My heart racesas I rush through the party looking for Daisy.
“Matthew’s here,” I tell her, out of breath, when I find her near the bar.
“What, why?” She looks over her shoulder. “Where is he?”
I point to the house. “Upstairs. He and Sara were arguing.” My hands are shaking. People waiting in line are looking at us.
“Marcus probably invited him. They do business together,” Daisy says, pulling me away from them, but she looks concerned. “I’m here.Nate’s here. There’s hundreds of other people here. He can’t hurt you. If he tries, we’ll call the police.”
—
An hour later,we’re at the reception. the sun has gone down and the wind has picked up, rattling the trees, making the candle flames dance. Kai comes out in a traditional red silk gown, a cheongsam, and the guests erupt in cheers, clinking glasses, screams.
I can’t get comfortable, I keep expecting Matthew to be inches from me every time I turn around. I send a text to Margaret.Matthew’s here.
She responds after a few minutes:That bastard, he should have known better than to come here. I’m sorry—I’ll send him away.
I watch Matthew out of the corner of my eye.Does he know Daisy spoke to Marta? Did he come to try to stop us?
I touch my throat, remembering the feel of his hands on my neck, the sound of the oncoming train. I picture him waiting outside our apartment in the black SUV, talking to Dani after school. Sweat beads on my forehead, and I force a breath, dig my nails into my palms, as the sound of the train grows louder.Make it stop.
The microphone screeches, and I flinch. “Thank you all for coming,” Marcus says. I force myself to look away from Matthew. “We cannot express the joy and gratitude we feel to be able to celebrate this special day with you.” He holds his glass up and hands the microphone to Kai. “With all the awful things going on in the world, we feel so blessed to be able to celebrate our love with all of you. Thank you to Margaret and John for hosting.” Kai gestures to Margaret’s table, but her chair is empty next to John. I glance around and see Margaret marching toward Matthew’s table. Oh no. “And to our family and friends who have traveled halfway around the world to be here,” she says. “And…we have a surprise for you this evening. My talented friend, Brigitte Senyuva, has choreographed this original piece for us.”
The DJ starts the music and dancers in flowing fabric take the stage. One of the girls, with her curly Afro and focused expression, reminds me of Naomi. Beyond them, on the opposite side of the dance floor, seeing Margaret approach, Matthew stands up from his table.
I lean over and whisper to Nate, looking in their direction. “Matthew’s here.”
—
Whatever Margaret saidto Matthew must not have worked, because she’s back at her table, and he’s at his. After dinner, Nate gets up to get another drink from the bar. Kai and Marcus are beginning their first dance when Daisy lets out a little yelp, pointing across the reception. “Oh no. Maya, look!”
Across the reception, Nate is in Matthew’s face, shaking his hands in the air. Matthew shoves him.
Guests turn to stare, but Kai and Marcus are lost in their first dance, unaware of the commotion.
“What are you doing?” I whisper-yell when I’m close enough for them to hear me, trying not to call any more attention to the situation than there already is. A small crowd of men has gathered around them. Nate has Matthew pinned, one fist raised overhead. I pull Nate’s arm. “Stop it, stop!”
Matthew staggers to his feet. He brings his hand from his lip, which is split, bleeding down his chin. “You’re lucky I don’t press charges,” Matthew spits.
Nate stares at him, hunched over like a boxer, with a wild, soulless look in his eyes I’ve never seen before. He looks like he’s about to lunge at Matthew again, but I grab his arm. “Don’t. It’s not worth it.”
—
In the poolhouse, where we’re staying, Nate holds an ice pack to his cheek. The life has come back to his eyes but now he looks spent.
“I don’t know what you were thinking,” I say, trying to keep the judgment out of my voice, because the truth is, if I’d had the chance to punch Matthew in the face, I’d have done it too.
“He should stay away from my family,” Nate says through clenched teeth. He smells like alcohol.
“How much did you have to drink?”
He ignores me.
“What happened? Did he say something to you?”
Nate closes his eyes, shakes his head.
“What did he say?”
