"You forget how hard it is to ignore someone who looks the way you do," He replied smoothly, taking advantage of the close proximity between the two of us.
Running his large hands slowly down my arms before looping them around my waist possessively...
When I stepped back into the dining room, the warm glow of the light felt almost oppressive, a stark contrast to the calm I had just found outside. Everyone was still seated at the table, deep in conversation, forks scraping against plates, laughter punctuating the hum of voices.
I quietly slipped into my chair, smoothing my dress as I sat. No one seemed to notice at first, which I was thankful for. Ezra was in the middle of a story about how Raina had burned dinner the week before, his face animated while she playfully rolled her eyes at him.
"Okay, it wasn't burned," Raina interjected with a laugh. "It was... caramelized."
"Sure, sure," Ezra teased, grinning. "The fire alarm disagrees."
Everyone chuckled, even Matío, though his eyes flickered toward me briefly as if checking in. I avoided his gaze, keeping mine fixed on my plate, pushing the remnants of my food around with my fork.
But it didn't take long before the silence I was clinging to was interrupted.
"You've been awfully quiet, sweetheart," my father said, his voice gentle but observant as always.
I looked up, meeting his kind eyes. "I'm fine," I said softly, offering a faint smile that I hoped would end the conversation.
Before my father could press further, my mother cut in, her tone sharp and pointed. "She's probably sulking, as usual. Nothing new there."
I froze, gripping my fork tighter as the room grew noticeably tenser.
"Vivienne," my father warned, frowning at her, but she ignored him, her gaze locked on me like a predator sizing up its prey.
"No, let her talk," I said, my voice trembling slightly but steady enough to carry my anger. "You always have something to say about me, so go ahead. Let's hear it."
Her lips pressed into a thin line before she set her fork down with an audible clink. "Oh, don't act like I'm the villain here, Ahvi. I've done nothing but try to push you to be better, but you've made it very clear you're content with mediocrity."
I laughed bitterly, the sound more of a release than genuine amusement. "Mediocrity? Because I don't fit into your perfect little mold? Because I don't have some high-powered career or live up to your expectations? God forbid I do something that actually makes me happy."
"You think I'm hard on you for no reason?" she snapped, leaning forward slightly. "You're living paycheck to paycheck, doing God knows what with your life, and you expect me to applaud that? I'm sorry if reality hurts, but I refuse to sit here and coddle you."
