She closed the door and leaned against it, taking deep, slow breaths to try and stop the tears from falling. But no matter what she tried, she couldn’t hold them back. She stumbled to a club chair in front of the desk and plopped down. She stifled a sob with the back of her hand as understanding hit her. Jill had chosen her job over one of the most important nights for Reagan. She finally knew where she stood. Jill would always pick work. She’d never be the priority.

That realization hit her like a freight train, stealing her breath for a moment. She jumped when she heard the door open.

Gwen’s eyes landed on her and she said, “Hey, there you are. Your mom was looking for you. She wants…What’s wrong? Are you crying?”

Reagan didn’t have the strength to tell Gwen the truth, to let her know that she felt abandoned. Instead, she wiped the tears away with the back of her hand and tried to smile, which probably looked more like a grimace. “I’m okay. Emotional night, ya know?”

“Sure,” Gwen replied, looking concerned and not at all convinced. “Your mom is near the bar. She wanted to introduce you to someone.”

“Tell her I’ll be right out.”

Gwen nodded. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m good. Just want to freshen up a bit.”

Gwen closed the door without another word, and Reagan plucked a few tissues out of the box on the desk. She carefully wiped at her eyes so she wouldn’t smear her eyeliner. She needed to find the strength to make it through the rest of the night. Then she’d break down once she was alone.

She found a mirror in the top drawer of the desk and checked her reflection. She definitely didn’t look happy, but only a few people in attendance would really notice. Thankfully, they wouldn’t say anything in the crowd. She’d just have to try not to get cornered by her mother or her friends.

Reagan slowly walked down the hallway, giving herself a little extra time to pull herself together. She found her mom waving to her from the bar. She forced a smile as her mom introduced her to an old high school friend of her dad’s. She nodded in all the right places, laughed when she was supposed to, but she didn’t register a word he said.