Layla calls me three days before the wedding.
I almost don't answer. We said what needed saying. Made our peace. She's supposed to be in California by now, starting her new life far from the wreckage of the old one.
But I answer anyway. "Layla?"
"I'm at the airport." Her voice sounds small. Scared. "My flight boards in an hour. And I just, I needed to say something. One last thing before I go."
I step out of the wedding coordinator's office where we've been discussing flower arrangements. Find a quiet corner. "I'm listening."
"We could have been sisters." The words come out rushed, like she's been holding them in too long. "Real ones. If Victoria hadn't poisoned everything. If she hadn't made you the enemy. If she'd just, if she'd just let us be family."
My throat tightens. "Layla...
