“You’ve always looked at me like I didn’t belong,” Ashley continued, her voice low and controlled. “Like I was something you tolerated. And today—” She gestured helplessly. “Today, you made it public.” Her eyes burned, humiliation mixing with anger she had buried for years.
Rowena’s expression finally shifted, not to defensiveness, but to something like sorrow. “I kept my distance because I was afraid,” she said softly. Ashley scoffed. “Of me?” she asked. “What could I possibly have done to deserve that?” Her chest tightened as she waited.