FALLING FOR MY MOM'S FIANCÉ

Maya

The toast knife slips from my fingers, clattering against the ceramic plate hard enough to leave a white chip in the glaze. My thumb finds the crack before my brain processes why I'm staring at my phone like I've just been slapped.

BILLIONAIRE CEO PHILIP DAVENPORT TO WED SOCIETY DESIGNER MONICA WILSON – TWO MONTHS AFTER HER DIVORCE.

The photo below is my mom. Head tilted back, laughing like she hasn't shed a tear in her life. Standing next to a man with silver-streaked black hair and shoulders broad enough to block out half the skyline behind them. I've never seen him before.

My chest tightens... hot sharp, like I've swallowed broken glass. The screen blurs at the edges as I scroll down, reading how they'd "been planning this for months," how he's "the rock she needed after a difficult split."

Difficult split. That's what they're calling it? My dad spent three weeks sleeping on our old couch after she moved out. I found him there one morning, staring at a photo of her in her wedding dress, his hands shaking so bad he couldn't pour his coffee.

Buzz.

A text from Chloe pops up at the bottom of the screen: U up? Just saw the news OMG r u ok??? Did she tell u or did u find out like the rest of us???

I type back with one hand, the other still pressed to my chest like that'll keep the anger from spilling over: No. She didn't tell me. Found out from a damn tabloid. I can't believe she'd do this. Three months ago she was crying about how much she missed Dad.

Chloe: Come over. Right now. I'll pick up bagels and mimosas. We'll get drunk before noon and forget all about it.

I glance at the clock, it's 7:47 AM. Too early for liquor, but too late for pretending this isn't happening. I punch in my mom's number without thinking. It rings twice before she picks up, background noise loud enough to make me pull the phone from my ear-clinking glasses, distant music, someone laughing.

"Maya! Perfect timing... I was just picking out linens for the reception with my planner. You remember Janet? She did your cousin's wedding last year-"

"Are you serious?" My voice cracks on the last word. "You're engaged and you didn't call me? I had to see it on Twitter, some random account with two hundred thousand followers broke the story before my own mother thought to text me."

A pause on her end. The noise fades, like she's stepped into another room. "I was going to tell you. I swear I was. I just... wanted to make sure it was real first. Things move fast sometimes, baby."

"Real? Mom, you've been divorced for two months. How is this real?" My hands are shaking now, gripping the phone so tight my knuckles ache. "Who even is he? Philip Davenport... like something out of a bad romance novel."

"He's CEO of Apex