a natural backdrop for the ceremony that no venue could replicate. Torches line the walkway to thehouse, creating a path so guests will be able to find their way around later.
Beth hurries past me carrying the last of the empty boxes toward the barn, her face flushed with exertion. She's been incredible today—making phone calls, coordinating, running errands without complaint.
Marcus is doing a final sweep of the area, collecting stray pieces of wire, empty water bottles, and the scattered tools they’ve used throughout the day.
But what amazes me most isn't the physical transformation—it's watching Liv orchestrate the entire operation. She's been everywhere at once today, somehow maintaining her composure despite the impossible timeline.
