Laura
The past week had been a delicate, almost absurd balancing act. David, content now that we were back in New York and under his watchful eye, had taken to pretending he was the epitome of a loving, neglected spouse—complete with exaggerated sighs and overly patient smiles whenever I ignored him. His overly understanding demeanor might’ve been funny if I weren’t still grappling with the weight of his actions back in Kentucky. For me, every interaction felt like walking on shards of glass, each one sharp with unresolved pain and unspoken words. And now, a week later, here we were—thrust into yet another world I didn’t belong to: Michael and Skylar’s engagement party.
It was precisely the kind of spectacle I had come to expect from David’s world: glamorous, over-the-top, and completely
