“Yes. It’s hard to work full-time with a baby, I imagine.”

She took a sip of wine. “And the baby’s father, is he involved?”

“Not really. He helps out sometimes, but he’s not in the picture.”

Patricia exchanged a look with Randall. The look said everything.

Single mother. Part-time job. Nobody. Their son could do so much better.

Sloan—never wanting to miss an opportunity for cruelty—pulled out her phone right at the dinner table. Her thumbs flew across the screen, and within seconds, she announced her findings to the entire room.

“I can’t find anything about you online, Bethany. Like nothing. No LinkedIn, no Instagram, no Facebook presence at all. It’s like you don’t exist.”

I kept my voice steady. “I’m not really a social media person.”

This was actually true. I kept my professional life completely private. No photos, no posts, no digital footprint that could connect Bethany Burton, dental prosthetist, to Bethany Burton, struggling single mom. It was a deliberate choice that was now paying off.

Sloan looked at me with suspicion. “Everyone is on social media.”

“Not everyone.”

“Weird people aren’t.”

Graham stepped in. “Sloan, that’s enough.”

But his voice lacked conviction. He was trying to keep the peace, not defend me. There’s a difference, and I felt it like a splinter under my skin.

Patricia leaned toward Randall and whispered something. She thought she was being subtle. She wasn’t. I heard every word.

“A nobody. He’s throwing himself away on a nobody.”

Continued on the next page