12.

I was tired of everything—this marriage, my parents, my sister, and most of all, Daniel. The weight of it all crushed me, suffocating any hope I had left.

Tears welled up, hot and bitter, blurring my vision and making my chest ache with frustration. Regret twisted inside me, but anger burned brighter. Why did good things never last? Why did I have to fall for Daniel in the first place?

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I jerked my chin up, refusing to let him see me crumble completely. Even through my blurry vision, I met his gaze with as much resolve as I could muster.

"Daniel," I began, my voice trembling yet steady enough to carry my words, "I know I signed the contract. I agreed to this. But don’t you think it would be better for both of us if we just… stayed away for a while? You’re making this harder than it already is for me. I can’t keep doing this—living in crisis every moment. I need time to take it all in, to figure out how to breathe again. And you’re not giving me that time."

My words hung in the air like a fragile thread, threatening to snap under the weight of the silence that followed.

Before he could respond, I turned away, slipping out of his reach. My legs felt unsteady as I moved toward Cecily, who opened her arms without hesitation. The instant warmth of her embrace broke something inside me, and the tears I had fought so hard to hold back spilled freely.

Sobs wracked my body as Cecily whispered, "It's alright, Vera. It's alright."

But we both knew it wasn’t. It hadn’t been for a long time.

"It’s not alright," I choked out, burying my face in her shoulder. "It’s never been alright. I’m the only one hurting, Cecily. Why can’t anyone see that?"

Her arms tightened around me, her silence speaking louder than any words of comfort could. Because deep down, I knew there were no words that could fix this—not yet.

Cecily held me tightly, her presence a steady anchor in the storm of my emotions. The sobs slowly quieted, but the aching emptiness still lingered, gnawing at my insides. I felt hollow, like something had been ripped out of me and I couldn’t quite figure out how to fill the space.

"Vera, listen to me," Cecily said softly, her voice a whisper against the chaos inside my head. "You don’t have to do this alone. If you need space, take it. You have every right to step back and breathe."

I shook my head, pulling away just enough to look her in the eyes. The desperation was clear in my gaze. "But it’s too late, Cecily. I’m already too deep. This marriage—this contract—I don’t know how to get out of it. I don’t know if I even want to anymore."

The words hung heavy between us, an uncomfortable truth that felt suffocating. I wasn’t just angry at Daniel, or at my parents, or even at myself. I was angry at the whole situation—this tangled mess that felt impossible to escape.

"I don’t want to hurt him," I added quietly, the words bitter as they left my lips. "But every time I see him, I just… I don’t know how to keep pretending. I don’t know how to keep pretending that everything is fine when I’m falling apart inside."

Cecily didn’t respond immediately. She just looked at me, as though trying to understand the full weight of what I was saying.

"You don’t have to pretend," she finally said, her voice firm. "But if you stay in this marriage, you need to decide what you’re willing to fight for. If you need time, take it. Don’t let anyone rush you into something you’re not ready for."

I leaned back, wiping my tears with the back of my hand, still trying to make sense of the mess in my heart. "I don’t know if I can even fix this. I don’t know if I’m strong enough."

"You are," Cecily said with a quiet confidence that made me almost believe her. "But you have to stop pretending to be fine when you’re not. Let yourself feel this. Only then can you figure out what you need."

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat still there, but I nodded. She was right. I had been running from my feelings for so long, trying to avoid the truth. But I couldn’t keep pretending forever.

"I need to find myself first," I whispered, more to myself than to Cecily. "And I can’t do that if I keep being dragged along in this...this mess."

Cecily gave me a small, understanding smile. "Then take your time. Do what you need to do, Vera. You deserve peace, even if it takes a little longer to get there."

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting her words sink in. There was no easy answer, no simple solution. But maybe, just maybe, I could find a way to heal, to find my way back to myself.

The road ahead felt uncertain, but for the first time in a long while, I didn’t feel entirely lost.