Chapter 9 - Adrian Had Been Hearing a Different Rebecca
Rebecca behaved differently with Adrian.
That was why he missed it.
With Emily:
Be a big girl.
Daddy needs a new life.
Don’t make him choose.
With Adrian:
I want Emily to feel completely secure.
I would never try to replace Claire.
We should move at her pace.
The contrast was almost perfect.
When Adrian suggested delaying the wedding six months because Emily seemed anxious, Rebecca said:
“No. I think postponing might make her believe anxiety controls family decisions.”
Reasonable.
When Adrian suggested including Emily in more wedding planning, Rebecca agreed enthusiastically.
Then quietly gave the child tasks that kept her away from adult conversations.
Flower choices.
Ribbon colors.
Programs.
Pretty responsibilities.
Inclusion without influence.
Adrian had seen a patient future stepmother.
Emily had experienced someone teaching her to shrink politely.
Neither had enough information to know the other’s Rebecca existed.
That was the system.
Then Adrian found a simple clue.
Wedding photographs.
Not hidden.
No altered files.
Just the photographer’s contact sheets.
Rebecca repeatedly repositioned Emily.
“Let’s get one of the couple.”
“Now one without flower girls.”
“Let’s give Emily a break.”
Perfectly normal at a wedding.
Except Rebecca did the same thing at the engagement dinner.
Christmas.
The bridal shower.
The rehearsal.
Every new-family photograph emphasized the couple first and Emily later.
Adrian once praised Rebecca for being sensitive to Emily’s fatigue.
Now he wondered whether she had been practicing the visual version of what she wanted emotionally.
Couple at the center.
Child at the edge.
Not proof of malice.
May you like
A pattern of preference.
And patterns mattered when they aligned with words.
