Prompt: Abby, Jinx, "My daughter"
Jinx watched Abby as she glared at Mary and Marshall as they danced their first dance as a married couple together. It had taken a long time for Mary to admit to Marshall that she loved him, but two hearts destined to be together always seem to find their way.
Abby hated the fact that she made herself come to their wedding. She wanted to prove to everyone here that she was a bigger person then Mary. A part of her despised Mary for taking Marshall away from her and there would always be resentment on her part towards both of them. She continued to drink hard liquor through out the reception. She wanted to drown the heartache.
Abby had tried to hate Marshall for pulling away from her and towards Mary since Nora was born. She had thought the connection would fade since Mark moved to town, but instead their bond grew stronger.
One night, Marshall came home and he was different. Something had changed and she could see it by the look in his eyes. There was regret and sorrow. She had made the mistake of asking him what was wrong.
"I don't love you the way a man should love his fiancée. I thought I could, but you're not her and she told me that she loved me today as she tried to let me go. Abby, I'm so sorry, but I can't do this. It's not fair to any of us."
Abby had slapped Marshall in anger and regretted it the second her hand collided with his face. She foolishly promised that they could remain friends. To show no hard feelings they invited her to their wedding two years later.
Here she stood still feeling scorned.
Jinx walked over to Abby, while the rest of the room was oblivious to the young woman's feeling she wasn't. She knew hurt and anger when she saw it. She'd drank down a bottle to not see it every day for years.
Abby looked to Jinx when she walked over and stood next to her.
"Abby, my daughter has owned his heart for a very long time. Marshall is and always has been a great man. If he had thought what he had for you wasn't real or that Mary would finally come to her senses, things wouldn't have turned out the way they did. They're happier than I can ever recall seeing them both. I know it hurts, but sometime you just need to let go and walk away. You did your part by coming and trying to show support. Don't let that anger fester up inside of you. The bottle will only destroy everything you worked so hard for. Be grateful they figured things out before you married Marshall. The ending would have been twice as painful. Do yourself a favor, walk away from here, find a place where you can heal and find true love. It's been two long years of hateful glares and false truces."
"Forgive and forget?" Abby asked bitterly.
"Move on and be happy, like Mary and Marshall are."
Abby nodded and thought about the job opening in Texas. Maybe it was time to go home. With one last look at Mary, Marshall and now Nora dancing together she headed out of the reception hall and hailed a taxi to take her to the station. There was paperwork to be filled out.