Too calm.
Before that week, he had never been overly affectionate. Ethan was the kind of man who sent memes instead of emotional texts and kissed her quickly on the way out the door rather than wrapping every interaction in tenderness. But suddenly he transformed into someone softer. Warmer. Constantly checking whether she packed for her bachelorette weekend, reminding her to relax, insisting she deserved time away with her friends.
At first Lily told herself it was maturity.
Then her instincts started whispering otherwise.
That was the part she struggled to explain later. Nothing dramatic happened immediately. No lipstick stains. No obvious lies. Just small moments that made her nervous system tighten before her pride was willing to admit why.
Ethan stopped answering FaceTime calls unless she texted first.
His workdays became strangely vague.
“What’d you eat for lunch?” she asked once casually.
“Just grabbed something.”
“What kind of something?”
“Nothing exciting.”
Before, he used to complain about overpriced sandwiches or send photos of weird coffee-shop decorations during meetings. Now every answer felt blurry. Quick. Managed.
And he kept bringing up her girls’ trip.
“You have to go, Lily.”
“Your friends spent money planning this.”
“Don’t cancel because you’re stressed.”
Then one night, while standing in the kitchen holding coffee, he said something that lodged beneath her skin like a splinter.
“Don’t make it weird by staying home.”
Lily remembered staring at him afterward.
Why would it be weird for a bride to stay home the week before her wedding unless somebody really needed her gone?
Still, she packed for the trip anyway.
Her friends planned a countryside resort weekend two hours outside Raleigh — spa robes, wine tastings, matching pajamas, fake-relaxing beside fireplaces while pretending nobody secretly judged group photos afterward. Brooke Jensen organized most of it with help from Hannah, Priya, and Lily’s cousin Mia.
The trip should have excited her.
Instead, the closer Friday came, the heavier her chest felt.
The night before leaving, Lily stood in the bedroom fighting with an overstuffed duffel bag while Ethan sat watching her from the edge of the bed.
“You packed enough clothes for a hostage negotiation,” he joked.
“I’m preparing for emotional weather.”
He laughed too loudly at that.
