Chapter One Hundred And Forty
The morning after Mateo’s fashion show did not feel like the beginning of something bright. It felt like a continuation of the same grey, heavy fog that had settled into my life the moment Khalid walked away. I woke up early, before the sun had fully cleared the tops of the city buildings, and lay in bed listening to the quiet hum of the refrigerator down the hall. My body felt like lead. Even though I had managed to smile and cheer for my cousin the night before, the temporary burst of pride and excitement was completely gone now, replaced by the familiar, throbbing ache in my chest.
I turned over and reached for my phone on the nightstand. It was a habit now, a desperate, automatic reflex that I hated myself for. I unlocked the screen, hoping against hope
