Kenzie Pulliam Yang

On Independence Day, all of Newport society was waiting to laugh at one person. Me. This year, would my husband, Nathaniel Hastings, pin the Hastings signal flag brooch—the symbol of his family’s honor—on my dress? The Hastings family had an unwritten rule: a wife of five years was only truly accepted after she stood with her husband at the bow of their yacht on Independence Day for the society pages. For the past four years, he had given that honor to other women. I had become Newport’s biggest joke, Mrs. Hastings in name only. This year, the woman he chose was an influencer named Sloane. She hooked her arm through Nathaniel’s and made a show of waving a gold-edged Commodore’s Table place card in front of me, a challenge glinting in her eyes. Everyone around us was waiting. Waiting for me to fall apart like I had the past four years, to rush over and rip her dress to shreds. But I only glanced at the card and said softly, “Congratulations.” Natha......

When I saw my husband and his ex-fiancée on the passenger list for the last flight out before the hurricane, I didn’t cry. I just opened the laptop I hadn’t touched since he’d asked me to quit my job. I created a new folder. I named it: Ethan—Storm Incident. First piece of evidence: a screenshot of the text where he lied, claiming he was trapped at the company warehouse. Second piece of evidence: the flight information to Atlanta, seats 12A and 12B. He thought a hurricane could wash away every trace of his betrayal. He forgot what I used to do for a living. I was once the best disaster-risk data analyst in the city. The perfect escape he’d orchestrated looked, to me, like a disaster model riddled with catastrophic failures. And I was about to assess the full extent of his losses. … Outside, the wind hammered rain against the glass. I refreshed the flight tracker on my phone. Delta Flight 884 had landed safely in Atlanta. Arrived. Safe. ......

When I saw my husband and his ex-fiancée on the passenger list for the last flight out before the hurricane, I didn’t cry. I just opened the laptop I hadn’t touched since he’d asked me to quit my job. I created a new folder. I named it: Ethan—Storm Incident. First piece of evidence: a screenshot of the text where he lied, claiming he was trapped at the company warehouse. Second piece of evidence: the flight information to Atlanta, seats 12A and 12B. He thought a hurricane could wash away every trace of his betrayal. He forgot what I used to do for a living. I was once the best disaster-risk data analyst in the city. The perfect escape he’d orchestrated looked, to me, like a disaster model riddled with catastrophic failures. And I was about to assess the full extent of his losses. … Outside, the wind hammered rain against the glass. I refreshed the flight tracker on my phone. Delta Flight 884 had landed safely in Atlanta. Arrived. Safe. ......

On Independence Day, all of Newport society was waiting to laugh at one person. Me. This year, would my husband, Nathaniel Hastings, pin the Hastings signal flag brooch—the symbol of his family’s honor—on my dress? The Hastings family had an unwritten rule: a wife of five years was only truly accepted after she stood with her husband at the bow of their yacht on Independence Day for the society pages. For the past four years, he had given that honor to other women. I had become Newport’s biggest joke, Mrs. Hastings in name only. This year, the woman he chose was an influencer named Sloane. She hooked her arm through Nathaniel’s and made a show of waving a gold-edged Commodore’s Table place card in front of me, a challenge glinting in her eyes. Everyone around us was waiting. Waiting for me to fall apart like I had the past four years, to rush over and rip her dress to shreds. But I only glanced at the card and said softly, “Congratulations.” Natha......

When I saw my husband and his ex-fiancée on the passenger list for the last flight out before the hurricane, I didn’t cry. I just opened the laptop I hadn’t touched since he’d asked me to quit my job. I created a new folder. I named it: Ethan—Storm Incident. First piece of evidence: a screenshot of the text where he lied, claiming he was trapped at the company warehouse. Second piece of evidence: the flight information to Atlanta, seats 12A and 12B. He thought a hurricane could wash away every trace of his betrayal. He forgot what I used to do for a living. I was once the best disaster-risk data analyst in the city. The perfect escape he’d orchestrated looked, to me, like a disaster model riddled with catastrophic failures. And I was about to assess the full extent of his losses. … Outside, the wind hammered rain against the glass. I refreshed the flight tracker on my phone. Delta Flight 884 had landed safely in Atlanta. Arrived. Safe. ......

When I saw my husband and his ex-fiancée on the passenger list for the last flight out before the hurricane, I didn’t cry. I just opened the laptop I hadn’t touched since he’d asked me to quit my job. I created a new folder. I named it: Ethan—Storm Incident. First piece of evidence: a screenshot of the text where he lied, claiming he was trapped at the company warehouse. Second piece of evidence: the flight information to Atlanta, seats 12A and 12B. He thought a hurricane could wash away every trace of his betrayal. He forgot what I used to do for a living. I was once the best disaster-risk data analyst in the city. The perfect escape he’d orchestrated looked, to me, like a disaster model riddled with catastrophic failures. And I was about to assess the full extent of his losses. … Outside, the wind hammered rain against the glass. I refreshed the flight tracker on my phone. Delta Flight 884 had landed safely in Atlanta. Arrived. Safe. ......

When I saw my husband and his ex-fiancée on the passenger list for the last flight out before the hurricane, I didn’t cry. I just opened the laptop I hadn’t touched since he’d asked me to quit my job. I created a new folder. I named it: Ethan—Storm Incident. First piece of evidence: a screenshot of the text where he lied, claiming he was trapped at the company warehouse. Second piece of evidence: the flight information to Atlanta, seats 12A and 12B. He thought a hurricane could wash away every trace of his betrayal. He forgot what I used to do for a living. I was once the best disaster-risk data analyst in the city. The perfect escape he’d orchestrated looked, to me, like a disaster model riddled with catastrophic failures. And I was about to assess the full extent of his losses. … Outside, the wind hammered rain against the glass. I refreshed the flight tracker on my phone. Delta Flight 884 had landed safely in Atlanta. Arrived. Safe. ......