But that night—seven months ago—when grief and loneliness had collided after we crossed paths at a mutual friend’s funeral… One reckless decision, never spoken of again, had now come roaring back into the light.

Emily’s voice snapped me out of the fog.
“Daniel,” she said, her voice low, trembling with fury, “is it true?”

I wanted to lie. God, I wanted to deny it, to tell her Sophie was mistaken, that this was some twisted attempt at revenge. But the truth clawed its way out of me, unstoppable.

“Yes.”

The air left the room in a collective sigh. Emily’s face crumbled. “How could you let me stand here, planning to vow forever, when you knew—when you knew this?”

“I didn’t know,” I stammered, but my words sounded hollow, even to me. Sophie’s hand rubbed her belly protectively, and guilt burned in my throat.

Sophie spoke again, her tone defensive. “I didn’t plan this. I didn’t even want to tell you today, but I thought you had the right to know. And when she asked…”

Emily turned sharply toward her. “You thought he had the right to know, but not me? Before I wore this dress? Before I said yes?”