Steven laughed loudly, regaling his buddies with tales of his week-long resort fling with his mistress…

She started enjoying school more. She even made a couple of friends—girls who struggled academically but loved Sarah for helping with homework and whispering answers in class. But as other girls began crushing on boys…

The boys, shy but eager, started pairing off. No one paid attention to Sarah. Despite her efforts to be outgoing, fun, and active—excelling in games, sports, and academics—her classmates chose other girls. They played with Sarah, sure, but only as friends.

It hurt. Sarah blamed her appearance and hid her pain behind a mask of bravado, trying to seem proud and independent. That’s how high school ended.

Sarah enrolled in a community college, hoping things would change. But no one showed interest. No love notes, no one walking her home hand-in-hand.

She grew more convinced of her own inadequacy, her second-class status. Her friends were getting married one by one. Most of her classmates started families, but Sarah had no hint of a personal life.

She tried to act like it didn’t bother her, and her parents, sensitive to her feelings, avoided the topic. Even her younger brother, a notorious prankster, never teased Sarah about boyfriends. Her youth slipped away.

Sarah began to see herself as a failure, doomed to be a spinster forever. Her brother got married and moved to the state capital with his new wife.

He landed a great job and bought a place of his own. But Sarah? Still invisible. She worked as an accountant, sitting in an office, shuffling papers, and crunching numbers.

Her coworkers left her alone, careful not to talk too much about their families around her. Once, a colleague started gushing about her perfect, beautiful, straight-A daughter. Sarah excused herself mid-conversation and spent the rest of her lunch break sobbing in a bathroom stall.

She desperately wanted a child—a daughter or a son. Even just one, even without a husband. Just someone to love.

But men steered clear of her. The idea of getting drunk and hooking up with someone repulsed and scared her. So she lived alone in the large apartment her parents had left her.

One day, her brother, Mike, came back for a week’s vacation. His wife was delayed in the capital and would join him a couple of days later. Mike decided to throw a reunion party for his old college buddies.

Sarah’s inherited apartment was spacious—perfect for hosting. She missed Mike and was thrilled to have him back, so she greenlit the party.

Better they hang out at home than bar-hop. The group was small—only seven people, including Mike. Many of their friends had scattered across the country.

Sarah whipped up a feast: appetizers, salads, snacks, and a hot main course. The guys only brought booze, but Sarah’s spread was enough to feed them for two days. The apartment was big enough that everyone had a place to crash…