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I clicked into the post, then another\u2014faces I knew. Flora\u2019s tight-lipped smile. Her husband Tom, they\u2019re twins. Ofully, my mother-in-law, holding a mimosa. Lyle\u2019s younger cousin with his fianc\u00e9e. Everyone except me. There was a family group chat: Preston Legacy Voyagers. Lyall had added me a few years ago, then quietly removed me after an incident with a dinner seating chart. Long story.<\/p>\n
I checked anyway. No chat, no messages, not a single email about the trip. I stared at my phone, the coffee cooling beside me. My pulse wasn\u2019t racing. Not exactly. It was something worse. Stillness. A sinking confirmation that this wasn\u2019t a mistake. It was deliberate.<\/p>\n
That afternoon, while rinsing out a glass in the kitchen sink, my phone buzzed with a message from Valora. But it wasn\u2019t meant for me. It was a screenshot of a group text. A photo of the finalized cabin assignments under portside guest rooms. A name had been crossed out. Mine. Next to it, confirmed for Belle. Belle. Valora\u2019s yoga instructor. The one who\u2019d once asked me if I was Lyall\u2019s assistant. The next message was a voice note. Valora\u2019s voice mid-laugh. \u201cWell, at least the energy on board won\u2019t be so tight this year.\u201d Tight.<\/p>\n