Ani thought Grace had come to give her a rundown of the tea ceremony, or check in on some last-minute items for tomorrow. But no, Grace was there to share her kindness.
Grace continued, “I called them and let their celebrity editor know it wasn’t you who cut the hose. That we all had it under control. That we all trust you and you have been so on top of everything.”
Grace looked like she wanted to say more. Ani’s chest tightened, and she braced herself. “But?” she asked.
Staring down at her feet, Grace said, “They were pretty interested in you. Being Mimi’s ex, planning the wedding. I didn’t— I’m really sorry to drag you into all this. Fame is fun in some ways, but it also sucks. Especially when it hurts people around you.”
Ani gave a half smile, trying to put on a brave face. “It’s not your fault. I appreciate you sharing with me.”
Grace nodded. “Anyway, just—be careful, I guess. They’re snooping around us and you’re not excluded, even after my call. The very snobby editor made sure to tell me that he couldn’t keep sizzling news out of his paper, were he to uncover anything juicy. He actually used that word, ‘juicy.’ Ew. So I’m not sure how I can help, but I wanted to give you the heads-up. Let me know if I can do anything. Seriously.”
Ani bit her bottom lip, trying to keep her worry from seeping out. “Sure. Thanks, Grace. Don’t worry about me; just get some good rest tonight so you can enjoy your big day.”
Grace gave her a smile and left the room.
The rest of the night, Ani planned, checked, double- and triple-checked everything for the next day. Nothing would go wrong. Everything was prepped and in perfect order, but Grace’s words rang in her head and she had trouble sleeping.
Ani woke upthe morning of the wedding before anyone else. She wasn’t sure she’d slept at all. Maybe an hour or two. Her body ached and protested at her insistence on getting up. But it didn’t matter, because there was a huge day to plan, and she was going to give it her all.
She showered, dressed, put on professional makeup, and checked her watch. Right on time for everyone to wake up before the hair and makeup team arrived. Ani knocked on doors, was cheerful and firm, and ushered everyone to the kitchen to get a few bites to eat.
Ani strode to the front doors as the doorbell rang and opened them to the makeup team and the photographer and videographer. The hair and makeup crew got started exactly as planned.One hour of sleep be damned, Ani thought,I’ve got this.
She wove through the bridal party, grabbing muffins for people and giving opinions on shades of eyeshadow. She and Kami made eye contact and smiled politely. Ani, feeling a little bad about how harsh she was the day before—even though she knew she needed to be—told Kami, “You don’t have any makeup on, and you already look radiant.”
Kami gave a demure smile and said, “It’s the cryogenic face mask I put on this morning.”
As Ani made her rounds, she felt the air shift around her. Not as many animated conversations. More hushed, whispered. Then, glances in Ani’s direction. Stolen glances. Ani made eye contact with Kami’s bridesmaid cousin, who promptly snapped her gaze back down to her phone. Something molten formed in the pit of Ani’s stomach. She wanted to know, but she really didn’t want to know. Not here. Not today.
Then Kami called for her, sounding cautious, even nervous. “Ani?”
Kami had been keeping her distance from Ani but not in a passive-aggressive way, more in an I-am-sort-of-scared-of-you-now way.
Ani approached her ex and sat on the edge of a chair while Kami’s hair was being twisted into tight ringlets that would later be set loose. “Just so you know,” Kami started, “I don’t believe it at all. Okay?”
That was when the dread truly took hold of Ani. A chill shook through her, and Ani shivered, anticipating, terrified.
“Daily Mailagain?” Ani asked.
Kami nodded.
“Can I see?” Ani asked, figuring it was already up on Kami’s phone.
Kami held it up. Ani took a deep breath and read the headline:
EXCLUSIVE: Grace Zhang’s Wedding Planner on the Brink of Financial Ruin!
Reporting by Basil Wentworth
Oh God, no, no, no, no. She’d expected a headline about her and Kami’s past, possibly about her still pining for Kami, or photos of her and Raffi hooking up. But notthis. This was the secret that no one but her and the banks knew. And it was true.
The truth of it, the bare-naked truth of her shame, splashed all over one of the world’s largest tabloids, was almost too much to bear.
But she had to read what the article said.
“Just give me a second,” Ani said. She trembled on the way to her room and shut the door behind her. She found the article, saw her face plastered in between Grace’s and Kami’s, and read.
TheDaily Mailhas uncovered exclusive details about Ani Avakian (30), the wedding planner behind freshly minted shooting star Grace Zhang (27) and entrepreneur Kami Mardian’s (30) highly anticipated nuptials. While the world waits for what promises to be the wedding of the year, it seems that Ani’s personal life is far from the picture-perfect image she projects.
