The woman was Serena, my estranged cousin. A web of unspoken history spun between us, a tapestry of shared blood and diverging paths. Memories of family gatherings, where we were once inseparable, flashed before me. We’d lost touch over the years, our lives taking different trajectories—mine towards corporate success and hers, well, it seemed, towards my now ex-husband.

Serena looked at me, her eyes a mixture of shock and something that resembled guilt. “Llaya, I didn’t know…”I wanted to laugh at the irony, but the sound caught in my throat. Daniel stood beside her, his face a mask of indifference. “We’re getting married,” he said, as if announcing a decision to buy a new car.In that moment, clarity washed over me like a cleansing rain. The life I had known was gone, swept away by the actions and choices of those I had trusted. But in its wake, a new path unfurled, ripe with possibilities I had never dared to dream.“Congratulations,” I said, surprising myself with the sincerity in my voice. There was no need for anger; the universe had a peculiar way of setting things right.