— Well? Tell me honestly, do you like me in it? — Maddie’s voice trembled slightly with sheer excitement.
She twirled in the middle of the spacious living room, allowing the heavy, luxurious silk of the wedding dress to softly embrace her figure. The delicate fabric rustled quietly with every subtle movement, catching the warm, golden glow of the evening floor lamps. In that fleeting moment, she didn’t feel like a grown, successful woman at all.
Instead, she felt like a little, naive girl who had sneaked into her mother’s closet to try on her best outfit in front of the mirror. Her eyes shone with an unusual, bright glint, betraying the deep vulnerability she usually kept carefully hidden from the demanding world outside. — You are going to be absolutely incredible, the most beautiful bride in all of Chicago, — Olivia replied with a warm, genuine smile.
The best friend stepped closer, carefully smoothing out a barely visible crease on the snow-white, flowing train. There was exactly one week left until the wedding ceremony, and they had decided to dedicate this chilly evening entirely to themselves. It was their quiet, intimate bachelorette party for two, far away from the noisy downtown bars.
Maddie had never boasted a wide circle of close girlfriends, and the mere idea of inviting random colleagues just to make up the numbers caused her nothing but a dull, lingering irritation. Olivia was the only person with whom the bride-to-be could share this profound moment without hiding behind fake, polite smiles. — Can you imagine, Liv, that our Brenda from the finance department almost fainted when she heard the news?
— Maddie suddenly stopped twirling, catching her breath. — She found out that Nate and I are tying the knot in a week, and her eyes practically popped out of her head. Then she spent the entire day whispering in the corners by the water cooler with the other girls.
They’ve probably picked my bones clean by now. But you know what? I don’t owe anyone an explanation about my personal life, right?
She looked intently at her friend, searching her familiar eyes for the usual confirmation of her own righteousness. — Oh, just let it go, Maddie. Let them talk all they want, — Olivia waved her hand dismissively, sinking onto the edge of the plush, slightly worn sofa.
— Where are you in life, and where are they with their petty office gossip? People simply don’t know how to forgive someone else’s genuine happiness. They are just envious of your luck, and that makes them furious.
Olivia paused for a moment, carefully observing her oldest friend in the stunning white attire. Her voice grew softer, filling with tender notes of light nostalgia. — My dear, just think about it… Very soon you will become Nate’s wife.
The man who makes you lose your head so completely and foolishly. Do you remember our high school years? How we spent hours dreaming about handsome Prince Charmings, sketching out perfect, fairy-tale weddings in our heads… We imagined how our future families would drive out to the suburbs to visit each other for Sunday backyard BBQs.
What happened next changed everything…
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