Hannah glanced toward the doorway, as though expecting Pamela to appear at any second.

“She said today needed to belong to your new family,” she whispered.

“She said people would feel uncomfortable if Mom’s daughter stood beside you.”

My pulse settled into the controlled rhythm I had learned before difficult decisions in the field.

“Did she say anything else?” I asked.

Hannah nodded, without meeting my eyes.

“She said everything would change after you married her.

She said I needed to stop acting like I was the most important girl in your life.” And then she asked the question that ended whatever future remained between Pamela and me.