From His Wife to His Uncle's Wife novel Chapter 279

Katie was up before sunrise on the day of the wedding. She’d barely slept, her mind spinning all night with thoughts she couldn’t shake. Three hours of restless sleep left her foggy and a little out of it, but there was no time to wallow. Jessie Goff was already calling her phone nonstop.

“Katie, are you awake yet? My makeup artist’s here, hurry up! I need you to help me think of some pranks for the groomsmen.”

“I’m awake, I’m awake. I’ll get changed and be right there,” Katie replied, already pulling on her clothes.

She took her role as Jessie’s best friend seriously. She’d even packed her own makeup, so when she arrived, she found a corner, did her own face, and tried to ignore her pounding head.

Jessie was glowing, barely able to stop smiling as she looked at herself in the mirror. Katie almost mentioned what had been bothering her the night before, but decided against it. Today was Jessie’s big day, the happiest day of her life. There was no reason to ruin it with pointless doubts.

Jessie glanced at Katie, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. “You didn’t sleep well, did you?”

Katie checked her reflection, making a face. “Is it that bad? I can’t seem to cover it up.”

The makeup artist handed her a tube of concealer. “Here, try this. It’s magic for dark circles.”

They got ready together, each lost in her own thoughts.

Jessie broke the silence first. “So, what kind of games should we play on the groomsmen?”

Katie was distracted, still not feeling totally present. “Let’s do the blindfolded bride game. You know, have Peter guess which one is you.”

Jessie grinned, clearly imagining it. “That could be fun, but if Peter plays, he’ll get it on the first try.”

The makeup artist chimed in with a smile. “You two must be so in love.”

“He must love you a lot,” she added.

Jessie’s smile faltered for just a second before she recovered. “Of course. I wouldn’t marry him if he didn’t.”

She said it to everyone in the room, and maybe to herself as well.

Across town, Peter Clarkson was struggling to wake up. He had a hangover and would have slept right through the morning if Olga hadn’t come banging on his door.

Back at Jessie’s place, it was almost ten and the groom still hadn’t shown up. Jessie was starting to get embarrassed.

Adam frowned. “What’s going on with Peter? He said he’d be here at nine. It’s almost ten.”

“They said there’s an accident. The road’s blocked.”

Adam shook his head, looking annoyed. It felt like a bad sign.

Otto didn’t look thrilled either. “Who gets stuck in traffic on their way to pick up the bride? It’s just unlucky.”

“Whatever. We’ll wait,” he said, not even trying to hide his frustration.

The lucky hour had already slipped by.

Peter hadn’t expected the day to go off the rails like this. When he finally got out of the car, bouquet in hand and his groomsmen behind him, he tried to shake off the feeling that nothing was going according to plan.