No family members attended my wedding because my sister’s engagement was “more important.” Hours later, her lavish banquet canceled out of loyalty to me. While I was celebrating, my phone exploded with furious voice messages: “Do you have any idea how embarrassed we were?”

“And your own mother was the one leading the charge,” she said.

I nodded, feeling a strange sense of numbness.

“And Thomas knew every detail,” I added.

Catherine closed her eyes, as if she were trying to physically push away the anger.

“Holden, listen to me carefully because this was not a coincidence or just clumsiness, it was pure cruelty,” she said.

That night, Thomas sent me six frantic messages.

“I really need to explain myself to you.”

“I made a huge mistake.”

“Please do not throw away so many years of friendship over this.”

I stared at the screen for a long time, remembering when his father passed away and I slept at his house for two weeks so he wouldn’t be alone.

I remembered when he lost his job and I lent him money without asking for a single cent back.

I remembered when he hugged me and cried after promising to be my best man.

Then, I blocked his number permanently.