I stood there, utterly dumbfounded, my mouth agape as I tried to process the words that had just been thrown at me. 

　　Ace and Alex, the two people who had become such integral parts of my life, had just dropped a bombshell. 

　　"No," they had said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. But how could it be? This was my decision, my heart, my life. And yet, here they were, casually denying me that agency.

　　"What do you mean, no?" I retorted, my ...