The reception was already in full swing by the time I made it to a seat. The music was loud, the champagne was flowing like water, and the guests looked like they were having the time of their lives. I, on the other hand, felt like I was stuck in a weird alternate reality—one where my mother just married Greg, and I had to pretend like I was happy about it.
I wasn’t.
I mean, I smiled. I laughed at the speeches. I clinked glasses when someone raised a toast. But it was all… fake. There was this buzzing in my chest that wouldn’t go away. Like a low hum of discomfort, and I couldn’t tell if it was from the whole wedding thing, or just the fact that Ethan had been staring at me on and off all day.
Tessa returned with a glass of something bubbly and handed it to me.
“You seriously look like
