Elise stood still, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her dress.
Alejandro’s mother looked at her with a kind of amusement that made her seem like an insignificant object. Her lips were barely curved in what could hardly be called a smile.
The words she had spoken settled between them. It seemed soft, like her question was out of care but the cruel undertone pricked Elise so much and tightened her chest.
For so long, she had felt like this was how everyone saw her. A woman who was sold off by her family because she really meant nothing to them and had no choice over her life. But hearing it said outrightly, especially by Alejandro’s mother opened a wound in her chest that she thought had sealed off.
For a brief moment, Elise hesitated, unsure of how to respond. In a very no
