It was the kind of difort that made me feel nauseous, like I might get an upset stomach. I didn’t know why, but whenever I felt anxious, wronged, or uneasy, my stomach just went out of whack.


    “Zoe, if I were you, I’d just marry that soldier, drag him straight to the Dolton family, and knock that jerk Alvin off his high horse. It’ll save you from wasting time with them.” Jasmine’s voice was sharp.


    I hummed in agreement. “Not a bad idea. I’ll think about it.”


    “Make sure you really think about it,” she said, then paused before adding, “Zoe, the best way to forget someone and move on is to dive straight into another rtionship.”


    “Alright, Ms. Glisson, I get it,” I said, hanging up and staring nkly at the ceiling.


    Outside, I could hear Josh’s steady, deliberate footsteps.


    A momentter, the sound of a faucet turning on followed by Holly’s voice. “Where’s Zoe? It’s just you?”


    I didn’t hear Josh respond, but I did catch him saying, “Don’t puttro in the soup.”


    I couldn’t help butugh at that, but as I smiled, tears unexpectedly welled up in my eyes.


    For years in the Dolton family, I’d eatentro, even though I never liked it when I was with my parents.


    There was a saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Back then, As I lived as Alvin’s fiancée, Michelle had even called me her daughter. But deep down, I knew I wasn’t really part of the Dolton family.


    In a lot of small ways, I’d forced myself to adjust, pretending not to mind certain things to avoid seeming difficult or spoiled. Liketro. I had forced myself to eat it, even though I hated it.


    Holly called me to drink the soup, but I had already fallen asleep. In my dream, I was about to sign the marriage license with Josh when I was suddenly woken up.


    “You and Josh didn’t work out?” Holly asked at dinner.


    I grunted, remembering my interrupted dream. “We were about to get the license… then you called and ruined it.”


    “What?” Holly was confused. “You two were really getting married that fast? Didn’t you want to date for a while first?”


    I was speechless. I didn’t know how to respond.


    “Zoe, you’ve got good taste. If you miss out on Josh, you’ll regret it. If I were fifty years younger, I’d be chasing him myself.”


    I burst outughing at Holly’s words.


    “Don’tugh. I’m serious. If you don’t act quickly, that little widow will snatch him up,” she continued, her voice full of warning.


    By now, it was just me and Holly at the table, so I asked, “Holly, where’s Josh?”


    “He went out with friends for drinks.”


    I scooped up some fish soup and tasted it-delicious. “Doesn’t he drive for work? And now he’s drinking?”


    “He just helps out his friends asionally, not all the time,” Holly exined, eyeing me closely. “So, are you two really


    getting married?”


    “No, I just dreamt about it,” I said, but Holly shot me a disapproving look.


    I didn’t see Josh again until bedtime. But just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard hime in. Then I heard Holly’s voice again. “Lock the door. We have a young girl here.”


    “It’s locked. Go to sleep.” Josh’s voice was low and calming in the quiet of the night,


    A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, but before I could rx, Holly’s voice cut through again. “Josh, hurry up! Zoe says she dreams about marrying you.”


    I shot up from the bed, thinking, ‘What? I never said that! Holly really has no filter-she’ll blurt out anything, and she doesn’t even bother getting it right. Great, now I have no face to look him in the eye


    As I muttered to myself, I heard Josh’s voice from outside. “Got it. I’ll hurry.”


    I had no idea how to respond to that.