Contents
Olivia — Chapter 41
Overview
During the wedding speeches, Will dazzles guests, publicly toasting Olivia and recounting his fateful first meeting with Jules. In flashback, Olivia reveals Will is the same man she knew as “Steven” from a dating app. She panicked at their first family meeting and later confronted him, but he coolly pretended not to know her, leaving her isolated and silent.
Summary
As Jules’s father finishes his speech, Olivia observes that Jules looks shaken but moved. Will rises to raucous applause, thanks the guests, and toasts Olivia and Jules, casting himself as a loving husband and heroic figure. He recounts meeting Jules at a V&A event, framing it as fate and shared ambition.
Olivia reflects on meeting Will only after the engagement. Realizing he is “Steven,” the man from the dating app who once told her, “If you were ten years older, you’d be my ideal woman,” she is overwhelmed, vomits, and hides in the bathroom while Jules urges her to attend a celebratory lunch.
Olivia considers confessing then but loses her nerve. She recalls Will’s fleeting shock at recognizing her and concludes he covered it instantly, revealing his ease with deception. To Olivia, he remains Steven, the man who put her in a taxi the night he then met Jules.
At the engagement drinks, Olivia resolves to confront him. Will greets her warmly, pretending they never met, which destabilizes her. She confirms his identity by his features and that first flicker of recognition, but his denial and her fear that Jules won’t believe her keep her silent, leaving Will in control.
Who Appears
- OliviaBridesmaid and narrator; recognizes Will as “Steven” from her past and is silenced by his denial.
- Will SlaterGroom; delivers a charming speech, toasts Olivia and Jules, and denies prior connection to Olivia.
- JulesBride; moved during speeches; previously managed introductions and expected Olivia’s support.
- Jules’s fatherHas just spoken; his remarks leave Jules emotional before Will begins.
- Olivia and Jules’s motherRecalled in Olivia’s memories; present during the fraught first family meeting.