EN

The elevator doors closed softly behind Emma. For a moment, the lobby disappeared. No staring guests. No red coat. No cold smiles. Only the quiet hum of

  Part Two For a moment, the Grand Meridian forgot it was a hotel. No one checked in. No one moved toward the elevators. No one asked for luggage

  Part Two For several seconds, the lobby of the Windsor Crown stayed completely silent. The champagne glasses did not move. The phones lowered.

Part Two For a few seconds, the Astoria Grand forgot how to breathe. The pianist’s fingers hovered above the keys. The receptionist stood frozen behind the desk.

Part Two For a moment, the church steps seemed to belong only to the rain. No one spoke. Not the guests beneath black umbrellas. Not the security man who

 Part Two For a moment, the private bridal gallery in Chicago became so quiet that the city outside seemed to disappear behind the glass.

  Part Two For several seconds, the Beverly Hills bridal salon did not feel like a salon at all. It felt like a courtroom made of mirrors.

  Part Two For a moment, the Boston bridal house forgot how to breathe. The cream velvet chairs, the gold mirrors, the champagne flutes, the soft

Part Two For a moment, no one in the VIP atrium moved. The mirrors still reflected silk, lace, champagne, and polished gold. The chandeliers still glowed above us.

Part Two Claire stayed kneeling on the sidewalk, one hand pressed against her own maple leaf pin, the other trembling in the cold evening air.