Amelia turns from the mirror, her expression softening. "Harp. We need to talk about Victor."
"No, we don't."
"We really do."
"Today is your wedding day. We're talking about you. Not my disaster of a fake marriage."
"It wasn't fake," Amelia says. "And you know it."
I busy myself with the bobby pins, not looking at either of them.
"The board vote was Monday," Margot says carefully. "Did you hear what happened?"
I did hear. Because even though I've been hiding at my parents' house in Queens, the internet exists. And StreamEats' board vote was big news.
VICTOR KADE SURVIVES BOARD CHALLENGE, REMAINS STREAMEATS CEO
The headline had been everywhere. Tech blogs. Business journals. Twitter.
He won.
By a narrow margin, apparently. But he won.
Which means he didn't need me after all. Which means firing me was the right strategic decision.
Which means I was exactly what the board said I was—a liability and threat.
"I saw," I say finally.
"And?" Amelia prompts.
"And nothing. He survived. Good for him. Can we please focus on getting you married?"
"Harper—"
"No." I set down the bobby pins. Hard. "I don't want to talk about Victor. I don't want to talk about the gala. I don't want to talk about how I royally fucked up the only good thing I've had since Thomas destroyed me."
The room goes quiet.
"This feels worse than Thomas," I admit quietly. "Which is insane. Because Thomas and I were together for ten years. We were married, for God’s sake, and Victor and I were—what? Six weeks of fake marriage and terrible decisions?"
"It wasn't fake," Margot repeats.
"It was legally binding," Amelia adds. "Which is actually more real than most marriages."
"We're getting divorced. Rachel emailed me the paperwork yesterday."
Both my sisters freeze mid-motion.
"You signed it?" Margot asks.
"Not yet. But I will. It's—" I swallow, attempting to calm my racing heart. "It's the right thing to do. He doesn't want me. The board doesn't want me. StreamEats doesn't want me. So I'm doing the mature thing and walking away."
"That's not mature," Amelia says. "That's giving up."
"It's accepting reality."
"It's being a coward."
