Jasmine had always been beautiful in that effortless, infuriating way some people possess. All golden hair, perfect teeth, and a laugh that made everyone in the room turn toward her like sunflowers tracking the sun. Her fiancé, Douglas, sat beside her, his hand proprietarily on her knee, smiling that practiced, slick smile he gave everyone.

“We’ve already put the deposit down on the Lakewood Estate,” my mother announced, vibrating with excitement. “The ceremony will be outdoors by the gazebo, weather permitting. We’re thinking late September, when the leaves start turning to fire and gold.”