When he got engaged to Brianna, a woman who spoke in terms of personal branding and seemed to view my engineering job as quaintly unimpressive, I was genuinely happy for him. I tried. I RSVPed the day the invite arrived. I offered to help with setup and was politely brushed off. I even sent $200 for the bachelor weekend I wasn’t invited to.

The wedding was at an overpriced vineyard, very on-brand for them. I rented a suit, booked a hotel, and brought a thoughtful gift: a card with a check for $1,500. It was money I had saved specifically for this, a significant contribution to his next chapter. Driving up, a knot formed in my stomach. Something told me the day wouldn’t go smoothly.