The Stand-In Bride Refusal novel · Chapter 18 of 24
Chapter 18: Constance Loses Everything
The Hale Memorial Gala had a string quartet and an ice sculpture of a swan.
It also had my mother's face on a screen above the stage.
Constance had chosen the photograph herself, from a locked drawer.
I stood at the back of the Verran ballroom beside Mrs. Verran's lawyer, with Rowan on my left and Delilah on my right.
Three hundred guests in black tie had their glasses lifted.
Constance stood at the podium in a gown of pale gray, with her pearls on, and her voice was soft and wet.
"My late husband's first wife was my dearest friend," she said. "I have kept her memory alive for seventeen years."
"For seventeen years, I have raised her daughter as my own."
A few women near the front dabbed their eyes.
I stepped forward.
Constance saw me and the speech stopped in her throat.
"Please," I said. "Go on."
"Willa." She laughed once, a high, thin sound. "You weren't on the list."
"No."
I walked down the center aisle with the lawyer a pace behind me, until I stood at the foot of the stage.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–12 of The Stand-In Bride Refusal are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
← Chapter 17 · All chapters · Chapter 19 →
Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend