The emcee announced a toast from the groom. Darius walked to the center of the room and took the microphone, his smile beaming, though it did not linger on me.

“My dear friends, my dearest family,” he began, his smooth baritone filling the hall. “I am the happiest man alive. Today, I have joined my life with the Hayes family, a family I have known and respected for ten years. Ten long years.” He paused, a theatrical, rehearsed silence. “A lot has happened over these years, but all this time, one secret, one great love has lived in my heart.”

The guests hummed approvingly. How romantic! I felt a cold knot tighten in my throat. I had known Darius for exactly ten years, but I remembered no secret love. Our relationship had begun just one year ago, swiftly and professionally, at my father’s behest.