The fountain at the Sterling Estate caught the afternoon light perfectly. Water arced through the air in crystalline streams as June’s sun filtered through old oak trees. I stood at the edge of the reception, watching my daughter’s wedding celebration unfold across the manicured lawn. Two hundred guests, champagne glasses catching the light, laughter floating on the warm breeze.
Lauren, my only child, looked beautiful in her silk wedding dress that moved like water. Trevor Kingsley, her new husband, stood beside her with one hand on her waist, the other gesturing to his finance friends. He’d already loosened his tie—confident, comfortable, like a man who knew he’d won something.