He scanned the room—my cousin Laura, who had made that cruel joke about me being a “bridge widow,” avoided his gaze. My aunt, who’d reluctantly come “just to save face,” looked stiff. My coworkers, drawn more by curiosity than support, fidgeted in their chairs. A few friends I’d dared to invite sat nervously, sensing something monumental was about to happen.

Then he spoke.

Clear. Steady.

“I know many of you are wondering why Maria chose me. Or why she would even consider marrying a man who… well, some of you think has nothing to offer.”

No one said a word, but the judgment was palpable.