Hannah glanced toward the open doorway, quickly, as though she half expected Brenda to appear there any second, and the fact that my daughter was afraid of being caught telling me the truth is a thing I will carry for the rest of my life.

“She said today needed to belong to your new real family,” Hannah said, the words coming out small and rehearsed, as though she had heard them enough times to have learned them.

“And that the guests would feel awkward if your first wife’s daughter stood up there beside you.” She swallowed.

“She said everything was going to change after you married her today.

And that I needed to stop acting like I was the most important girl in your life.”