Valeria

“Answer me, Valeria.”

My mother’s voice cut through the room again. She repeated the question slowly, clearly enjoying the weight of it.

“Do you regret it?” she asked. “Do you regret where our decision landed you?”

I stared at her, my hands shaking at my sides. Before I could speak, Dante stepped forward.

“That’s enough,” he said.

His voice was calm, but sharp. The room shifted the moment he spoke.

My mother turned to him and smiled, the kind of ...