Her legs felt steady.
Her hands didn’t shake.
She’d practiced this moment in her head a thousand times.
She walked to the microphone at the front of the ballroom.
Two hundred faces turned toward her.
Her father smiled at her with such pride it almost made her hesitate.
Almost.
“Hi everyone,” Madison said. Her voice came out clear. Strong.
“Thank you for being here to celebrate my dad and Jennifer. Sixteen years is a long time. Sixteen years of marriage. Sixteen years of being my stepmom. Sixteen years of building a life together.”
She paused.
“But tonight, I want to talk about someone who’s been missing from our family for sixteen years.”
“My mother—Samantha.”
The room went quiet.
Andrew’s smile flickered.
Jennifer’s hand tightened on her champagne glass.
“I never knew my mom,” Madison continued. “She died when I was born. And my whole life, I’ve been told the same story. That she died peacefully. That she held me and smiled and closed her eyes like she was going to sleep. That it was beautiful and painless and she was happy.”
Madison reached into her purse and pulled out a small remote.
Behind her, a screen descended from the ceiling.
The lights dimmed slightly.
