Ice floods my veins.
I rush toward Mami and throw my arms around her.
“Aww, sweetheart.” She rubs soothing circles against my back. “I’m sure you’re feeling all kinds of emotions today.”
I nod against her shoulder, unable to force a single word past the lump in my throat.
I can’t believe how deep this web of lies and manipulation goes.
And I walked straight into it like a lamb to the slaughter.
“Hola, bebita. You look beautiful,” Dad says, tears already shining in his eyes as he meets me outside the ballroom.
This is the man I’ve looked up to my entire life.
The man who made sure Colombian traditions stayed part of our everyday lives, no matter how busy work got. The man who taught me the value of keeping my word. That family matters. That integrity matters.
So when did everything change?
“Thanks, Daddy,” I whisper, my voice breaking.
“Oh no, Penny.” Dad lets out a shaky laugh. “We’re both uncontrollable faucets.”
A watery laugh escapes me despite everything.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small embroidered handkerchief.
Father of the Bride.
That’s what finally breaks me.
“Oh, Ed.” Mami rushes toward us with a horrified gasp. “What did you do? Look at her makeup now.”
“I just couldn’t keep it together, cariño,” Dad says softly, his eyes never leaving mine. “She looks like an angel.”
The love on his face is so pure, so overwhelming, it physically hurts to look at him.
I know people aren’t perfect. I know people make mistakes. But why did he have to gamble the fucking company?
Because when I look at him and Mami after all these years—still so deeply in love, still looking at each other like they hung the moon—there’s only one man I could ever imagine loving that way.
And he’s not the man waiting for me at the altar.
“Can we go to the powder room? I need a mirror.” I gather the heavy layers of my dress and hurry toward the restroom without looking back at Dad again.
“Penny, hija.” Mami follows close behind me. “Is everything okay? I know father is in his feelings, but…” She closes the bathroom door behind us and locks it softly. “I don’t know. I think there’s more to it.”
As soon as the lock clicks into place, my body gives out. I collapse onto the floor in a heap of tulle and lace.
“Penny!” Mami gasps, panic flashing across her face.
“I’m sorry.” A sob tears out of me. “I’m so sorry.”
The tears come so hard I can barely breathe through them.
I can’t do this. I can’t go through this sham of a marriage. I know Dad could lose the company. But I just can’t.
“You’re not making any sense, hija?” Mami kneels beside me, wrapping her arms around me despite the massive dress between us. “What are you talking about?”
