Caroline clapped her hands like a gleeful toddler. Emma shrieked in delight. Caroline’s London friends burst into cheers, one of them already demanding the Spice Girls while another declared herself “obviously Baby.”
Amid the activity and shouting, I spotted Sophie.
For a moment, she smiled, a soft, hopeful curve of her lips, like maybe the night air would lift her spirits.
But then, across the courtyard Lucas leaned in towards a bartender, all theatrics and flirtation, laughing loudly.
I saw Sophie freeze, just a fraction, but enough for me to feel it like a ripple in the air. Her fingers curled around the edge of her robe.
Hurt flashed across her face, bright and quick, before she turned to look away.
I stepped towards her, ready to intervene, but she beat me to it.
She turned sharply and walked away, the silk of her robe fluttering behind her like she was trying to outrun her own emotions. Her steps were quick and uneven.
“Sophie?” I called out.
She didn’t answer.
Instinct took over.
Without another word, I followed her into the shadows behind the barn, leaving the chaos, glitter, and karaoke countdown behind us.
The night air cooled as I slipped behind the barn, the sounds of karaoke chaos fading into a distant, glitter-covered echo. Fairy lights strung between the beams cast an amber glow, swaying gently in the breeze.
I rounded the corner and stopped.
Sophie was there, alone, half-hidden in the glow of the lights. Her shoulders shook as she wiped at her eyes, trying and failing to hold herself together. The silk of her robe fluttered around her like it didn’t know whether to comfort her or expose her.
Before I could decide whether to move closer or give her space, footsteps pounded behind me.
Lucas.
He stumbled into view with panic written across his face, real panic, not his usual dramatic swagger. He looked around wildly until his eyes locked onto Sophie.
“Soph, wait, please,” he said, breathless.
I froze.
Instinct told me to stay hidden.
The wedding planner in me said,this is none of my business.
Sophie spun to face him, eyes red, voice trembling.
“I can’t watch you flirt with every girl at that party,” she choked out. “I can’t do it anymore, Lucas. I can’t.”
His whole bravado collapsed in an instant, like someone had kicked out the supporting beams holding him upright.
“I wasn’t flirting!” he insisted. Then winced. “Okay, I was. But only because I’m trying to hideus!”
Sophie’s expression was small, pained.
“Hide what, Lucas? Hideme?”
He took a step towards her, hands half raised like he didn’t know whether he was allowed to touch her.
“No,” he said, voice desperate. “Hideus.Our engagement.”
