At the reception, people coo over Jess constantly, telling her what a wonderful job she did. Jess smiles and thanks them each time, trying to hide her growing panic. No one seems to have realized she’s not Annabelle, and the time has passed for her to convince people of who she really is.
When food is served, Jess is put into a highchair next to the ring bearer. The woman who changed her cuts up her food before setting it on the highchair’s tray for her to eat. Jess reluctantly eats it with her fingers and drinks the sippy cup of milk that she’s been given.
“Annabelle, you are so well-behaved,” the woman remarks. Jess merely smiles weakly at the compliment. “You know, since you’ve been so well-behaved and did such a good job, you’ve earned some fun.” The woman removes Jess from the highchair and brings her over to the dance floor. “Go ahead, dance!”
Jess toddles over to a group of children jumping around. She joins in for a few minutes, then looks back. The woman isn’t watching her anymore. Hope soars in Jess’s chest. Now, she can escape!