I wanted her to say something else.
Anything.
That Andrew loved me.
That she missed him.
That she understood why I felt like half my body had been removed.
Instead, she pulled away.
Then she disappeared from my life.
At first, I did not question it.
I thought grief was the reason.
Everyone grieved differently. That was what people said.
Maybe hearing my voice reminded Clementine too much of Andrew.
Maybe seeing me made her think of the wedding that would never happen.
So I left her alone.
I stopped calling after the third unanswered message.
I stopped checking whether she had viewed the photos I sent.
I told myself she would reach out when she was ready.
She never did.
Until Saturday.
My cousin Elowen was getting married at a hotel outside Boston.
I almost skipped the wedding.
For weeks, I had been dreading it.
I was happy for Elowen, but weddings had become landmines.
