We stayed in contact—phone calls and texts. A few letters. But it wasn’t the same.

I became a full-fledged adult and Uncle Noah moved out. All that was left was me and all those empty rooms, the ghosts of my mother and pseudo-sister to keep me company.

When Rosalee finally finished college and moved back to Moon County, she didn’t come home to me. She got her own apartment and things just weren’t the same between us. She had brand new friends, like Mara.

Perhaps part of me resented her for that—for pulling me away from my mom, holding me in her orbit for so long, and then flinging me out into space, all alone, when she was done with me.

I never did go to college. For one, I couldn’t afford it. Rosalee had a small inheritance from her parents’ death and took out some hardship loans that I never even considered applying for.

I just kept working and living, going through the motions of life and wishing I could turn the tables, turn back the clock for a little while…

Now, this weekend was an opportunity for me to reconnect with my beloved cousin. Mara might be her best friend, but she didn’t know Rosalee like I did. She didn’t know her secrets. And she didn’t know that this whole thing was a charade…

Rosalee would never be happy with Asher. There were too many things she kept hidden from him and no successful marriage starts out on a mountain of lies.

Chapter Five

Georgia

The groom’s friend

Two people walk behind me, voices rising in a heated political debate. Masks and hats. Peace and war. Their voices grew angrier, as they sharpened their knives. Everyone thought they were right; unequivocally right. Perhaps we were all wrong for fighting.

I pushed myself through the double doors of the Louis Armstrong international airport, and was instantly assaulted by balmy air and bright yellow sunlight. I probably looked ridiculous in my jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt. My feet ached from my too-tight shoes.

Get me away from these people, this world, I thought. I couldn’t stand being in public anymore. And it wasn’t just the ‘public’ sphere either, it was everywhere—on my newsfeed, in my email inbox, on the TV screen and radio. I couldn’t get away from it. Perhaps trying to get away from it was wrong—immoral. But I needed a break from the stress, to escape from my problems back home and the terror that came from everyday life in this modern world…