I sat in my mom’s room in the Carlos mansion, unable to go back to our old apartment, my mom had already given it away, and staying there felt impossible. The Carlos mansion had become a constant reminder of the pain, of everything that had happened in my life, and the fact that I was at the center of it all.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, my slender features draped in black, the same outfit I wore to her funeral. The sight of myself made my stomach twist with guilt and grief. ...