My mother said I should stay in the kitchen during the wedding photos—only until the “important guests” were gone. I didn’t mention that for the past year I had been

Advance team is coordinating with local security for tomorrow. They’re confused why you’re listed in the back. Want to explain?

I stared at the message, at the ridiculousness of my life: my family treating me like an embarrassment while federal agents planned around my existence.

I typed back, Just go along with whatever they say. Try not to make waves.

His response came immediately.

Too late. Wherever you’re sitting is now part of the secure perimeter.

I lay back on my childhood bed, staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars still stuck to the ceiling from when I was twelve. I’d forgotten they were there. I’d forgotten that at twelve I’d thought I might become an astronaut.

At twenty-seven, I was still learning what it meant to take up space.

Tomorrow, my family planned to put me in the shadows.

Daniel had other plans.

Part 2

Saturday morning arrived with perfect weather, the kind that made everything feel staged. A bright sky. Crisp air. Sunlight that turned the grass on the Wellington estate into something magazine-worthy.