The dressing room was a vision of elegance, with plush velvet sofas, intricately carved wooden tables, and ornate mirrors that seemed to stretch up to the ceiling. The walls were adorned with delicate lace and silk drapes, and the air was filled with the sweet scent of fresh flowers. The feelings inside were a myriad, the bride glowed with happiness and nervousness.
The clock ticked on the wall as stylists and make-up artists fine tuned her look with professional cosmetics. They were on standby the whole day so she would look her best in all the pictures. Liam had gone beyond her expectation and took care of the finest of details, ensuring her comfort. She smiled softly.
Selena, resplendent in her vintage Christian Dior wedding gown, sat in front of a large mirror, her raven black hair styled perfectly, her alabaster skin glowing with a subtle sheen. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled with happiness, and her pouty lips curved upwards in a radiant smile.
The gown itself was a masterpiece of design, with delicate lace and intricate embroidery that seemed to shimmer and shine in the light. The fitted bodice hugged Selena's curves perfectly, and the full skirt fell in soft folds to the floor.
As Selena's mother, Eun Ho, helped her into the gown, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and wonder. She had only found Selena a decade ago, after a mistaken switch at the hospital, and now she was marrying her off. The thought filled her with a mix of emotions - happiness, sadness, and a sense of loss.
Eun Ho, fretted in a stunning emerald green silk gown, designed by Oscar de la Renta, smiled through tears as she gazed at her daughter. She turned to Kim Chaeri and asked "Can you get the box?" she whispered, her voice excited and nervous. Kim Chaeri, her guard nodded.
Selena's sister-in-law, Claire Gregory-Lowrie, and the bridesmaids, Heather MacLeod, Siobahn Douglas, and Jennifer Macpherson, all dressed in stunning champagne-colored gowns, designed by Monique Lhuillier, chattered and laughed as they sipped Champagne Avenue Foch like it was water, and helped Selena get ready.
"So, do you think you can give me a good word with Jakob? I know he just got back. Heather and I had the biggest crushes on both him and Gunn in highschool." Jennifer MacPherson asked. She had just returned from a Sports Illustrated Shoot and had a bronze tan. Her, once tomboy bodyguard had become a fitness model. Heather MacLeod had gone into Oncology as her specialty and would be the perfect match to Gunn.
"I can try, but those guys are as clueless as Liam used to be before he grew up. I think Michael is interested in you, Siobahn. " Selena sighed. That blessing of an industrial accident with the Loop had returned them here. Just at different times. Her near death experience must have woken the other version of Liam up to. He never left her side, until he was forced to medically.
"I would definitely hit that. Even if he is still hung-" Siobahn stopped herself and cleared her throat. It was not like it was a huge secret that the 4 friends we all hung up on her. Selena was very attractive, she always was. But her personality and intelligence were the real hook.
"Well at least when they get serious, they get serious." Claire said. "It took a lot for that idiot to come around and do the right thing. Don't be nervous, Jonah really grew up. I am sure he will too."
As the stylists applied the final touches to Selena's makeup, the atmosphere in the dressing room grew more jovial. The bridesmaids teased Selena good humoredly about her nerves, and Selena playfully shot back, "I'm not nervous, I'm just excited to finally marry the love of my life. Even though I did not foresee getting knocked up, he was more excited to lock me down and marry than I was? Gosh, what a Groomzilla." Selena's morning sickness had hit her like a truck and Liam had planned the whole affair along with her mother.
The room erupted in laughter, and Eun Ho smiled, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. This was what she had always wanted for Selena - happiness, love, and a sense of belonging. Liam had become the oddest man; sometimes it felt like he was an old man.
As the faint sounds of chirping birds and classical music drifted through the room, Selena stood up, her gown shimmering in the light. She took a deep breath, feeling a sense of calm wash over her.
"I think I'm ready," she said, smiling at her mother and the bridesmaids.
