RENEE

I’d heard “congratulations” a million times tonight, and my ears were still buzzing from it all.

Most were from people I barely knew—Robert's acquaintances and business associates—and I was grateful that they at least seemed genuine about it.

Their words were kind and, for the most part, calmed my ruffled nerves, but they weren't enough to dispel the lingering fear that’d settled over me like a cloak all evening.

There was a nagging voice in my head. A small whisper kept ...