In the heart of a modern city, two rival families hold the power. Valentina, a fiercely loyal daughter, and Matteo, a cunning and determined son, find themselves on opposite sides of a dangerous feud. But when their paths unexpectedly intertwine, th...
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Avoidance has always been my thing. It's not something I'm proud of, but it's how I cope. After an argument, I pretend it didn't happen, like nothing's wrong, and I move on.
Maybe it's not the healthiest way to deal with things, but that's what I know. It's easier to act like everything's fine than face the mess head-on.
That's exactly what I'm doing now as I drive to Sabrina's house. The weight of last night's fight with Matteo sits heavy in my chest, but I push it down. I put on music, the kind that drowns out the noise in my head, and I pretend the knot in my stomach isn't there.
The morning felt like a blur, the tension between Matteo and me thick enough to cut through. When he tried to talk, I shut it down. I didn't want to hear it, didn't want to deal with it. Now, here I am, heading to Sabrina's like it's just another day.
Like I don't feel like everything's slowly crumbling underneath me.
I pull up to her place and take a deep breath before getting out of the car. As I walk up to her door, I remind myself to keep it together.
No need to get into all that with her. I can handle this on my own.
Sabrina opens the door with her usual bright smile, pulling me into a quick hug before leading me inside. "Hey! You made it," she says, her voice full of that casual energy I wish I could match right now.
"Yeah," I say, trying to sound upbeat. "Just needed to get out for a bit."
We settle into the living room, and I do my best to keep the conversation light. We talk about school and random things going on with her, but I can feel her eyes on me, watching closely, like she can sense something's off.
I'm not surprised—Sabrina always knows.
After a few minutes of chatter, she sets her cup down and looks at me with that piercing, no-nonsense gaze of hers. "Okay, what's going on?"
I pause, fiddling with the hem of my sleeve, trying to decide whether to brush it off or let it out.
But the truth is, pretending it's fine isn't working, and I can feel the cracks starting to show.
"It's nothing," I say, but my voice falters just enough to give me away.
"Val, come on," Sabrina presses, scooting a little closer on the couch. "You know you can talk to me. What happened?"
I hesitate, feeling the lump in my throat start to form. For a second, I consider dodging the question again, but I know she won't let it go. So I cave.
"It's... it's Matteo," I finally say, my voice softer than I intended. "We had a fight last night."
Sabrina's expression softens, her eyes full of concern. "What happened?"
I close my eyes, trying to gather my thoughts. "He made a comment that hurt me. I just wish he could see how hard I'm trying to handle everything. I don't want to feel like a burden."
