The Joke Was Real to Me
At her wedding, Josephine watched Chiara steal the bouquet and joke that she'd leave with groom Rhys. The room laughed. He'd slept on Chiara's lap at his bachelor party. Rhys called it a joke. Josephine took the mic. "Then he's yours." His mother chose Chiara too. Alone, Josephine left the man her parents had died saving. Then came his deepfake, Chiara's bag on her card, Grandma's missed rescue, and the hate that cost her job. At the station, she ended him. Auden stayed. Rhys's "sorry" met her back.
