Love Wasn’t Always Enough

Meliza's POV

Sylvia's mocking smile sent a fresh wave of humiliation washing over me, but I kept my chin high and forced myself to move with grace as I served them tea. She didn't utter a single word in my direction. I could tell from the faint flicker in her eyes that she recognized me—how could she not?—but she pretended otherwise, as if I were invisible, as if I didn't exist.

Ethan's mother glanced at me once, a fleeting look that felt more like a warning than acknowledgment. "Stay close," she told me earlier, her voice laced with false warmth. "I might need something later." But I knew the truth—she didn't need anything. She just wanted me to stand there and listen, to feel every word like a dagger to my chest.

So I stood in silence, like a statue, present but unseen. I kept my hands clasped tightly in front of me, hoping the trembling wouldn't show.