|Javier|
Something felt… wrong.
Or maybe I was just overthinking.
I took a slow sip of whiskey, my eyes drifting toward my wife. She was radiant, smiling warmly as she conversed with my relatives, leaning in as though every word they spoke mattered. Meanwhile, I sat at my table, surrounded by cousins, my glass my only company.
“I told you to give her some assurance,” one of my male cousins remarked, pulling my attention back to their conversation. “See? Now you’re fighting again.”
I looked up and saw kuya Luis—the eldest among us—scolding Bryan, who happened to be my age.
“I do give her assurance, kuya. But is it my fault she doesn’t believe me?” Bryan shot back, irritation lacing his voice. He downed his drink before pouring himself another.
Luis laughed, and the others at the tabl
