Tina shakes her head, trying to force the conversation out of her mind, but Aaron’s smug expression keeps resurfacing.

Only when she turns onto the quiet, tree-lined road toward their new neighborhood does Tina realize she’s almost home. She’s been so consumed by her thoughts that she barely remembers the drive. The familiar sight of the neighborhood’s entrance finally pulls her back to the present. Their new home sits in an exclusive gated residential community tucked into the hills above Los Angeles, where winding streets, mature trees, and carefully landscaped properties offer a welcome escape from the city’s noise.

A low wall borders the entrance, its elegant bronze lettering displaying the community’s name beneath discreet landscape lighting. Beyond it, tall iron gates stand between two stone pillars, with a small guardhouse positioned just off the driveway.

Tina slows her car as she approaches the residents’ lane. The security camera mounted above the entrance scans her vehicle’s registered license plate. A moment later, the guard stationed inside the glass-fronted booth recognizes her and gives a friendly wave.

She manages a tired smile and returns the wave as the heavy iron gates swing inward, allowing her to drive through.

She finally turns onto their street, drives past several large homes, and finally approaches her and Bette’s new home.

As Tina approaches, the driveway gate recognizes her vehicle and slides open. She drives through, pulls into the driveway beside Bette’s car, and shuts off the engine. For several seconds, she sits, then lets out a breath, grabs her purse and phone from the passenger seat, climbs out, and heads toward the house. All she wants is a glass of wine, a decent dinner, and about twenty uninterrupted minutes to vent to Bette about the absolute bullshit she’s dealt with today, preferably with Bette rubbing her feet.

Tina unlocks the door, steps inside, and lets out a weary sigh as she slowly closes it behind her. “You will not believe the day I’ve had, baby.” She pauses beside the door, slips off one heel, then the other, and sets them neatly against the wall. “I’m serious. I don’t even know where to begin….”

She rolls her neck from side to side, wincing at the tension in her shoulders as she begins strolling barefoot through the foyer. “I need, like, a huge glass of wine with dinner. And when I say huge, I mean one of those ridiculous glasses that holds half the damn bottle.”