Celeste reached for his arm. “Not now. We have a room full of guests.”
He pulled his arm away.
“Can I see it?”
The photographer played the clip again.
Evie watched her uncle’s face instead of the screen.
At first he looked confused.
Then embarrassed.
Then something harder.
When the clip ended, he asked Evie’s mother what happened inside.
She repeated it.
Nina described what she had seen when she entered.
Evie said almost nothing.
Her mother kept one hand around hers.
That helped.
The groom looked at the grocery bag beneath the chair.
“What’s that?”
Evie bent quickly and picked it up.
“My shoes.”
The drawing slid free and landed face-up on the floor.
The bride’s dress filled most of the page. Evie had colored every pearl along the neckline. Beside Celeste stood the groom, too tall and smiling. At the bottom was a small figure with flowers in both hands.
Celeste stared at the drawing.
Evie tried to fold it before anyone else could see.
Her uncle stopped her gently.
“Can I look?”
Evie hesitated, then handed it over.
He studied the picture for a long time.
“When did you make this?”
“This morning.”
“For us?”
Evie nodded.
