RUBI
Last night lingers like smoke. Thick, intrusive, and impossible to escape.
I still don’t understand Hector. Why would he want to throw me a birthday celebration now? Now, when there’s nothing left between us but ashes and divorce papers. The ink on his signature is barely dry, and yet he’s acting like we’re still something. Like he still cares. But I know better. I’ve lived the truth of his indifference.
Still, my heart hasn’t caught up with reality. And that’s the cruelest part. I hate that I still feel anything at all, but love doesn’t ask for permission. It just clings. Stubborn and blind. One look at him and I crumble inside. How is it possible to still want someone who’s been the architect of your pain?
The dining room was quiet when I walked in. No one else had arrived. Dieg
