While the exchange continued, I kept part of my attention on Maya, who remained standing a short distance away near the wall. She had been quiet throughout the introductions and the family reunion, offering only polite smiles and short answers.
Through my Mind Reading ability, her internal voice surfaced in a low, complicated current.
[Rachel's mother is already accepting him so easily… calling him her daughter's boyfriend in front of everyone… They look natural together. Of course they do. Rachel is closer to his age. She doesn't have the complications I have. She doesn't have to hide.]
[I'm the one who told him I needed time. I'm the one who said I couldn't face everyone yet. And now I'm standing here listening to another woman claim him in public while I stay silent. It's my own fault… but it still feels unpleasant.]
[Stop it. You're being ridiculous. You agreed he wouldn't abandon her. You even tested him on it. So why does watching this make my chest feel tight?]
