Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 477: Surely Not

Lucy smiled at Genevieve. “Never stop doing those little things you do together. Tom and I have been going on dates three times a week consistently for twenty years now. Even when either of us is out of the country, we still do so virtually. You can work on doing them a better way, but never let it decline or stop.”

Genevieve smiled softly. “Thank you.”

Sonia raised a brow. “That’s you keeping it simple?”

“Very simple, actually,” Lucy said with a giggle.

Everyone laughed as Lucy passed the mic to Jessica.

Jessica stood. “My advice?” She smiled. “Talk.”

Mari blinked. “That’s it?”

Jessica laughed. “Yes. Talk when you’re happy. Talk when you’re angry. Talk when you’re scared.” She smiled. “People think love dies because people stop loving.”

The room became quieter.

She shook her head. “Many times they simply stopped talking. Never make Stefan guess what is inside your heart. Talk.”

Genevieve nodded. “I will.”

Jessica started passing the mic to Delilah, then took it back. “One more time. Have lots of sex while at it.”

“There we go,” Emily groaned, and everyone laughed.

Jessica laughed as she passed the mic to Delilah.

Mari clapped, and the others joined her.

Delilah smiled at Genevieve. “The others have said a lot, so all I’m going to say is that you’ve got to keep that man on his toes always! And most importantly, don’t give up time with the girls for anything! It’s the only thing that will keep you sane on some days.”

“Preach, Dee!” Jade said, making them all laugh.

Delilah laughed as she continued. “Marriage doesn’t remove your individuality. Don’t lose yourself trying to be someone’s wife or mum or whatever. You are first Genevieve, before you are anyone or anything to anybody else. Finally, protect your friendship with Stefan. The passion and romance may not be there every day, but friendship is what carries you through ordinary days. Don’t lose the friend you have in Stefan.”

Candace sighed dramatically, “At this rate, by the time it gets to me, I’ll have nothing to say,” she said, making the rest of them giggle.

“That’s why you should have gotten married before us instead of making my poor Matt wait for years,” Sonia said, making everyone laugh.

Genevieve smiled with admiration as she watched the exchange between the ladies.

Every woman here had built something beautiful, and she could only hope that she’d be able to say that of herself someday in the future.

The mic was passed to Jade, and she cleared her throat as she rose. “Now that I have the mic, I don’t know what to say,” she said, making everyone laugh.

“Lies. You always know what to say,” Lucy said dryly.

Jade laughed. “Right. I always do,” she winked at Genevieve, “Just kidding.”

Genevieve smiled.

She looked serious again. “I’m not sure my advice to you has to do with marriage alone. But I’m going to say it anyway because it will help you even in marriage.”

Genevieve nodded.

“Never walk into a room as though you have to earn the right to be there. Do not go around acting, or even looking like you do not deserve to be there. You deserve to be loved by Stefan. He’s not doing you a favour by loving you or marrying you. You deserve to be in this room right now. We are not doing you a favour by being here with you. You belong. So I want you to always raise your head and walk with pride. Never make Stefan feel like you do not deserve his love. He’s lucky to have you as much as you are to have him. Am I clear?”

Tears gathered in Genevieve’s eyes as she nodded, and she lowered her eyes.

For a long moment, she couldn’t speak. The words settled somewhere deep inside her.

Mari didn’t rush to the next speaker since they could all see that she needed a moment.

Dawn quietly reached over and squeezed Genevieve’s hand. “Are you okay?”

Genevieve nodded. “I am.”

Lucy smiled warmly. “Good advice, Jade. I think we need to repeat it every day until she believes it.”

“We can just start now. “Queens, let’s affirm our bride, say ‘Genny, we love you, and you belong here,'” Mari urged the ladies.

“Genny, we love you, and you belong here,” they all said.

“We can do better, Queens,” Sonia said, clapping.

“Genny, we love you, and you belong here,” they all screamed.

“You never have to doubt your place here,” Lucy said to her.

Genevieve’s shoulders shook as tears dropped from her eyes. “Thank you.”

Dawn shook her head. “You’ve been crying an awful lot lately. Did love make you soft? You cry over literally everything,” Dawn teased.

“It’s not my fault that you all keep making me feel emotional,” Genevieve murmured.

“Did the chicken make you feel emotional, too? You cried when you saw the chef cutting up the chicken,” Dawn pointed out, wanting to make Genevieve laugh.

“The chicken looked pitiful,” Genevieve said defensively.

“Or maybe you’re pregnant. Jade was that way too when she was pregnant with Zoe, remember?” Sonia said with a teasing smile.

Jade laughed. “True! It was horrible.”

The ladies laughed, but the word lingered in Genevieve’s mind, and her smile slowly faded.

Pregnant. The word echoed strangely inside her head.

Her heart skipped.

Wait…

When had she last seen her period?

She began counting backwards in her head to recall the last time she’d seen her period.

She couldn’t remember the last time she saw her period.

The last couple of weeks had been exhausting, and it had not occurred to her that something might be out of place.

She had blamed the tiredness on stress. She had blamed tears on the love she’d been receiving. Even the unusual appetite.

Some mornings she woke up hungry. Other mornings the thought of food made her stomach turn.

She had assumed it was anxiety over the wedding. But what if…

A strange warmth rushed through her body.

Surely not.

She tried counting again, more carefully this time, to remember the last time she saw her period.

Checking her Flo app would be easier, but she couldn’t do so right here. Not with all the eyes on her.

Her cycle had always been regular. She usually knew the exact week it would come.

So why couldn’t she remember the last one?

A tiny knot formed in her stomach as another thought hit her.

She and Stefan, ever since they became intimate, especially after he came to find her in West End at the hotel, they hadn’t exactly been careful.

Not once.

Her pulse quickened.

Oh. Oh, God.

Could she actually be…

“Did we lose our bride?” Mari asked, snapping her fingers playfully.

The room laughed.

Genevieve blinked and smiled. “Sorry.”

“You disappeared for a second,” Dawn observed.

Genevieve hesitated before laughing softly. “Yeah.”

She lowered her eyes to her glass.

Could I actually be pregnant? The thought made her heart race.

Stefan was going to lose his mind if she told him her suspicion.

Just imagining the look on his face made her chest tighten with emotion.

No. She wasn’t going to get excited over a joke. Not until she knew for sure.

Still, she set aside her wine glass and tried to focus on what was going on around her.