That history wasn’t repeating.

But after  Christmas dinner, I couldn’t deny it anymore.

Something inside me changed that night. I wouldn’t stand quietly, tray in hand, while Olivia became their newest punchline.

Not anymore. It ends here.

The drive home carried the heavy kind of silence. The kind that isn’t peaceful, only uncomfortable.

Adam kept his attention on the road. Olivia stared through the window, her breath clouding the glass. I sat in the passenger seat with my arms folded so tightly I could feel my fingernails pressing against my