Page 5 of Back in the Bay

"Ouch."

"Yeah." I take another sip. "The night before I left, we had this massive fight. He said I was choosing ambition over love. I said he was trying to clip my wings. We both said unforgivable things. And then…”

"And then?"

"I left. I blocked Cole's number, his email, and everything else. Made a clean break." The words taste ashy in my mouth. "I was so sure I was right."

"Were you?" Aidan asks quietly.

"I don't know anymore." I stare into my glass like it might hold answers. "I got everything I wanted professionally. But sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I'd stayed that one year. If his dad recovered. If we could have made it work."

"You can't live in what-ifs, Mabel."

"I don't. I live in concrete reality. Contracts, evidence, precedent." I straighten my shoulders. "And the reality is, relationships end. Marriages fail. I see it every day."

"You see people at their worst," Aidan corrects. "Nobody comes to you when their marriage is thriving."

"Fair point," I concede. "But it doesn't change the fact that Cole and I were fundamentally incompatible. He wanted small-town life. I wanted?—"

"The corner office, which you now have," Aidan finishes. "But are you happy, Mabel? Really happy?"

The question hangs between us. Before I can formulate a deflection, my phone buzzes. I glance down, grateful for the interruption.

Until I see the name on the screen.

"Mabel?" Aidan prompts. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I stare at the message, unable to process the six words glowing on my screen.

Mom: I have news.

"Not a ghost," I whisper, turning the phone so Aidan can see. "My mother."

Aidan squints at the name. "Marjorie Maxwell? What's the emergency?"

I shake my head, already typing a response. "With my mother, it could be anything from a genuine crisis to a sale at Nordstrom." I hit send.

Me: What's wrong? Are you okay?

The reply comes instantly: Rowan is getting married next week. You need to come home for it. There will be no excuses this time.

My blood runs cold. "Oh no."

"What?" Aidan leans across the table, trying to read my screen.

"My cousin is getting married," I say numbly. "And he’s one of Cole’s best friends."

Aidan's eyes widen. "Cole as in?—"

"As in the man we've spent the last hour dissecting, yes." I drain my whiskey in one desperate gulp. "And my mother insists I come home for the wedding.”

"This is..." Aidan searches for words. "Cosmic. The universe is literally forcing you to confront your past."

"The universe can go fuck itself," I mutter, signaling for another drink. "I'm not ready for this."

I type furiously.

Me: He didn’t invite me. Why would I go?

---