Chapter 1

He brought home thirty-two hundred after taxes. He was only a junior clerk at a customs brokerage firm, and his salary was not high, but he had always been careful about his job. He never missed a shift, never left paperwork unfinished, and never let personal matters interfere with work.

I respected that.

Compared with him, my work at the pier was rougher, heavier, and far more profitable. As a small captain under the Castellano family, I handled crews, cargo routes, docking fees, and men.

I made more in one month than Ethan made in a year, but I never thought that made me better than him.

In a marriage, I believed people should not measure every dollar. If one person earned more, that person could carry more. If one person had more flexible time, that person could give more. I was willing to balance the pier and the family because I thought that was what love required.

For six years, I carried most of his family too.

His parents, Helen and Gregory, lived in my river-view villa. His younger sister, Lila, had been under my roof since she was ten. Her school, lessons, braces, clothes, and every emergency she invented went on my card. Helen's migraines, Gregory's blood pressure, the mortgage, staff, groceries, utilities - all of it came out of my port account.

I didn't complain. I thought families worked that way. I thought the wedding would make us real.

So I spent six months planning a private island wedding in the Maldives. I booked the chapel over the water, three nights at the resort, a small reception dinner, airport transfers, security, photography, and first-class flights for both families.

My father had a bad knee from years on the docks. My mother hated long flights and never asked for anything expensive. Still, they dressed up for me. I wanted them to be comfortable.

Three days before departure, Ethan put a new flight confirmation on the dining table.

I looked at it once, and my fingers went still.

My parents' first-class seats had been changed to economy.

Bianca Voss and her parents now sat where my mother and father were supposed to sit.

"What is this?" I asked.

Ethan was fixing his cufflinks, calm as if he had changed a dinner reservation. "Bianca heard about the Maldives wedding and wanted to bring her parents. First class was full, so I moved your parents down."

"You gave my parents' seats to your childhood sweetheart and her parents?"

"Don't make it sound ugly." He frowned. "Your parents are practical people. They can handle economy. Bianca's father has a bad back, and her parents have never flown first class. Let them enjoy it once."

I stared at him. "My parents were invited as the bride's parents. Not as extra luggage."

"Rosalyn, it's one flight." His voice sharpened. "Bianca grew up with me. She isn't some stranger."

"Then what are my parents?"

The room went quiet.

Helen looked away from the latte I had bought her. Gregory cleared his throat. "Your parents won't make a fuss. The Vosses are guests. We should show some manners."

Lila came downstairs with her phone in her hand. "Just book your parents business class or something. You can fix it. Bianca's mom is so nervous about traveling. Don't be petty."

I looked at the girl I had raised for six years. The cardigan on her shoulders and the boots on her feet were both from my card.

"Did you wonder whether my mother would be nervous?"

Lila pouted. "Your mom looks tough. Bianca's mom doesn't."

The doorbell rang before I could answer.

The housekeeper opened the door, and Bianca Voss walked in with three white suitcases, a champagne-colored travel suit, diamond studs, and a sweet smile that somehow made the whole room shift toward her.

"Ethan, am I too early?"

Ethan went straight to her luggage.

Lila rushed over and hugged her. "You're finally back! If you hadn't left back then, you would've been the bride."

Helen took Bianca's hands with wet eyes. "Look at you, sweetheart. I always thought of you as one of us."

They said it in front of me without a flicker of shame.

Bianca glanced at me as if she had only just remembered I existed. "Rosalyn, please don't misunderstand. I only wanted to attend the wedding. I didn't know Ethan would move your parents to economy. Maybe I shouldn't go."

She said it while keeping one hand on Ethan's sleeve.

Ethan's face darkened. "Don't be ridiculous. The tickets are changed."

Then he turned to me. "And you'll bring the wedding luggage. Bianca's parents are traveling abroad for the first time, so I need to stay with them. You can take the connecting flight and bring the twelve trunks. The hotel staff will receive them."

His tuxedo. His parents' luggage. Lila's dresses. Bianca's extra outfits. Supplies for the wedding I had paid for.

I had spent six months putting everyone in first class. In the end, they couldn't leave my parents two seats.

I folded the flight confirmation carefully.

"Fine."

A flash of triumph crossed Bianca's eyes.

I tucked the confirmation into my bag and smiled.

"You all go ahead. I'll come after."