He Chose Her Over Me So I Chose Myself Chapter 04
The next morning, my mother called us into the dining room for a final run-through of the wedding weekend.
She opened the event plan and changed the Saturday night entry to: *Celebration and Fundraising Dinner for Camille’s Academic Project*.
“The donors will all be there,” she said. “We can’t waste the opportunity. Put a project QR code on every table. After Camille’s presentation, the host can guide everyone through on-the-spot donations.”
Grant nodded without a second thought.
He flipped further into the schedule and pointed to the love-story video that had originally been planned for the middle of the evening.
“Cut this. Give the full twenty minutes to Camille’s academic presentation. Her project is more important.”
That video had taken three months to make.
They had made me sit in front of the camera over and over, telling a story about how Grant had healed “the insecurity of an adopted girl.”
Now even that carefully manufactured happiness could be shoved aside.
Camille pressed her lips together and looked at me with feigned discomfort.
“Isn’t this a little much? It is June’s wedding weekend. I can’t take over all of it.”
But Grant was unusually serious.
“No. This affects your reputation and your project’s future. It has to be done right.”
As soon as he said it, he pulled out his phone and told his assistant to arrange interviews with local financial media before the presentation. He specifically instructed them to prepare hair, makeup, and lighting as if it were a formal press conference.
My mother agreed at once.
The three of them clustered around the table, animatedly debating whether the foundation logo or the university logo should go on the left side of the backdrop, which media outlets to invite, and whether Camille’s presentation slides should include photos of her receiving her Oxford award.
No one asked if I agreed.
No one even asked what was left of the wedding on Sunday morning.
I sat beside them as if I were watching a performance that had nothing to do with me.
And somehow, the pain was gone.
They could go on deleting the video, rewriting the schedule, breaking apart my wedding to build a stage for Camille.
It was a good thing this wedding would soon cease to exist.