"Hold on, you are missing something, just let me make sure everything is just right." Eun Ho's face came out strangled by emotion. Her hand gripped her shoulder. Selena sat down.
Kim Chaeri, her guard came over, she handed Eun Ho an ornately carved mahogany jewelry box and opened it. Gasps resounded as the box creaked open. On the black velvet laid a glittering rope of large leafed diamonds, the centrepiece gemstone was a stunning 407 carat deep yellow diamond with blinding clarity.
Eun Ho pulled the massive necklace out of the box, the Mouawad's 637-carat L'Incomparable Diamond Necklace, in which she won at auction and slung the heavy necklace like a garland around her daughter's neck. It was fitting. It glittered as it found its fated home.
Amelia sighed. Eun Ho had been the one in the blind bidding box. The necklace had found its rightful owner. Amelia smiled as she heard her granddaughter sigh happily. It was so fitting. Her daughter-in-law was having the hardest time. It was not like Selena would be leaving them; it would be that she would be officially taking part in her destiny. She understood her feelings.
As Eun Ho fussed with Selena's wedding gown, she couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions swirling inside her. She needed to keep her hands busy. She thought she was ready for this. Her daughter was about to start her own family. She was happy, of course, to see her daughter so in love and starting her new life, but beneath that happiness lay a deep sadness and melancholy.
It had only been 10 years since Eun Ho had found out that Selena, the woman sitting in front of her now, was her biological daughter, swapped at birth. The time had gone by, too painfully fast. She might have overcompensated a bit. The atmosphere in the room changed. Jennifer and Heather were on higher guard with $55 million dollars around her neck.
For 14 years, she dreamed about what her daughter would look like in her wedding gown. She felt guilty that she had never thought about Selena in this way in the past 10 years.
After McKenna died, she stopped thinking about it. She felt guilt for not dreaming this for Selena, for not having those happy hopes, but pushing obligations on her. She lacked the happiness-filled childhood that she wanted to give her daughter before she was burdened with the massive weight of her destiny. It was cruel.
The revelation had shaken her to her core, and she had struggled to come to terms with the loss of the life she thought she knew. But as she gazed at Selena now, resplendent in her wedding gown, Eun Ho's thoughts turned to the years she had missed with her biological daughter. She had only had 10 short years with Selena, and now she was marrying into her own family, a bittersweet reminder of the time they had lost.
Eun Ho's eyes welled up with tears as she thought about all the milestones she had missed - Selena's first steps, her first words, her first day of school. She had missed so much. Now, as she watched her daughter prepare to start her new life, she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of grief and loss. She had the time with Rose, as Claire needed the help. Selena would now be needing her guidance and it was a respite.
She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself, but the emotions threatened to overwhelm her. She felt like she was losing her daughter all over again, this time to marriage and a new life.
As she handed Selena her bouquet, Eun Ho's voice trembled with emotion. "You look beautiful, Selena," she whispered, trying to hold back tears.
Selena smiled, oblivious to her mother's turmoil, and Eun Ho's heart swelled with love and pride. She knew she had to let go, to let Selena start her new life, but it was hard to shake off the feeling of loss and longing that had been building up inside her for years.
"Thank you, Mom," Selena said. Eun Ho wrapped her arms around her lovingly. Amelia came over, like a breeze and joined in on the embrace. "It is time for us to get this show on the road."
The photographer snapped a touching candid scene. Noe Jin-ae was beaming in the background with a rarely seen grin and a glass of champagne with Claire.
"Let's leave the bride to breathe for a moment," Claire said as she began to usher people out. She slid a smoothie in front of Selena and gave her the least messy food to eat as possible. Her mother had clung to her all morning, and the poor girl had not yet had anything to eat.
"Thanks, banana is my favourite," Selena said as she grabbed the smoothie. She stared in the mirror and sighed.
"Eat up, it is going to be a long time before you have something else. Plus, I heard you in the bathroom earlier. I know how rough it can be." Claire said she left the room.