The Second Invitation

The next baby-shower card was forwarded from my old address. This time, I didn’t tremble. I texted my sister, Chloe: “I’m going.”
“Looking for payback?” she asked.
“No,” I wrote, smiling at the chaos of four toddlers in one living room. “Looking for closure.”

The Entrance That Rewrote The Room

A summer sun hammered the country club’s white stone. I stepped out of a white Lamborghini—Ethan’s playful overkill, not mine—balancing Ruby on my hip while Ava, Noah, and Liam tumbled out behind me in tiny loafers and hair bows.
Conversations stuttered. Champagne stems wobbled. Across the terrace, Jason’s glass slipped and shattered.
“Olivia?” he breathed.
“You invited me,” I said lightly. “I RSVP’d.”

The Silence After A Name