After Silvia left, Rayla stood frozen in the middle of her dorm room, her mind swirling with emotions she couldn’t quite untangle. Jealousy, insecurity, and a deep, aching sadness pressed down on her chest, and before she could stop it, a single tear slipped down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away, forcing herself to take a deep breath. She couldn’t fall apart—not now.
Just as she was trying to pull herself together, her phone buzzed on the desk. She glanced over and saw her dad’s name flashing on the screen with a FaceTime call. For a moment, she hesitated, not sure if she could keep her composure, but the thought of hearing his voice was too comforting to ignore. She answered the call, forcing a smile as soon as his face appeared on the screen.
“Hey, Dad,” she said, her voice softer
