She cried quietly.
I let her.
Then I said, “But I don’t want anger to be the only thing left between us.”
Paige wiped her face. “What do you want?”
I thought about it.
Inside, Ethan was probably looking for me. My guests were probably whispering. The cake was probably melting slightly under the warm lights.
But that question deserved time.
“I want honesty,” I said. “Not instant closeness. Not fake sister pictures for Facebook. Not pretending today fixed everything. I want honesty. Therapy, maybe. Boundaries, definitely. And no more stealing each other’s light.”
Paige laughed through tears.
“I don’t think I have any light.”
“That’s the first lie we need to stop telling.”
She looked down.
“I don’t know who I am if I’m not competing with you.”
The sadness in her voice made my chest ache.
Because I believed her.
Some people become cruel because cruelty works. Others become cruel because they are terrified that without noise, nobody will notice they exist.
