“What Are You Here For? Just To Stare? Do You Honestly Think You Can Afford To Shop Here?” My Sister Said Before Slapping Me In Front Of Our Parents. But Then A Man Walked In, Called My Name… And The Entire Room Fell Silent.

“But the truth is, you hated me because I was free. Enjoy the ruins of your ‘status’.”

I walked into the heat of my kitchen, the sound of the Hales being escorted out by security fading behind me. I finally had the only thing that mattered: a life I built myself, and a man who loved me when he thought I had nothing.