In his mind, he had already scripted the entire evening to highlight his own success. He would stand near the entrance in his tailored suit while his expensive watch caught the light every time he reached for a drink.
He planned to let her see him laughing with someone important before he even acknowledged her presence. He wanted her to feel the vast distance between his new life and the one they had shared in their old house.
He might even mention a promotion he had not actually received at Kendrick Logistics yet. He was a regional sales representative with a talent for sounding like a vice president, and he loved the sound of his own lies.
The truth had become an obstacle for Justin, so he had spent months building a much more convenient version of reality. He told his relatives that Cassidy had been impossible to please and that she had never supported his grand ambitions.
He claimed she was small minded and that she had used motherhood as an excuse to stop putting in any effort. He even told his mother, Gillian, that he sold their family home because Cassidy had mismanaged their bank accounts into a crisis.