Behind the White Dress

"In the fifth year of my spiritual practice, my phone suddenly exploded with messages.[Aria, why aren't you replying? Are you really that petty?]Puzzled, I opened Messenger, and froze. My cousin, who never seemed to measure up to me and always went out of her way to oppose me, was getting married, and she expected me to attend."Sorry, I've been busy lately. I won't be able to make it," I replied politely.However, my courteous response only fueled their ridicule."Stop pretending! You haven't kept in touch with your family for years. Are you too embarrassed because your life is such a mess?""She won't even come to her own cousin's wedding? How heartless!""Let me guess, the real reason she can't come is she can't afford a wedding gift."One cutting remark after another appeared, until Betty Stewart stepped in, feigning concern."Come on, don't be so harsh on Aria. We're family, after all.""If she's really struggling, I could ask my husband to help her get a cleaning job."Then she sent me the digital invitation, the gold lettering gleaming.When I saw the groom's name, my pupils constricted in shock.Joseph Clark?Wasn't he the short-lived husband who had spent three years sucking up to me just to extend his life?"