“Doesn’t mean you get to say it.”
Raj grinned.
“Fair enough.”
The ceremony must have been starting because the garden was emptying, guests taking their seats. I saw my sister Amanda in a bridesmaid dress, my aunt and uncle, cousins I hadn’t seen in years.
All there to celebrate Jessica’s triumph. Marrying well. Securing her future. Doing everything right.
Everything I hadn’t done.
“You okay?” Raj asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “Just thinking about how much easier it would have been if they just believed in me.”
Raj was quiet for a moment.
“They didn’t deserve to believe in you. You did it anyway. That’s the whole point.”
Maybe he was right. Maybe their faith wouldn’t have meant anything if I’d had it from the start.
But it still would have been nice.
The ceremony lasted 45 minutes. We watched from the bar as guests filed out of the gardens, heading toward the grand ballroom where the reception would be held. I caught glimpses of Jessica. Her Vera Wang dress was genuinely beautiful, and Marcus looked exactly like what he was: a confident man who’d never doubted he’d be successful.
“They’re headed to the ballroom,” Raj said. “We could stay here. Safe distance. Or…”
“Or?”
“We could walk past the ballroom entrance, stretch our legs, see if anyone notices.”
It was a terrible idea.
It was petty and childish and exactly what I wanted to do.
“Let’s stretch our legs,” I said.
The grand ballroom was at the end of a long corridor lined with mirrors and gilded fixtures. The doors were open, and I could see the reception in full swing: crystal chandeliers, tables with elaborate centerpieces, a band playing something elegant and expensive-sounding.
We walked slowly, two well-dressed men with drinks in hand, looking like we had every right to be there.
“Ethan?”
I turned.
My sister Amanda was standing in the corridor, staring at me like I’d materialized out of thin air.
“Amanda. Hey.”
“What are you… You weren’t invited.” She looked confused, then suspicious. “Did you crash the wedding?”
“We’re at the hotel bar,” I said calmly. “We have a meeting here tomorrow.”
“Just staying overnight in your suit on a Saturday?”
“Business doesn’t stop for weekends.” I gestured to Raj. “This is my business partner, Raj Patel. Raj, my sister, Amanda.”
Raj shook her hand with perfect courtesy.
“Pleasure to meet you.”
Amanda was still processing.
“Business partner? What business?”
“Tech,” I said vaguely. “Boring stuff.”
“Mom said you weren’t coming because…” She stopped, clearly realizing how it would sound.
“Because I’d be embarrassing,” I finished. “Yeah, I got that message.”
“That’s not… I mean…” Amanda flustered easily. “It’s just that Marcus’s family is very prominent, and Mom thought—”
“It’s fine,” I interrupted. “Really. Enjoy the wedding.”
I started to walk away, but Amanda caught my arm.
“Ethan, wait. I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair. What Mom said.”
I looked at her, genuinely surprised. Amanda and I hadn’t been close in years, not since she’d sided with our parents about me dropping out of business school.
“Thanks,” I said.
“I mean it. You’re family. You should have been invited.”
“Water under the bridge,” I said.