"Hello, Neon Patron 001 is ready; authorize personal data?" the voice said in my head. "A voice in my head is not how I expected to start my Tuesday," I muttered, thumb hovering over a designer scarf photo on my phone. "Authorize or deny," the voice repeated flatly. My phone buzzed. The screen lit with Tom's name. "Answer it," I told myself. "Just hear him out." "Hey, Avery," Tom said before I could get past the hold music. "We need to talk." "Talk about what?" I asked, scrolling past comments under the scarf picture—heart emojis, a tag from some influencer I'd barely met. "I ran into Claire last weekend," Tom said. "We're engaged. I'm sorry." Silence cut the room into pieces. "You—what?" I said. "You didn't tell me you were seeing her." "I didn't mean to hurt you," he said. "This just happened fast. We want different things." "Different things?" I laughed once, too loud. "You said we'd move in together next month. You said—" "Things change," he said. "I'm getting married." "You're getting married," I repeated, tasting each word. "Yes," Tom said. "I wanted to tell you in person. I couldn't—" "You're getting married," I said again, calmer. "When is the wedding?" "July," he said. "We want a small family ceremony. I—" "Right," I said. "Okay. Good luck, Tom." He went on about details I wasn't listening to. I let him finish, listened to the polite