She turned me toward the mirror.
My hair ended unevenly around my neck.
Two crushed flowers still clung near one ear.
I pulled them free.
“I want to go home.”
She turned me toward the mirror.
Alicia picked up my bag.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll get my car.”
I stared at myself.
Outside were my parents, our friends, our food, our music, and the man I’d just married.
Martha had already decided what happened to my hair.
I wasn’t letting her decide when and how my wedding ended too.
I stared at myself.
“No, wait.”
Alicia stopped.
“I want her gone.”
“Then tell her, Jill. Make her leave.”
Before we left the restroom, Nick appeared.
“Make her leave.”
He looked at my hair and went pale.
“I hated leaving you after that.”
“Then why did you?”
“Because Lydia was already nearby, waiting for my call.”
I stared at him.
“What? You left me after seeing what your mother did… and went to her?”
“I hated leaving you after that.”
“She called me last week, love. Mom had asked her to come tonight and make you uncomfortable.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you kept asking me to keep the peace, and I thought hearing the truth from Lydia might finally make Mom stop.”
He stepped closer.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Lydia was supposed to come in later. Then Mom cut your hair.”
“She knows you’re bringing her in now?”
“Yes. She’s ready.”
That mattered.
He took a breath.
“Yes. She’s ready.”
“If you don’t want her here now, I’ll send her home.”
I looked at Alicia, then back at Nick.
“Tell me exactly what Lydia knows.”
Nick’s jaw tightened.
“Enough to prove Mom invented most of this.”
I opened the door.
“I’ll send her home.”
“Then bring her in.”
***
When we walked back into the dining room, Alicia stayed close behind me.
Nick picked up the microphone.
Martha saw Lydia beside him and went white.
“No.”
Caroline turned.
“Then bring her in.”
“Lydia?”
Nick didn’t waste time.
“Mom’s talked about Lydia through our entire relationship. Tonight, Lydia asked to speak for herself.”
Martha stepped forward.
“Nick, put that down.”
Lydia shook her head.
“Lydia?”
“No, Martha. You’ve spoken for me long enough.”
Caroline stared at her daughter.
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
“I wasn’t, Mom. Then Martha called me last week.”
Martha’s face tightened.
“I wasn’t, Mom.”
Lydia looked at me.
“She asked me to show up late, spend time around Nick, and make Jill wonder whether he’d chosen the wrong woman.”
My stomach dropped even though Nick had warned me.
Caroline turned sharply.
“You asked my daughter to do what?”
“She asked me to show up late.”
“I was trying to make Jillian understand reality.”
“Whose reality?” Lydia asked. “I’ve never wanted Nick.”
Martha scoffed.
“You would’ve been perfect together.”
“No. You would’ve liked that. That’s different.”
She looked at me.
“I’ve never wanted Nick.”
“I told Nick because I was tired of you using my name to insult his wife.”
Martha looked at Nick.
“And you brought her here to humiliate me?”
Nick lowered the microphone.
“I brought her because I was fed up. Jill kept asking me not to turn every dinner into a war, and I kept thinking I could manage you without forcing her to choose sides.”
“And you brought her here to humiliate me?”
He glanced at me.
“I was wrong.”
Martha pointed at me.
“There. That’s what she wanted. She’s finally turned you against your own mother.”
Nick moved, but I put my hand against his arm.
“I’ve got this.”
“I was wrong.”
Martha looked almost pleased.
“Go ahead, Jillian.”
For years, I’d answered her insults one by one.
Not tonight.
“You cut my hair because you couldn’t control who Nick married.”
Her mouth opened.
“Go ahead, Jillian.”
I kept going.
“You invented a competition with Lydia. You insulted my family. You lied about a ‘family tradition’ after putting scissors to me from behind. And you’ve made me look ridiculous on one of the most important days of my life.”
