The dining room light was low, throwing soft shadows over the polished oak table.
The smell of roasted chicken and garlic butter drifted across the room, making my stomach grumble despite the nerves still buzzing in me.
She poured two glasses of deep red wine, her nails tapping the rim of the bottle with a practiced ease.
"Sit," she said with a smile that carried both hospitality and something sharper.
I hesitated, bag still slung on my shoulder. But the system didn't whisper a warning this time. Only silence.
That felt stranger than the voices.
I slid into the chair opposite her.
We ate at first in silence, broken only by the clink of silverware.
I focused on the food too good to be ignored but her eyes never left me for long.
"You fixed that router like it was child's play," she said finally, swirling the wine in her glass.
"Most men would've called for a technician, billed me for hours. You…" She tilted her head.
"You're different."
I forced a small shrug.
"Just good with machines, I guess."
Her laugh was soft, amused.
"Machines, maybe. People? That's another question."
The second glass of wine disappeared quicker than the first. By the third, her cheeks glowed faintly, and her words began to spill faster, lighter, unfiltered.
"You know," she said, leaning her chin on one hand, "my husband… he doesn't really see me anymore.
Not in the way he used to.
To him I'm just part of the furniture. A nice fixture for his perfect house."
Her voice cracked slightly, though she tried to cover it with another sip.
I shifted, unsure how to respond.
The system flickered faintly in my head.
New Data Input: Emotional Instability Detected. No quest. No solution. Just a pulse, as if it too was listening.
She laughed again, too quickly. "Listen to me, talking like some lonely housewife. You must think I'm pathetic."
I shook my head. "No. Just… honest."
Her gaze lingered on me, heavier now. The wine bottle tilted again.
"Not that am mr smarty pants miss Camilla...but I really do envy u .....well normally women undergoing such circumstances youre going through would be plotting ways on how to feel visible..go out on a shopping spree..break from this shell around u but ,not you.
Youve managed to stay strong and fully honour ur dignity as a woman.
I hope ur husband will one day see out on what he's missing "
She studied me in silence after my words, glass still poised near her lips.
A faint tremor passed through her fingers, though she quickly steadied them.
"Strong,"
she repeated softly, as if tasting the word. "Funny thing, strength. People always think it's about holding the line. About… never cracking."
Her smile was thin, and it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"But sometimes strength is just… surviving inside a cage without anyone noticing the bruises."
The system stirred faintly in my skull again.
Data Conflict: Subject masking true vulnerability. Emotional stress level—elevated.
Then, silence.
Camilla's laugh was too sharp this time, the sound of glass splintering.
"Dignity," she said, pouring the last of the wine.
"That's what you think I've held on to? Maybe."
She pushed the glass across the table toward me, her hand brushing mine for just a fraction longer than needed.
"Or maybe I've just been invisible for so long that even shame forgot my name."
Her eyes held mine then, and for the first time I saw the rawness beneath the polish—the hunger, the ache, the way she wanted to be seen. My chest tightened, the food suddenly heavy in my stomach.
The system flickered again, pulsing a warning I couldn't interpret.
Unstable Variable Detected. Proximity risk—escalating.
But I didn't move.
" They say scars heal with time....pain fades with time....but the heart ..now thats a tricky one.But Camilla..Uve got ur own life to lead,no one ties u to a fate u dont believe in.Just break them chains ,see how that works out for you." I said drowning the glass of red gold holding her eyes onto mine.
As if in sync...we both rushed towards each other her lips on mine as I grabbed her neck pulling her body towards mine.
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System:∆π∆Hehe buoy oh buoy