Before I could respond, the sharp click of stilettos on hardwood silenced the room. Madison entered, a vision in a tailored navy suit that likely cost more than my perceived annual income. Her engagement ring fractured the light, sending aggressive sparkles across the walls.
“Sorry I’m late, everyone!” she announced, accepting kisses like a benevolent monarch. “The conference call with the board ran over. You know how it is—making decisions that affect hundreds of livelihoods takes time.”
“I wouldn’t miss celebrating your success,” I murmured. “Congratulations on the promotion.”
Madison’s smile sharpened. “Thank you. It’s amazing what happens when you set real goals and actually work toward them.”
Her fiancé, Brandon, appeared from the kitchen, sliding an arm around her waist. “We’re already looking at houses in Executive Hills. Something with a home office and guest quarters. Della, you should see the floor plans—the smallest is four thousand square feet.”
“That sounds wonderful,” I said quietly, observing the pack dynamics. They leaned toward Madison like flowers to the sun, turning their backs on me.
Grandmother Rose hobbled over, cane sinking into the carpet. “Della, dear, what happened to that bright girl who won the science fair? You had such potential.”
“Sometimes life takes unexpected turns, Grandma,” I said, keeping up the act of defeat.
“Unexpected turns,” my mother echoed, arranging appetizers. “That’s certainly one way to describe it.”
The evening unfolded like a scripted tragedy. I became a ghost in the room, the conversation flowing around me like water around a stone. When addressed, it was with the polite condescension reserved for dim-witted children.
