Nods. A few cheers. Chloe continued, raising her glass.
“To my amazing friends, to my co-workers, to Janine for putting all this together…”
And then, without missing a beat:
“…and of course, to my generous sponsor.”
A few heads turned toward me. I smiled—not because I felt seen, but because I had trained myself to smile even when I felt invisible. “She outdid herself again,” Chloe went on, voice playful.
“A brand-new Lexus. I mean, who does that?”
Louder laughter. Someone whistled.
Chloe paused for dramatic effect—the kind of pause that comes from knowing you have everyone’s attention in the palm of your hand. “But honestly,” she said, lowering the glass slightly, “the best gift my mom could ever give me—the one thing that would truly make me happy—is if she could just never show up again.”
A beat. Then the crowd erupted.
