Not healed.
Not okay.
Just…
Done pretending.
The drive back to the villa was quiet.
Too quiet.
Rain clouds stretched across the skyline like bruises waiting to happen.
I stared out the window the entire ride.
Thinking about Park.
About the Professor.
About the life I abandoned.
About how easily I had erased myself for someone who still couldn’t fully choose me.
By the time I stepped through the villa doors, the numbness had settled back into place.
Then I stopped walking.
Completely.
My belongings were piled near the entrance.
Boxes.
Suitcases.
Books.
Clothes.
Photo frames.
Years of my life stacked together carelessly like unwanted storage.
Something cold unfurled slowly inside my chest.
And then…
“Throw these out. I hate dull colors.”
Sophie’s voice floated casual
