Sara Ikari Rodriguez:
He just walked into the bedroom and shut the door.
And I stood there, alone, feeling like we are right back where we had started—confused, bruised, drowning in the space he
created between us.
I changed out of my gown, washed off the makeup, tied my hair up, and sighed into the quiet of the apartment.
Everything about the Rodriguez gala had felt like a dream.
Warm laughter.
Friendly faces.
People welcomed me as if I truly belonged.
It was the first time I had felt what a family might feel like.
And then the Ikari family had walked in.
Hana’s mocking laugh.
Her snide comments.
Her loud whispers about me being a “nobody” who didn’t deserve Matio.
The words still clung like thorns.
I tried to shake them off, but my stomach twisted. I walked to the kitchen
