Emily came down the living room stairs with the intention of finding Alexander and asking him to his face why he had apparently become a ghost in his own house since the engagement.
She made it three steps into the room before she saw Vanessa.
She was on the sofa with their mother, both of them leaning over a catalogue spread open across the coffee table, laughing at something on one of the pages. Wedding gowns. Of course, it was wedding gowns. Vanessa's hand was resting on their mother's arm in the particular way of someone who had studied how to appear warm and had gotten quite good at it.
Emily turned around and walked back toward the door.
"Emily." Her mother's voice was bright and carrying. "Look who's here, come say hello."
Emily stopped. She turned around slowly and looked at V
