With that, I didn’t even care anymore.
Lies were familiar territory to me. I had learned how to recognize their shape long before they were spoken aloud. And some part of me—quiet, exhausted, unsurprised—had been waiting for this moment.
I set his phone back exactly where it had been, untouched, like nothing had happened, and walked straight to my room.
No tears.
No confrontation.
Just resolve.
I opened my closet and pulled out the red dress.
The one that didn’t ask permission.
The one that didn’t apologize.
The one that said look at me even when I didn’t feel worthy of being seen.
I laid it out carefully, paired it with my heels, checked everything twice. Tomorrow was ready. I would be ready.
Everything except my heart.
I let out a slow breath, the kind that feels heavy in the
