Maria:
By the time Daniel pulls up, I am already done pretending.
Not dramatically done. Not in a way that makes me slam doors or cancel plans. Just… quietly finished with whatever this has been pretending to be. I stand in front of my mirror longer than necessary, adjusting an earring I already fixed two minutes ago, and I catch myself staring.
I look like I belong in this life.
That thought unsettles me more than anything.
Everything is right. The dress. The makeup. The hair. If someone took a picture right now, it would fit perfectly into everything people already think they know about me.
I reach for my phone without thinking. The screen lights up, and even though I do not open anything, I remember it clearly. The pictures. The angles. The way something as small as standing close
