That made everything more painful.
A person who had never loved you was easy to leave. A person who loved you sometimes, promised you everything, and then repeatedly chose to hurt you was much harder to understand.
Claire did not want to abandon her marriage before it had even begun.
She wanted Daniel to choose his family.
She wanted him to choose their child.
And most of all, she wanted him to understand that love was not something he could keep in one hand while reaching for something else with the other.
The wedding date approached.
Margaret offered to postpone the ceremony until after the baby was born. Claire considered it, but Daniel insisted that they should continue.
“I want our child to grow up knowing that we were married before he or she arrived,” he said.
Claire looked at him.
“Do you want to marry me, Daniel?”
He frowned.
“Of course I do.”
“Then I need you to understand something. I don't need a perfect wedding. I don't need a grand ballroom or a thousand guests. I need to know that when I stand beside you, I won't have to wonder whether your heart is somewhere else.”
Daniel pulled her into his arms.
“Your heart is the only place I want to be.”
She closed her eyes.
For one final moment, she allowed herself to believe him.
The wedding took place in a historic estate outside the city. The ballroom had enormous chandeliers, polished marble floors, and tall windows overlooking a garden filled with white roses.
Claire wore a flowing white gown with delicate sleeves. The dress had been altered to accommodate her growing belly, and she looked radiant despite the exhaustion of the final weeks of pregnancy.
Margaret had personally chosen the flowers.
She had also given Claire a small necklace that had belonged to Daniel's grandmother.
“For the woman who becomes part of our family,” she had said.
Claire had hugged her.
“Thank you for making me feel welcome.”
Margaret had kissed her forehead.
“You have always been welcome. Never forget that.”
The ceremony itself was beautiful.
Daniel stood at the end of the aisle, his eyes shining as Claire approached. He held her hands and promised to honor her, protect her, and remain faithful to her.
Claire repeated her vows with a trembling voice.
When they exchanged rings, the guests applauded.
For a few hours, she felt as though the fears of the previous months had been nothing more than shadows.
Then the reception began.
The first dance was supposed to belong to the newlyweds.
But before the music started, Daniel's business partner approached him with a request. A major investor had arrived unexpectedly, and Daniel was asked to speak with him.
“I'll be back in a minute,” he told Claire.
She nodded.
He kissed her forehead and walked away.
Claire waited near the edge of the dance floor. She watched couples move beneath the chandeliers. She listened to the music and tried not to feel disappointed.
Then she saw Olivia.
She entered through the ballroom doors wearing a red satin gown.
Claire recognized her immediately.
Olivia moved through the crowd as if she had been invited to the most important event of her own life. She greeted several guests, accepted a glass of champagne, and then approached Daniel.
Claire watched her touch his arm.
Daniel turned.
His expression changed.
It was not the polite smile he offered business associates. It was a smile Claire had not seen in months.
Olivia said something.
Daniel laughed.
Then she held out her hand.
And he took it.
The music shifted into a slow dance.
Daniel placed one hand around Olivia's waist. She rested her arms around his shoulders, drawing him close. They moved together beneath the golden lights, their faces inches apart.
A few guests glanced toward Claire.
Someone stopped talking.
Another person lowered a champagne glass.
But Daniel did not look toward his wife.
Claire stood perfectly still.
Her hand moved instinctively to her belly.
The baby shifted beneath her palm.
She had imagined many things on her wedding night. She had imagined dancing with her husband, laughing with friends, and taking photographs that their child would one day look at.
She had never imagined standing alone while the man who had just promised to be faithful danced with his former fiancée.
Then Margaret appeared beside her.
“Claire,” she whispered.
Claire did not turn.
“Please tell me I'm misunderstanding what I'm seeing.”
Margaret looked toward the dance floor.
For a moment, her face tightened.
“No,” she said quietly. “You're not misunderstanding it.”
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
“Did you know she was coming?”
“I didn't.”
“Did you know Daniel would dance with her?”
“No.”
Claire took a shaky breath.
“Then why does everyone keep asking me to be patient? Why does everyone keep telling me that he is under pressure? I'm his wife. I'm carrying his child. What else am I supposed to do to make him understand that I deserve respect?”
Margaret had no answer.
She looked at her son, then back at Claire.
And suddenly, the older woman seemed to make a decision.
She reached into her small handbag and removed a diamond ring.
It was not the wedding ring Claire wore. It was older, more delicate, and surrounded by tiny stones that caught the chandelier light.
Margaret opened her palm.
“Take this.”
Claire stared at it.
“What is it?”
“My mother's ring. Daniel's grandmother wore it for forty-two years. She gave it to me before she died.”
“Why are you giving it to me?”
“Because I want you to understand that the women in this family were never meant to compete for a man's attention. We were meant to be respected.”