Everyone but me

There was a time when everyone hated me. Not secretly. Not subtly. They made sure I knew. My family looked at me as though my very existence was an inconvenience. Servants whispered behind my back. Nobles laughed whenever my name was mentioned. And my husband… He was the worst of them all. “Stay away from me, Rosalina.” Those words had become so familiar that eventually, I stopped feeling anything when I heard them. So when my life finally came to an end, I wasn’t surprised that no one cried for me. I thought that was how my story would end. Alone. Unloved. Forgotten. But then— I opened my eyes. My bedroom was exactly as I remembered it. The sunlight streamed through the curtains. The flowers beside my bed were still blooming. And standing beside me… Was my husband. Except something was terribly wrong. He was smiling. At me. He held a bouquet of my favorite flowers in his hands. “Good morning, my beloved.” I stared at him. … What? My husband had never called me beloved. Not once. Before I could speak, the bedroom doors slowly opened. My mother stood there. Behind her was my brother. Then my father. Then my sisters. One by one, they entered. Nobody spoke. They simply stared at me. Their eyes were red. As if they had been crying for hours. My mother was the first to move. She rushed toward me and pulled me into a hug. I froze. She had never hugged me before. Not even when I was a child. “Oh, my precious Rosalina…” Her voice trembled. “I thought I’d never see you again.” My stomach twisted. She knew. I pushed her away. My brother immediately stepped forward. “Don’t.” He said it quietly. Too quietly. “Don’t push her away.” I stared at him. His hands were shaking. “I remember everything,” he whispered. The room went silent. My father lowered his head. My sister began to cry. And my husband… He simply smiled sadly. “We all remember.” My heart stopped. My mother reached for my hand. “I remember every time I ignored you.” My brother continued. “I remember every cruel thing I said.” My sister wiped her tears. “I remember laughing when you begged us to stop.” My father whispered, “I remember watching… and doing nothing.” I couldn’t breathe. They were saying it so calmly. Like they had rehearsed it. Then my mother squeezed my hand. Too tightly. “That’s why we won’t make the same mistakes again.” I pulled my hand away. “I don’t understand.” My husband stepped closer. “You don’t have to.” He smiled. “We understand enough for both of us.” I backed toward the door. My brother quietly moved in front of it. My blood ran cold. “Where are you going, Rosalina?” “Home.” My brother’s expression softened. “You are home.” I looked around the room. At the flowers. The presents. The people who had spent years wishing I would disappear. They were all smiling at me now. Every single one. Too perfectly. Too lovingly. My mother whispered, “We finally have you back.” My husband took another step toward me. “And this time…” His eyes darkened. “We won’t let you leave.” Everyone had been reborn. Everyone had been given another chance. Everyone remembered the girl they had destroyed. And now they wanted to love her. Protect her. Make up for everything. There was only one problem. They had gotten a second chance. Everyone but me. And I was the only one who remembered what they were capable of. Because sometimes… Love is far more frightening than hatred.