Why wasn’t she smiling back at him?
My sense of unease grew, especially when his eyes flicked over to me, and his smile wavered before he turned back to the altar. A hush fell over the church as a blonde woman in a huge hat came down the aisle and made her way up to the front, pausing on her way to greet people and wave at different groups.
I assumed this was Vicky’s mother, but she didn’t even glance at her daughter, and if anything, Vicky shrank further into me when her mother made her entrance.
I leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Vicky, is something—?” I was cut off by the organ playing, and the vicar telling us to be upstanding for the entrance of the bride.
My God, Vicky’s sister was wearing the most complicated bloody dress I’d ever seen in my life. There was a lot of lace involved, and the train was almost the entire length of the aisle.
She had five adult bridesmaids, all in dresses the same salmon pink as the flowers the church was decked out in.
The service went on for a while. There were no fewer than five readings, and one of the bridesmaids sang a horrific song during the signing of the register.
And throughout the whole thing, not one member of her family acknowledged Vicky. Notonce. It was beyond strange.
Outside the church, things got even stranger.
Vicky stood separately from everyone else as the ushers and bridesmaids organised people into rows to shower the happy couple with confetti and get photos of them emerging from the church.
Then the whole wedding party had photos together. Still, no acknowledgement of Vicky.
I was beginning to think that they hadn’t actually realised Vicky was there, until suddenly, her mother was in front of her with a sour expression on her face as she glared down at her.
It was then that I remembered Margot’s words from weeks ago:
I don’t have a high opinion of the woman, seeing as she slept with my husband for years behind my back, but she is also one of the most vile people on the planet.
“You’ll have to come for the family photo,” Vicky’s mother snapped, grabbing Vicky’s arm above her elbow.
Vicky flinched at the sudden contact, and her hand tightened in mine.
“Honestly, Victoria,” the woman spat. “Don’t embarrass me, today of all days. And for God’s sake, try and smile. It’s not that hard.”
I was already on the edge with the arm grabbing and the way she was speaking to Vicky, plus the fact that she hadn’t hugged her or acknowledged her, other than barking out orders, but what happened next pushed me right over it.
“Well?” she asked, giving Vicky’s arm a hard shake, which in turn, shook her entire body, forcing a small, distressed sound from the back of Vicky’s throat—a very quiet version of the sounds she’d made when she was under really severe stress at the fireworks.
I stepped forward, pulling Vicky behind me with my hand that was still holding hers, and putting my other hand on her mother’s arm to yank her off her daughter and set her away.
“What the fuck is going on here?” I said, my voice low and furious.
Vicky’s mother blinked at me. “Who are you?”
“Vicky’s boyfriend. Who are you?”
Her eyes went from me to Vicky and then narrowed.
I decided I didn’t like that, so I snapped my fingers in front of the woman’s face.
She jerked in shock, and her eyes went wide.
“Don’t look at her,” I snapped. “Eyes up here. Now you were going to explain who the fuck you are, and why the fuck you’re assaulting my girlfriend in broad daylight.”
“I’m her mother.”
“Well, you’ll forgive the confusion…” I deadpanned. “You see, the way you’ve just greeted your daughter did not seem verymotherlyto me.”
“Mike, it’s fine,” Vicky said from behind me.
