Just observe... and when she speaks, she does so carefully.
"I know," I reply.
She tilts her head slightly.
"Your story with Ethan is something that only the two of you can really understand."
My chest tightens a little. Because it's true.
There are so many layers in what we live, so many moments, so many mistakes... So many wounds.
"I just want you to remember something," my mother adds.
I look at her carefully.
"What?"
Her smile is small, but full of tenderness.
"That pride should never outweigh happiness."
Her words pierce me with an unsettling precision.
Because that thought has been running through my head for days, from the coffee in his office.
From the kiss... From the way he looked at me when he said he needed to hear if he still had a chance.
I look at my hands on t
