They say everyone wants to be someone's moonlight, a radiant presence in the darkest nights. But that wasn't my story. No, in my case, the man I loved already had someone casting that light. And foolishly, I thought I could change that just because I loved him. Cliché, right? Even my parents saw it before I did, wary of him from the start. But love blinds you, so I had ignored their warnings. Now here I was, standing on the edge of returning to that life, a mix of excitement and dread churning in my stomach.

But life isn't all shadows. My sister, Veronica—Nica—was my anchor, the one thing I could count on, the blessing I held close. And right now, she was doing her best to get me through this nerve-wracking trip back to Michigan.

"Come on, Vivi. It's been years; you're going to be fine. I'll make sure of it."

Years? Only two. Yet the wounds still felt fresh. "Two years hardly counts as 'years,' Nica."

She rolled her eyes but softened immediately. "Vivi, look, I'm not the enemy here."

She wasn't, and deep down, I knew it. I'd rehearsed this moment over and over, thinking I was ready to face Ethan, but the closer we got, the more uncertain I became.

"I know, Nica. I just... I don't know if I'm ready for this. Going back there feels like stepping into a trap."

"You don't have to be ready," she said, her voice steady and warm. "I'm your twin and your biggest cheerleader. If things get tough, we'll handle it together. Besides, we're going back to teach that wizard ex-husband of yours a thing or two."

I forced a laugh. "Ex-husband, Nica. Remember, it's an ex-husband."

"Of course, of course."

Returning to Michigan was supposed to feel like going home. Supposed to. But then, not much about my life had turned out the way it was supposed to.

There was one thing I was looking forward to: seeing Mia again. My best friend, Amelia, or Mia as I called her, had been my biggest support after it all fell apart. The familiar ringtone of her favorite song interrupted my thoughts, a welcome distraction.

"Babes! I'm counting the minutes until you and that cute face of yours are back!"

I couldn't help but laugh. "You're excited; I get it. But calm down; one would think I was your long-lost husband."

She giggled, then fell quiet, a silence heavy with shared memories.

"Come on, Mia, don't go all sentimental on me. It's been two years. We can say 'husband' without bursting into tears, okay?"

"Right, right. I'm just so glad you're coming back. But I've got to run—Beverly's been on a rampage all morning."

I smiled at the mention of her three-year-old daughter, Beverly. Another reminder of the life I'd once dreamed of having myself, if only I'd married the right man, not just the one I thought I loved.

Flashback

"Babe, we're going to be late! Hurry up!"

"Give me a second; I just need to fix this tie. Come give me a hand."

I walked into the room, feeling like the angel Ethan always said I was. His smile was warm, his eyes a little too proud. The same proud look that had once made me feel like the most cherished person on the planet.

"There's my angel, looking as wonderful as ever," he murmured, reaching for my hand. The light squeeze of his fingers used to calm my nerves. Back then, we were partners, each of us leaning on the other, believing we were invincible as long as we were together.

I laughed, playfully nudging him. "Jealous already, huh?"

He pouted, but his eyes sparkled with that same familiar glint. "Of course. There'll be too many eyes on you tonight, and none of them are mine." His arm slipped around my waist, pulling me just a little closer, and I felt that surge of safety, that warmth that used to fill me up whenever he looked at me like that. The kind that whispered, this is home.

I threw my head back, laughing as I usually did when he got in these moods. "Don't be silly. I'm your wife."

"Just making sure you remember that," he teased, leaning in with a playful wink. In that small gesture, I could see the whole world we'd built together, the promises, the secrets, the plans we'd made for the future. It felt real. It felt unbreakable.

But now, sitting on this flight to Michigan, the reality felt sharp, bitter even. I realized with a pang that we used to be happy—too happy, maybe. But memories are unreliable allies, twisting and smoothing the rough edges, making you think the past was better than it really was. They haunt you with glimpses of how things could have been, hiding the cracks you've long tried to forget.

The memories tugged at me, making Michigan feel like a minefield, a dangerous place to revisit. Part of me wanted to turn back, close my eyes and ignore the past completely. But Nica, my ever-attentive twin, didn't miss a thing.

"No backing out now, Vivi. We're already on the plane."

"I know, I know," I replied, forcing a smile as if it could hide the emotions churning inside me. "My therapist says it's natural to feel this way."

Nica smirked. "Why you pay a stranger to listen to your vent is beyond me. I'm right here, Vivi!"

You might wonder about Nica. She's the overprotective, overzealous twin, the rock-solid one who always seemed to have life figured out. She wasn't married and wasn't looking. She claimed her independence proudly, using it as armor, diving into work and family obligations without hesitation. It left her plenty of time to fuss over me and my tangled mess of troubles, whether I wanted it or not.

"Because you wouldn't take it seriously, Nica. You'd pocket the money and give me the same advice every time." I laughed, though the weight in my chest lingered.

But she laughed too, undeterred. "You know I would."

Nica was strong—fiercely independent and driven. She was someone who tackled life head-on, taking risks, making her mark. She held down her own business, managed a role in the family's company, and, without complaint, carried on with the work I'd abandoned. Me? I had let Ethan's life swallow up my own, settling into the background of his ambitions, a shadow in the places I once felt I belonged.

When our parents stepped down, I'd stepped back, convinced I could simply blend into Ethan's world instead of carving out my own. I'd left Nica and our aunt to run the family business alone. It was my choice, my decisions that had brought me to where I was: dependent, hurt, and feeling out of place in a life that was supposed to be mine.

But things would be different now. No matter how uneasy this return to Michigan made me feel, I knew that facing my past was the only way forward.