My mother-in-law told me to get up at 4 a.m. to cook Thanksgiving dinner for her 30 guests. My husband added, “This time, remember to make everything really perfect!” I smiled and replied, “Of course.” At 3 a.m., I took my suitcase to the airport.

“Hudson.” His mother’s voice seemed to come from very far away. “What does she say?”

He looked up at thirty-two expectant faces. His mother, who had created this impossible situation. His relatives, who had never once offered to help with the massive productions Isabella orchestrated for them. The Sanders, who were already looking around the room with barely concealed disdain. All of them waiting for him to fix what Isabella had broken by refusing to be broken anymore.

“She says…” Hudson’s voice cracked. “She says the turkey is our problem now.”

The room erupted.

The mai tai was stronger than I’d expected. But then again, I’d expected nothing about this day to go according to anyone’s plan.

I sat at the open-air restaurant overlooking the beach, my yellow sundress catching the trade winds, and watched the sun paint diamonds across the Pacific. It was exactly 2:00 p.m. Hawaiian time, which meant it was 7:00 p.m. back home.

Right now, thirty-two people should be sitting down to a perfect Thanksgiving feast in my dining room. Instead, I was having coconut shrimp and watching sea turtles surface in the crystal-clear water.

My phone had been buzzing constantly since I turned it back on an hour ago. Seventeen missed calls from Hudson. Eight from Vivien. Text messages from relatives I hadn’t heard from in months, all suddenly very concerned about my well-being.

I scrolled through them with detached curiosity, like reading about someone else’s life.

Hudson: “Where are you? This isn’t funny anymore.”

Hudson: “Call me immediately. We need to talk about this.”

Hudson: “People are asking questions I can’t answer.”

Vivien: “Isabella, whatever point you’re trying to make, you’ve made it. Come home and fix this.”

Vivien: “This is beyond selfish. You’re embarrassing the entire family.”

Cousin Cynthia: “Hudson says you had a family emergency. Is everything okay?”

Aunt Margaret: “Honey, we’re worried about you. Please call someone and let us know you’re safe.”

I almost laughed at that last one. They were worried about me now. After five years of watching me work myself into exhaustion for their benefit, now they were concerned about my safety.

I took another sip of my mai tai and opened my camera app. The sunset behind me was turning the sky into shades of orange and pink that looked too beautiful to be real. I took a selfie, making sure to capture both my genuinely happy expression and the paradise backdrop.