“Mrs. Coleman, if you could please follow me to your seat.” The wedding planner’s voice was honeyed with fake politeness, her clipboard clutched against her chest like a shield. I smoothed down my navy-blue dress—the one I’d spent three months searching for, the one William had once said brought out the silver in my hair—and followed her through the glittering reception hall of the Rosecliffe mansion in Newport.
Crystal chandeliers blazed overhead, casting diamond-like reflections across the faces of four hundred guests I mostly didn’t recognize. Across the room, my son stood tall in his tuxedo, his arm possessively around his new bride’s waist as they greeted the Bennett family’s social circle. He hadn’t looked my way once since the ceremony, and the farther we walked, the tighter the knot in my stomach became.
The wedding planner’s heels clicked against the marble floor as she led me past table after table of important guests, past the dance floor, past the string quartet, past the places where laughter sounded effortless and belonging seemed assumed. Finally, she stopped at a small round table partially hidden behind a large floral arrangement, directly beside the swinging doors that led to the kitchen. “Here we are,” she said brightly.
I stared at the table. Five seats. A handwritten place card read MARTHA COLEMAN in an elegant script that somehow felt mocking, and the other cards showed names I didn’t recognize: Mr. Reynolds — wedding photographer. Ms. Leu — Veronica’s college roommate. Dr. Samson — hospital colleague. Mrs. Winters — William’s former neighbor.
The kitchen doors swung open beside me and a waiter rushed past with a tray, the heat and noise from the kitchen momentarily washing over me. Another waiter appeared with water pitchers, nearly bumping my chair as the doors swung again, and the wedding planner’s smile remained fixed even as her eyes cooled. “Is there a problem, Mrs. Coleman?”
“This is by the kitchen,” I said, my voice smaller than I intended.
“Yes.” She didn’t blink. “We had to make some last-minute adjustments to accommodate the governor’s security detail. I’m sure you understand.” She glanced at her watch. “Excuse me, I need to check on the cake presentation.” Then she disappeared into the crowd, leaving me alone at the empty table.
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