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“You’re jealous,” I said quietly.
Her expression changed.
“I’m trying to protect you.”
“No.”
I turned around.
“You’re trying to protect yourself.”
The door suddenly opened.
My mother rushed back inside.
Her face was pale.
“What happened?”
Then she saw me.
Her eyes widened.
The room went silent.
“Valeria…”
I expected anger.
Disappointment.
Another lecture about appearances.
Instead, she just stared.
Because for the first time, she saw something she couldn’t control.
I wasn’t hiding.
“Where is your wig?” she whispered.
I looked at Chloe.
Then back at my mother.
“Ask your favorite daughter.”
My mother’s face changed.
Slowly.
“Chloe?”
My sister looked away.
“She needed to stop pretending.”
The words shocked even my mother.
“Stop pretending?”
Chloe crossed her arms.
“She’s making everyone uncomfortable.”
A strange calm settled over me.
Because that sentence explained everything.
Not just today.
My entire life.
They weren’t upset because I was suffering.
They were upset because my suffering interrupted the image they wanted to sell.
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