The memories flooded back as Desi sat in the quiet of her room, the storm raging in her mind far more turbulent than the stillness around her. She closed her eyes, and suddenly she was back in that small apartment she once called home. The air was heavy, suffocating with the echoes of her past.
She had met Daniel shortly after her sister's death when she was barely old enough to understand what love truly meant. He was charming, with a disarming smile that could melt anyone’s defenses. At a time when her mother’s hatred felt like an unbearable weight, Daniel had been her refuge.
“You’re too good for them, Desi,” he’d say, holding her close as she cried about her mother’s cruel words. “You deserve someone who sees you.”
At first, it felt like he did. Daniel had been kind, patient, and at
