I climb the steps, gift bag in hand, apology ready.
My family’s mansion swallows me as I enter, the familiar scent of lemon polish and old money filling my lungs. The foyer is empty—no staff to take my briefcase, no mother inspecting my appearance. Just silence.
“Harley?” I call, keeping my voice bright.
My footsteps echo against the marble as I move through the house. The living room appears empty until I spot Harley sitting in the window alcove, back straight, hands folded in her lap. She’s changed into jeans and a simple blue top—the one Mother dislikes.
“Hey,” I say, crossing toward her with a smile, lifting the bag slightly. “I was looking for you.”
She doesn’t return the smile. Her eyes are clear, focused, unnervingly direct. “I’ve been waiting.”
“I got you something.” I step closer, eager to diffuse the strange energy in the room. “Just a little surprise. I saw it and thought of you.”
I hold the bag out, waiting for her expression to soften, for the tension to break as it usually does. But Harley doesn’t even glance at the logo; her gaze remains fixed on mine.
“I know about the wedding changes,” she says. “Your mother called me about an hour ago.”
My confidence stumbles.
“She was very clear,” she continues, her voice devoid of the anger I expected. “Silver and navy color scheme. Calla lilies instead of wildflowers. Twenty additional guests. The country club is booked.”
I lower the gift bag to the side table. “I was going to talk to you about that. Mother got a bit carried away, but—”
“They weren’t suggestions, Skyler; they were demands. Confirmed by you.”
“I didn’t exactly confirm—”
“Did you say no?”
The question hangs between us. I shift my weight. “It’s complicated. Direct confrontation just makes things worse. I thought if we let her feel heard . . . ”
“So you said yes.”
My stomach turns over. I pick up the gift bag again, instinctively trying to steer us back to safer territory. “Look, Harley, I know things have been difficult. That’s why I got this. A little retail therapy to take your mind off it.”
“Take my mind off it?” She looks at the bag, then back at me, an expression of profound disappointment settling over her features. “You think a gift card fixes the fact that you’re erasing our wedding?”
“It’s not a fix,” I insist, though the hope is draining out of me. “It’s a gesture. I’m trying, Harley.”
“No, Skyler, you’re appeasing.” She crosses her arms. “I watched you at dinner last night when your father insulted my career. You changed the subject to the wedding venue—the samevenue you let your mother steal. And now you walk in here with money instead of an apology.”
“I love you,” I say, the only defense I have left.
“I know,” she responds softly. “But love without courage isn’t enough. Not for the life we’re trying to build.” She sighs, a sound that rattles me more than shouting would. “You need to decide who your partner is—me, or your parents’ approval. Because I can’t compete with generations of conditioning, and I won’t share you with your mother’s vision of your wife.”
“You’re making this too black and white.”
“No, you’ve been pretending it’s gray.” She glances at the gift bag one last time, dismissing it. “I’ve waited for you to find your voice, to remember the man who proposed to me with such certainty. But that man disappears the moment your parents enter the room, and no amount of designer credit can bring him back.”
The truth strikes me, harsh and undeniable.
“I’m going for a walk,” she says, moving to the doorway. “When I come back, I need to know if I’m planning a wedding to a partner or a puppet. Because I can only marry one of them. Defend me, support me…or let me leave, Sky.”
The front door closes with a soft click. I stand alone in the center of the room, the five-hundred-dollar gift bag dangling uselessly from my hand, heavier now than it ever was in the car.
Chapter 10
Harley
