By the time I stepped into the private dining room at Rosewood Grill, everyone was already laughing like the evening had begun without me.

My cousin Emily stood beside the tall windows, flashing her engagement ring while her fiancé, Brandon, shook hands with every uncle who owned a boat and every aunt who behaved like she had personally invented marriage. The room smelled of steak, expensive perfume, and old money. My mother, Carol, noticed me immediately.

“There you are, Sophie,” she said with a smile stretched tight enough to crack. “You’re late.”

“I’m six minutes late. I came straight from work.”