The room stayed silent. “Dinner is paid for,” Maddie continued. “The bar is open. Anyone who wants to stay is welcome.”

Her aunt looked around as if Maddie had broken some sacred rule of public heartbreak. Nobody knew what to do with a woman who refused to collapse on schedule.

Within thirty minutes, half the room had emptied. By nine, almost everyone was gone. That was when Maddie ordered the feast.

Eli returned with a bottle of champagne and one flute. He presented the label as carefully as if she were dining at a five-star restaurant instead of presiding over the ruins of her own wedding.

“Would you like me to open it?”

“I’d be offended if you didn’t.”