Then Sofia appeared.
Of course.
Her eyes immediately scanned me slowly.
The dress.
The shoes.
The hair.
And instantly—
I knew she noticed.
“Oh,” she said casually. “You look… different.”
Translation:
Why do you suddenly look better than usual?
I smiled sweetly.
“Thank you.”
Her smile twitched slightly.
Another victory.
Dinner started peacefully enough somehow.
Which honestly should’ve scared me immediately.
Because silence in this family never lasted.
We all settled around the table while conversations floated naturally for a while.
Kael talked about school.
Mom talked about neighbors back home.
Dad discussed business annoyingly seriously.
And for a few minutes—
it actually felt nice.
Then my mother smiled toward me softly.
“So,” she asked gently, “how have you rea
