Prologue
We’d barely left port on the first day when the seasickness hit her hard.
By early evening she was pale, miserable, and curled up in our cabin with medication and a trash can. The ship’s doctor assured us it was common, but she was in no shape to leave the room. She waved me off weakly and told me to go to the first family dinner without her.
So I went alone.
I walked into the private dining room on the upper deck feeling like the odd man out — the husband representing the sick wife.
The long tables were loud with laughter, clinking glasses, and overlapping conversations.
I spotted my wife’s niece Sophie almost immediately.
Twenty-three, fresh out of college, with that bright, easy smile that always stood out in family photos.
I had no idea yet how much this week was going to change everything.