Chapter 1 - The Silver-Embossed Insult
The invitation felt heavy in Maya’s hands, the silver foil catching the light of her sunlit kitchen. Eleanor Sterling and Victoria Kensington request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their children, Tristan and Sloane.
It was a calculated strike. Eleanor hadn't sent this out of a sudden desire for reconciliation; she had sent it to ensure Maya saw exactly what she had missed out on. Eleanor wanted Maya sitting in the back row of a Napa Valley estate, watching Tristan marry a woman of proper breeding and undeniable wealth.
Four years ago, Maya would have crumpled the card and wept. She would have felt the crushing weight of her own perceived inadequacy.
But four years changes a person. Especially a mother.
Maya looked up from the island counter. Through the expansive glass doors of her modern living room, she watched her three children—Leo, Lucas, and Lily—chasing a golden retriever across the manicured lawn. They were three and a half years old, vibrant, fiercely intelligent, and completely unaware of the Sterling family's existence.
They also shared Tristan’s exact hazel eyes and the distinct Sterling jawline.
“Are you going to burn it?” a deep voice asked.
Maya turned. Leaning against the doorframe was Alexander Thorne. He wasn't old money; he was self-made. A venture capitalist who had backed Maya’s wellness center when it was just a business plan, and who had backed her heart when it was still in pieces. Alexander was a man who commanded boardrooms without raising his voice, and he loved Maya and her triplets with a ferocity that healed every broken part of her. They had been engaged for six months.
May you like
“No,” Maya said, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across her lips. “I’m going to RSVP. Plus four.”
Alexander’s eyes gleamed with dark amusement. He walked over, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing a kiss to her temple. “Napa is beautiful this time of year. Let’s go show Eleanor exactly what she threw away.”
