“Valeria…”
I expected anger.
Disappointment.
Another lecture about appearances.
Instead, she just stared.
Because for the first time, she saw something she couldn’t control.
I wasn’t hiding.
“Where is your wig?” she whispered.
I looked at Chloe.
Then back at my mother.
“Ask your favorite daughter.”
My mother’s face changed.
Slowly.
“Chloe?”
My sister looked away.
“She needed to stop pretending.”
The words shocked even my mother.
“Stop pretending?”
Chloe crossed her arms.
“She’s making everyone uncomfortable.”
A strange calm settled over me.
Because that sentence explained everything.
Not just today.
My entire life.
They weren’t upset because I was suffering.
They were upset because my suffering interrupted the image they wanted to sell.
