ON MY SON’S WEDDING MORNING, OUR FAMILY DRIVER PUSHED ME INTO THE TRUNK AND THREW A BLANKET OVER …
But I could hear everything.
The hum of the engine.
The soft rustle of Blake shifting in his seat.
The sharp buzz of his phone vibrating against the dashboard.
“It’s Natasha,” Blake said.
And I heard the smile in his voice.
“Hey babe, I’m on my way to the church.”
He must have put her on speaker because suddenly her voice filled the car—smooth, sweet, perfectly warm.
“Good morning, handsome,” Natasha said. “How are you feeling? Nervous?”
Blake laughed.
“But good nervous, you know? Like this is really happening.”
“It is.”
Her tone shifted slightly.
I couldn’t quite place it.
“After today, everything changes.”
I frowned beneath the blanket.
Everything changes.
The words themselves were normal.
Something any bride might say.
But the way she said it—there was something underneath.
Something that didn’t sound like joy.
Blake didn’t seem to notice.
“I can’t wait to start our life together.”
“You mean the whole future?”
There was a pause.
Just a beat too long.
“Yeah,” Natasha said. Finally. “Our life. Finally.”
Finally.
Why did that word sound so wrong?
I pressed my hand against my chest, trying to slow my breathing.
You’re overthinking this, Margot.
You’re hiding in a car because Frederick told you to, and now you’re reading into every word like some paranoid—
“Where’s your mom?” Natasha asked, her voice casual but curious.
Blake answered easily.
“She’s coming separately. She wanted some time alone to process. I think you know how moms get emotional.”
My throat tightened.
“Good,” Natasha said.
Then softer, almost to herself.
“That’s good.”
Good.
Why would it be good that I wasn’t there?
Blake’s phone buzzed again.
A different sound this time.
An incoming call trying to break through.
“Hang on, babe,” Blake said. “Someone’s trying to call me.”
“Who?”
Natasha’s voice sharpened.
“I don’t know. Unknown number.”
Blake dismissed it.
“Probably a spam call.”
“Anyway, where were we?”
They kept talking—something about the reception, the flowers, whether Blake remembered to pick up his boutonniere.
Normal wedding day chatter.
But I barely heard it because Blake’s phone buzzed again.
Same unknown number.
This time, Blake’s voice changed just slightly.
“That’s weird. Same number.”
“Ignore it,” Natasha said quickly.
Too quickly.
“It’s your wedding day. You don’t have time for telemarketers.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
But Blake sounded uncertain.
They said their goodbyes.
“I love you. See you at the altar.”
And Blake hung up.
Silence filled the car for maybe thirty seconds.
Then the phone rang again.
Not a buzz this time.
A full, loud ring.
“For the love of—”
Blake grabbed the phone.
I heard him check the screen.
“Same number. Third time. What the hell?”
