Before the Next Yes

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Years later, people still asked Amara if she regretted leaving before "I do." They expected bitterness or triumph. They wanted a clean answer because clean answers make other people's fear easier to carry. She always said the same thing: "I regret that truth had to arrive through pain. I do not regret opening the envelope." The empty aisle became a rumor, then a lesson, then a story women told each other quietly.