Chapter 3

It was only when she came back to the Bennett house for a family dinner and saw the cake already set out on the table that Ella remembered it was her birthday.

A mango mousse cake sat in the middle of the table with number-shaped candles marking both birthdays. Claire loved mango. Ella was severely allergic to it. Diane said mildly that there were cookies in the kitchen and that she shouldn't spoil the mood in front of guests.

The birthday hat was already on Claire's head. Their birthdays fell close together, and ever since the fire the family had folded the two celebrations into one.

Claire closed her eyes and made a wish while the candles burned down to stubs. When it was Ella's turn, the head of Claire's lab called to say she was a finalist for the national materials innovation prize. Everyone crowded over to hear. Ryan's hand was still resting on the top of Ella's head, and he left one hurried sentence behind. "Next year, I'll make sure you get your own celebration."

The flame went out in front of her. Over the past ten years, countless next years had shown up like that and never actually arrived, replaced every time by some urgent reason or another.

After dinner Diane suggested using the guests at Ryan and Ella's wedding to screen an outreach video about Claire's research and raise money for her project. Ryan opened the wedding schedule and started cutting the segment about the couple's childhood memories and the story of their relationship before the vows.

"We have the rest of our lives. Claire gets one shot at this."

From beginning to end, not one person asked whether Ella, the bride, was willing to hand her own wedding over.

That night Claire was named the winner and learned that the awards ceremony fell on the same day as the wedding. She bit her lip and said quietly that she didn't want to stand on that stage alone in front of the cameras. Ryan put his hands on her shoulders at once. "I won't let you do it alone."

The living room went quiet. Everyone was waiting for Ella to say, "It's fine."

Ella said nothing. She quietly confirmed that the awards ceremony began at ten in the morning and was expected to run four hours. Back in her room, she moved her flight to the morning of the same day.

People who get promised a future keep losing the present. If Ryan was always going to make the same choice, she did not have to stand there waiting for him to make one exception for her.

Claire's win went around both families' group chats and the congratulations kept coming, and nobody remembered it was Ella's birthday. She looked at the uncut mango cake and thought it was an exact metaphor sitting right in front of her, beautifully made, never hers to begin with.

Later Ryan took Ella out to the balcony and asked her to be mindful of Claire's fragile state and not upset her. Ella asked whether, if she were the one on that stage, he would give up the wedding to be there for her too.

He did not answer right away. "You'd never need me to go that far."

That hurt worse than a flat no. He didn't even have to weigh it. As far as he was concerned, Ella had never qualified to be chosen first.

Ella put her phone away and checked her boarding details. The ticket said departure at ten twenty, exactly twenty minutes after Ryan would walk Claire onto that stage.