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  Wet stood in front of them beside the arch, and then the processional started, and she gave her bustle one final twitch, sniffed, broke into a rigid smile, took a step forward, and turned into the chapel.

  Worse moved forward, stood counting until it was her turn, blew a kiss to Di, took a step, smiled a broad cheerleader smile, and turned into the chapel.

  Min looked back at Di. “You are my sister, and I am with you no matter what. If you want out of this, I will get you out.”

  “Min?” her father said, startled, and Di shook her head.

  “Okay.” Min picked up the count from the music, plastered a smile on her face, took a step, and turned into the chapel.

  Something caught at her bustle and left her stuck, leaning into the archway in mid-step. She looked behind her and saw Di’s hand clutching the lavender chiffon ruffles on her butt.

  “Diana?” her father said, bewilderment in his voice.

  Min stepped back. “Daddy, go smile in the archway so they know everything’s all right.” She pried Di’s hand off her ruffles and towed her out onto the church steps into the waning light. “Talk.”

  Di’s bouquet trembled in her hands. “Greg slept with my bridesmaid.”

  “Susie?” Min said, not surprised but sick just the same. “I knew she—”

  “Worse,” Di said.”

  “How could it be worse?” Min said and then the other shoe dropped. “Karen?”

  Di nodded.

  “Oh,” Min said, trying to think of what to say as her rage rose. “Oh, honey.” She put her arm around Di. “Tell me this was before he proposed to you and not—”

  “Last night,” Di whispered, and Min took a deep breath, corset or not.

  “Son of a fucking bitch.”

  “Thank you,” Di said, and sniffed.

  “That whore, I swear I’ll rip out every hair on her goddamn head.” Min held Di tighter. “I’ll nail her fucking chignon to the church door, the miserable bitch. And Dad will take Greg apart. He’s been wanting to for months.”

  Di sniffed back a sob.

  “We’ll take care of you,” Min said. “You are not alone. Liza and Bonnie—” She broke off, realizing that flaunting her friends wasn’t the best move now, trying to imagine how she’d feel if either of one them betrayed her, if Liza slept with Cal, and it was incomprehensible, it couldn’t happen, they’d never—

  “I watched you and Cal last night,” Di said, tears blurring her eyes, “and you were so perfect for each other, you were just you, laughing and whispering together, you didn’t have to be anybody else, thin or anything, he loves you just for being you, and I wanted to talk to Greg, I wanted to be that with him, too, so when you fell asleep, I drove over to his apartment, and they were in the bedroom.” Her face crumpled. “They weren’t even on the bed.”

  Min put both arms around her and held her close. “And Karen’s blowing you kisses today. The skanky whore.”

  “They don’t know I know,” Di said into her shoulder. “They didn’t see me. I backed out.”

  “That was very mature,” Min said, gritting her teeth. “I would have put blood on the walls. Okay, I’ll go stop the wedding—”

  “No,” Di said, straightening fast. Her pearl-studded corset rose and fell as she sucked in air. “No, no. No.”

  “What?” Min said.

  “No,” Diana said. “I’m ready to go.”

  “Okay, I admire how you’ve handled this,” Min said, trying to sound calm, “but I think actually marrying the son of a bitch may be carrying maturity too far.”

  “I have to,” Di said, breathless. “It’s all planned. There are presents. Bonnie put pearls on a cake.”

  “I’ll eat the cake,” Min said. “I’ll send the presents back. I’ll even maim the groom for you.”

  “No,” Di said. “It wasn’t . . . He wasn’t . . . It was just pre-wedding jitters. We’ll be fine.”

  “Di.” Min took as deep a breath as possible and tried to sound calm. “Pre-wedding jitters means he panics at the bachelor party. It doesn’t mean he fucks your best friend.”

  Di shook her head. “No, no. Not everybody finds a Cal. Greg is a good man. He just . . . panicked. I’m getting married.” She swallowed. “I just had to tell somebody. It’s a relief to tell somebody.”

  “Oh.” Min felt sick. “Okay. But if you change your mind at any time, in the middle of the ceremony, in the middle of your honeymoon, in the middle of the birth of your first child, I will be there to help you leave. You say the word and we’re gone. You are not alone.” She tried to take another breath and her corset fought back. “Listen, are you sure? Because I—”

  Di nodded. “I just had to tell somebody. I’m okay.”

  “Wonderful,” Min said, “I’m not.” She waited another beat for her to back down, but Di walked past her into the vestibule, leaving her nothing to do but follow.

  Min smiled at her father, who looked crazed, took her place in the arch, and started down the aisle, vaguely aware that David and Cynthie were in a pew together looking tense, that Bonnie and Liza were in the third pew from the altar sending her “What the hell?” looks, that Cal was in the second row staring fascinated at her neckline, and that Greg-the-bastard was up at the front looking annoyed. Die, you treacherous scum-sucking pig, she thought, and that was so inadequate she began to think of other things, not realizing she was scowling until she saw Cal’s eyes widen and Greg take a step back.

  She smoothed out her face. Okay, there was that “show just cause or hold your peace” moment for stopping weddings, the escape clause. She could say something there. But if she did, she’d ruin Di’s wedding, and she had a feeling the wedding was more important to her sister than the marriage. And even if it wasn’t, it was Di’s choice. Min was not going to be her mother, running Di’s life for her.

  She took her place beside Worse at the front of the church and thought about smacking her in the face with her bouquet. Maybe she could say she’d slipped. A couple of times.

  Worse sighed and shook her head at Min, pointing at her own wreath.

  Bitch whore, Min thought, and straightened her wreath.

  The wedding march kicked in, and Min turned and watched as Diana started down the aisle, a Hollywood vision with the sun shining behind her like a blessing.

  Her face was lost, and Min’s heart broke for her.

  Min turned away and saw Cal frowning at her. He mouthed “What?” at her and she shook her head, almost in tears. Not even he could fix this one.

  Di reached the front of the church, the ceremony began, and after a while people began to stir in their seats. They know something’s wrong, Min thought. They weren’t getting that happiness buzz people were supposed to get at weddings. Even Di’s bustle looked tragic.

  Then the minister said, “If any man can show just cause why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak,” and Min took a step closer to her sister.

  Di turned to look at her, and Min met her eyes. “Do it.”

  After a moment, the minister nodded, and began the vows.

  Di reached out and clutched Min’s arm and whispered, “I do,” and Min sighed in relief.

  “Not yet, dear,” the minister whispered back.

  “No,” Min said to him. “That’s not what she means.” She nodded at Diana again. “Do it.”

  Di swallowed. “I object,” she said, but her voice was so faint that the minister leaned forward.

  “She objects,” Min said loudly.

  “To what?” Greg said.

  “To you, you traitorous son of a bitch,” Min said, and heard a gasp from the front pews. Loud voice, loud voice, she told herself. Not your loud voice. Then she looked at Greg again, and thought, Hell, yes, my loud voice.

  “I object,” Di said, her voice up to room temperature again. She turned so she was facing the pews. “I object to the groom sleeping with my bridesmaid last night. I object to the groom being a—” Her voice broke.

  “Chea