20
Esther woke on the morning of the twenty-sixth of August with a wet face and damp pillow. She’d dreamed she’d walked down the aisle in her gorgeous wedding gown. Nick waited for her with a look of joy and expectation. But even in the dream she’d known today was no longer her wedding day. A keening wail jerked her awake.
“Are you alright?” Mum called from the passageway.
Esther jumped out of bed and padded over to the door. “A nightmare.”
“It must have been a bad one. You scared me.”
“Sorry.”
“What about breakfast in bed?”
Esther didn’t have the heart to say that eating was the last thing she wanted. Her stomach churned and acid burned her throat.
Her digital clock said 8:00. Somehow she’d slept in after a restless night. If today had still been her big day, she’d have already be
