I spent the whole afternoon in my room.
After another rough morning of nausea, I didn’t have the energy to go outside or face the cold stares in the hallways. I stayed curled up in bed for a while, then moved to the comfortable chair by the window where sunlight streamed in softly. The loose dress I wore hid my changing body well, and I was grateful for the quiet.
One of the books Elena had secretly left for me rested in my lap — a gentle romance about two souls finding each other across difficult times. I opened it slowly, savoring the feeling of the pages under my fingers. Reading had become my small escape. In these stories, I could forget for a little while that I was trapped in a house full of people who hated me.
The room was peaceful. Sunlight warmed my legs. I pulled a soft blan
